GM says the gasoline engine doesn't officially move the wheels, and the critics say at some point it does, which if true, means the Volt is a plug-in hybrid (albeit, an advanced one at that) and GM has been lying to us all along.
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That's $8,220 more than the Volt's closest rival, the all-electric Nissan Leaf which starts at $32,780 before tax breaks. However, buyers of the Leaf, which is powered only by batteries and doesn't come with a gasoline engine /generator like the Volt, will have to throw in another $2,200 (minus any tax credits) for personal charging docks.
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Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Obama said he expects that manufacturing advances will drive down costs of fully-eclectic and hybrid vehicles over the next few years.
"Because of advances in the manufacture of these batteries, their costs are expected to come down by nearly 70 percent in the next few years," the President said. "That's going to make electric and hybrid cars and trucks more affordable for more Americans. And that not only means more jobs but it also means we're going to be less dependent on foreign oil." Follow the jump for the full transcript of Obama's speech at the battery plant.
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Google has some add-ons in development for version 2.0 of the upcoming Volt app. There will be a navigation tab that uses Google Maps with a lojack-type setup, showing owners' proximity to the car (and possibly solving the Seinfeldian parking problem for good).
General Motors said that the it build more pre-production Amperas in the coming months. The pre-production vehicles will not be sold at dealerships, but used for testing and validating the production intent design as well as developing the final vehicle software and control.
Big things first: power comes from GM's lithium ion T-battery and a 1.4 liter engine generator, as one would expect. The battery will provide 51.5 km / 32 miles per charge, while the gasoline generator contributes an extra 482 km / 299.5 miles.
So, what is it other than a smaller Orlando with a Volt nose-job and power train? An expander, that's what. This model is GM's next step in creating a new sub-brand within GM, much like Audi's upcoming e-tron line.
As noted by our friends over at GM Inside News, the compact people carrier depicted in the drawings appears to be the same vehicle seen standing alongside the forthcoming Chevrolet Orlando MPV in a leaked video last year (see photo on the right).
It's been rumored that GM is planning to introduce a compact crossover prototype equipped with the Volt's extended range electric / gasoline powerplant at this month's Beijing Auto Show.
These pre-production models will not be sold at GM's dealerships, but will be used to assess and fix any problems in the production system as well as to train the workers in order meet the quality targets set by the engineering team.
If you find the Opel / Vauxhall Ampera and consequently the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrids a little too plain and boring for your tastes, then you ought to a look at this handsome conceptual proposal from GM's European arm.
The 4.7-meter long Opel Flextreme GT/E concept with its coupe-like proportions and suicide-style rear doors illustrates how GM's extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV) technology can be plugged into a larger size vehicle with a more emotional design DNA.
A sister model to the North American Chevrolet Volt, the road-ready Ampera features a few minor styling tweaks and additions over last year's concept model (see pictures here).
At the front-end of the plug-in hybrid, we find a slightly revised front grille, relocated front turning signals, plain black decorative trim on the bumper and the addition of washers on the bonnet.
At the back, the boot lid spoiler has been extended and features a larger third-stop light, while the reflectors on the corners of the bumper have been pushed outwards and the diffuser on the bumper has been redesigned and incorporates center mounted lights.
"The Flextreme GT/E concept shows the shape of things to come from Opel," says Frank Weber, Vice President, Corporate and Product Planning. "Bold, expressive and highly efficient, it represents the product strategy we will apply to all our future vehicles, large and small, across all market segments."
Described by Opel as a 'five-door coupe', the 4.7-meter (185-in.) long Flextreme GT/E concept that adopts the new Meriva's rear-hinged rear doors also illustrates a further development of the firm's current design language as seen on the Insignia, Astra and Meriva.
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Apparently, General Motors wants us to know every single detail about its new Chevy Volt EV well before it hits U.S. showrooms in late 2010, constantly releasing photographic material and video footage of the car. In this latest video, the company shows the Volt undergoing the so-called flood test at the Milford Proving Ground to measure how well the battery inside the car will be sealed. Note that, during the initial development phase, there is no real battery in the vehicle. Watch the video after the break.
