Posted on 12/04/2008 2:30:45 PM PST by Daffynition
Everyone seems to be paying attention to what the CEOs of America's automakers are driving this morning. General Motors noticed this, and sensed an opportunity. GM CEO Rick Wagoner will reportedly arrive at Congressional hearings today in a 2010 Chevy Volt.
Or rather, in the closest thing he could find.
Autoblog explains, "As it seems every press outlet will be covering the roadtrip adventures of the three Detroit leaders as they travel via wheeled transportation to the capitol to beg for billions (remember, no corporate jets this time), Wagoner has wisely dumped the ho-hum hybrid Chevrolet Malibu in favor of a Chevy Volt mule in a Chevy Cruze body during at least the last few highly-visible miles of his journey" Wagoner will still make most of the journey in a 2009 Chevy Malibu Hybrid...but not all of it. "To take full advantage of the public display, GM will also bring a show version of the highly-anticipated 2011 Chevy Volt to the capitol and put it on display when Wagoner arrives at the Russell Senate Building around 9:30 AM."
According to Detroit Free Press, the Volt used for this portion of the trip will be "a prototype Volt wearing the sheet metal of the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze."
The Volt, a plug-in hybrid vehicle designed to drive up to 40 miles at highway speed on battery power alone, is planned for the 2010 or 2011 model year. The Volt's body has been shown to the press, and its drivetrain has been tested inside the bodies of other cars (known in the industry as "mules"), but the two have never been shown together - and the press has never been allowed close enough to inspect the car's propulsion system. Battery technology is the limiting factor in every hybrid's development - we don't yet know whether the Volt's batteries can do everything GM claims the car will do. It isn't clear that the Volt testing mules can reach highway speed under battery power, or how long their batteries last.
According to Jalopnik, Wagoner will drive the Volt mule from his Washington hotel to "a 9:30 AM rally at the corner of Delaware Ave. and C street just outside the Russell Senate Building."
That's a distance of just a few miles, probably at speeds below 25 mph - so it still won't come close to showing us how close the Volt prototypes may be to finished products. The fact that Wagoner didn't drive one from Detroit, but apparently had it shipped to Washington in order to drive the last few miles, may be an indication that the Volt program has a long was to go to keep its promises.
Wired, however, comments, "Rolling up to the hearing in a Volt clearly is a PR move, and a shameless one at that. But we're still glad to see the Volt appearing in public because the public needs to see it. Not only is the Volt the most important car any of the Big Three automakers are working on right now, it is GM's best shot at turning things around."
While the bailout debate goes on, automakers are trying to sell cars as fast as possible with deep discounts.
That's not how the Volt is designed to work. There's a lot of misinformation that the Volt will only go a short distance before needing to be plugged in.
Chevy Volt:
Unlike conventional hybrids, the Volt is designed to operate its propulsion system entirely on electric power. Assuming a full-charge is present, this electric power will initially be sourced exclusively from its on-board Lithium Ion batteries for up to 40 miles, a distance capable of satisfying the daily commute of 75% of Americans, which averages around 33 miles.
After 40 miles, the range of the Volt will need to be extended through the use of a small 4-cyl internal combustion engine which drives a 53 kW generator. This arrangement creates a sustaining charge current to the HV batteries and permits them to continue powering the 111 kW electric drive motor. This effectively extends the Volt's potential range to as much as 640 miles on a single tank of fuel. and which could be potentially extended for longer trips through conventional refueling).
My thoughts exactly. They should just start selling golf carts instead of that catastrophe!
Ed
Toonces! Your analogy is PERFECT! As usual, like in every episode, they go over a cliff.
Think critically folks....
These proto's many which are hand built can run up to 500k per copy. I have sat in proto's but those cleared to drive them can't take me for a ride. Reasons? They are not production vehicles, can you say the Product Liability Attorneys have stuck their nose under this tent as well? Look one of my gnomes told me it may have come down from legal that they couldn't do it. What would have been the indemnity if one of these gents (God Forbid) got killed in one of these? Are you aware many life insurance policies (including employee insurance) are null and void if you fly and get killed in a homebuilt aircraft? With that said, are these vehicles almost in the same category? What about their "Key Man Insurance"? was it violated if the made the journey the entire way in a prototype? What is it costing them to re-write the "Key-Man Insurance" now that they are going to get rid of the Corp Jets?
While it is easy to take pot-shots at GM and the Volt this is the reality of even taking cars like this, unfortunately this is the complicated world we live in.
As far as the Volt, detract if you must, IMHO it is a game changer, I will say no more.....
Oh dang, now I’m gonna have to move my tuffet to the library in order to view that!
(Dialup on a machine w/ limited abilities.)
I read (or heard?) that Honda has a battery-only 100 mile/charge model ready to announce. Haven't had confirmation that it's fact....but I wouldn't doubt it.
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