Posted on Thursday 15 May 2008
GM has reached another milestone with the development of its upcoming Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid. Vice Chairman Bob Lutz revealed earlier this week that prototype versions, which started real-world testing only last month, have already reached the target electric-only driving range of 40 miles. The latest announcement comes only a month after GM confirmed that it had finalized the design of the production Volt and makes us confident engineers will be able to meet the 2010 deadline.
Engineers are using previous generation Malibu sedan bodies as camouflage for the new Volt prototypes but as revealed in a leaked video from within GM’s Michigan development center the production Volt will feature a more conventional sedan body with a much more streamlined design than the original concept.
Speaking with Edmunds, Lutz said that this was the first time the prototype was running on electric power alone and that it was reliably meeting its objectives with rough calibration, the wrong drive unit and the wrong body.
The new Volt features an electric drivetrain powered by advanced lithium-ion batteries. The final version is expected to have a driving range of 40 miles on electric power alone as well as an internal combustion engine running on petrol, diesel or ethanol-blended fuel - depending on which markets it sold in - to top up the batteries.
GM’s closest competitor Toyota is already developing a plug-in hybrid but there are no firm details or reports about the progress of the car.
So what GM is telling me is that an overnight charge on the batteries will only get me 40 miles on electricity the next day?! They can do better. This reminds me when GM produced that electric car under the Saturn banner which I swear was just made for their self fulfilling prophecy that “electric cars don’t work yet so here, buy this Suburban!”
Yes, these are the same people who gave us the Impact a DECADE ago. That was capable of… “75 to 100 miles (120-to-160 km) with the Gen 2 Panasonic lead-acid batteries, and 75 to 150 miles (120 to 240 km) per charge with Gen 2 Ovonic nickel-metal hydride batteries.” Thanks to wikipedia for the information. So, what GM is saying is that after 10 years of development and a indisputably better battery type, we can go one-third the distance!
Come on, GM! I hope for your sake this is just an underpromise in preparation for overdelivery.
I belive they decided for 40 miles because it’s enough for daily commuting for most people.
40 miles is not much, but it’s all you need if you drive 10 miles to work every day. In that case, it’s brilliant.
yeah guys, stop slamming them. Last thing we heard from toyota was that they wouldnt even be using Lithium. If it were the prius using lithium and GM still not having an electric car, you’d slam them even harder and praise those ingenious japanese.
Raptor you’ve got it right on the money. they aimed for 40 miles because according to national statistics, 40miles is the commute for 90% of the population. why make a car thats going to cost twice as much to go 60 miles if its only going to give you another 5% of the market place?
besides. thats 40 miles on electricity alone. and then the 1L gasoline engine kicks in and THEN this thing turns into a prius on crack. oh, and it certainly wont be as ugly as the prius.
This is meant to be a relatively cheap commuter car. this is a game changer. those other low production vehicles that you refer to (you forgot the EV1) were exactly that. custom shop jobs, and expensive as well. Don’t see BMW selling the 7h do you? cause no one would spend 2 mill on a BMW
maybe they missed a 0 ??
400 sounds better…or even a 1 in front of it…that woudl be amazing !