General Motors is planning to invest $336 million in its Detroit-Hamtramck factory to produce the new Chevrolet Volt electric car next year, bringing the combined Volt-related investments in eight different facilities in Michigan to a total of $700 million. The Detroit-Hamtramck plant will be the final assembly location for the Volt, using tooling from Grand Blanc, lithium-ion batteries from GM's Brownstown Township battery pack manufacturing facility, camshafts and connecting rods from Bay City, and stampings and the Volt's 1.4L engine-generator from Flint.
"We expect the Detroit-Hamtramck plant will be the first facility in the U.S. owned by a major automaker to produce an electric car. It is the hub for the wheel that we began rolling in 2007 when the Volt debuted at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit," said Jon Lauckner, GM vice president of global product planning.
The Detroit automaker said that in order to reduce cost and maximize flexible manufacturing techniques, certain equipment for Volt production is being reused from other GM facilities and installed in the Detroit-Hamtramck plant's body shop while the car itself will be built on the existing assembly line at Detroit-Hamtramck..
General Motors plans to begin the assembly of Volt prototype models next spring, with regular production scheduled to start in late 2010.
The new Chevrolet Volt hybrid is making the rounds in the California area as General Motors has brought a pre-production model to the sunny State for this week's Los Angeles Auto Show. The Detroit automaker's Chief Engineer, Andrew Farah, took the Volt to two popular enthusiast destinations, at Bob's Big Boy in Burbank and Cars & Coffee in Irvine. Hit the break to hear all the positive things (it's an official GM video, what did you expect...) that the people who attended the event had to say about the Volt.
Having already made its way into Europe, China, Australia (as a Holden), South Korea (as a Daewoo) and other international markets, GM has announced that the debut of the U.S. production version of the Chevrolet Cruze sedan will take place at the Los Angeles Auto Show on December 2. However, we won't be seeing the Cruze in GM's dealerships for a while as the compact-sized sedan's U.S. market launch is scheduled for the third quarter of 2010.Chevrolet expects that the new Cruze will return up to 40 mpg on the highway with its new 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine.
Alongside the Cruze, Chevrolet's LA Auto Show stand will also will feature the all-new 2010 Camaro sports coupe, Equinox compact crossover SUV and the Volt electric vehicle that will go on sale in the States in late 2010.
If you've been wondering what is the number "230" that popped up as an annoying commercial in many places around the web the past few weeks, General Motors revealed today that it's the EPA city fuel economy rating of the forthcoming Chevrolet Volt. In particular, GM said that it expects the Volt extended-range electric vehicle to achieve at least 230 miles per gallon in city driving and a combined fuel economy rating of triple digits.
The fuel economy ratings are said to be based on a new methodology being developed by EPA specifically for plug-in electric vehicles. According to GM, the EPA methodology uses kilowatt hours per 100 miles traveled to define the electrical efficiency of plug-ins.
In the case of the Volt, GM said that its EV will consume as little as 25 kilowatt hours per 100 miles in city driving meaning with an average cost of 11 cents per kWh, a typical Volt driver in the US would pay around $2.75 for electricity to travel 100 miles, or less than 3 cents per mile
"From the data we've seen, many Chevy Volt drivers may be able to be in pure electric mode on a daily basis without having to use any gas," said GM Chief Executive Officer Fritz Henderson. "EPA labels are a yardstick for customers to compare the fuel efficiency of vehicles. So, a vehicle like the Volt that achieves a composite triple-digit fuel economy is a game-changer."
The Volt, which is scheduled to start production in late 2010 as a 2011 model, is expected to travel up to 40 miles (64 km) on electricity from a single battery charge and be able to extend its overall range to more than 300 miles (480km +) when the flex fuel-powered four-cylinder engine-generator kicks in.
"The key to high-mileage performance is for a Volt driver to plug into the electric grid at least once each day," Henderson said.
The Volt will also be available in Australia as a Holden and in Europe as the Opel / Vauxhall Ampera.
