GM charges up the Chevy Volt
 

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/...x.html?cnn=yes

General Motors unveiled the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle on Tuesday, allowing outsiders their first full look at the car GM says will go on sale in 2010.

"The Volt symbolizes GM's commitment to the future," said Rick Wagoner, the company's chairman and CEO.

The Volt will be driven by electricity stored in a large T-shaped lithium-ion battery pack running the length of the car. After charging for several hours, the Volt will be able to run for up to about 40 miles without using gasoline.

GM did not announce pricing for the car, which will have the equivalent of about 150 horsepower and a top speed of 100 mph, the automaker said.

The car's zero-to-sixty time will be under nine seconds, said GM vehicle line director Tony Posawatz. That would make the performance about average for a modern car

"The center of gravity of the car, with the center battery pack, it's going to have real great ride and handling," said Posawatz.

To charge the batteries, drivers will plug a cord into a port just ahead of the driver's side mirror. The cord can then be attached to an ordinary home electrical outlet.

The car will cost "less than purchasing a cup of your favorite coffee" to recharge, and use less electricity annually than a refrigerator, according to GM. The Volt should cost less than 2 cents per mile to drive on electricity, GM said, compared with 12 cents a mile on gasoline at a price of $3.60 a gallon.

As the battery begins to run down as the car is in use, a small gasoline engine will turn on and generate enough electricity to drive the car about 300 miles, said GM.

Unlike hybrid cars, or plug-in hybrids, the Volt is driven only by electricity. The gasoline engine never directly drives the car's wheels.

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Great news!

Indeed. I'd like to see what the sticker is going to be, though.

Awesome. Great idea.

:hail:

come on big bucks..no whammy's...and.. STOP!

http://www.engr.uiuc.edu/alumni/pictures/whammy.jpg

Great looking car and a great step forward IMO. This could help GM a lot. I'll certainly consider making it my next car.

I've heard reports of 30-40. I'd imagine it will be higher than anticipated since they had to move back the release date.

Posted via Mobile Device

$35,000 - $40,000? That's not really that bad, but the ROI is pretty poor. Still, it'll be nice to have the option.

Me too. I am somewhat disappointed though I thought it was suppose to be out this year?

Id take a long look at it for around 30-35K.

nah it really depends on how long the batteries last. if your having to get them replaced after 100k ........ :hmmm:

I think paying $40,000 for a car is ridiculous, but get it into the 20s and I'll own one.

It looks a lot better now than the concept did.

One question though - how fast does it charge? If I drive 20 miles each way to work (i do) can I charge it up all the way in the 7 or 8 hours I'm sleeping?

I would hope that price or technology associated with these cars would have improved by the time I put 100k on the car.

Even if the new battery is a thousand bucks or more, GM owners are already used to having to replace their transmissions before 100k so it's no big deal.

LMAO

I would buy this if the price is right. If they're at $40k screw em, that's BMW territory. Put it a lot closer to $30k, especially under that, and I might do something I thought I'd never do, buy a Chevy.

I love current news

We dont drive much around town here, 100K would take me 12-13 years.

Wish I could afford one. It would feel great to give the oil companies this...nlm

If the price is right, I'll get one. What a great up-your-ass to OPEC.

heh

The car will cost "less than purchasing a cup of your favorite coffee" to recharge, and use

Is this like a quarter or 6 dollar cop at startbux

I think many people will. Hopefully, the battery technology continues to improve reducing the price.

The key is making the car affordable to EVERYBODY, not selling it for $40,000 or some such shit. If I can afford a $40,000 car, chances are I don't care how much gas costs, and so why would I buy it?

Very good point.

point is, it's finally here.

at one time i'm sure you couldn't get power windows without buying a Cadillac.

How many of these is GM making? hopefully they will ramp up production quickly.

people don't have to worry about the price this year, even finding one will be hard enough

30-40 grand is ridiculous but only the rich people will buy one first off and demand will be HIGH.

I'm betting in 2013-2015, they will get them to a reasonable price where the general public will be able to afford them, and they will reach an equilibrium price point.

GPS and big cup holders?

I full expect it to blow up with a bunch of nuns or orphans unexpectadily you think the oil exects are going to allow this

Why can't they use a battery that has better performance? The Tesla gets 220 miles per charge and it, too, uses Lithium Ion. They have a proprietary battery design but good grief GM, if you can't figure it out, buy the rights. 40 miles per charge is not acceptable to most people.

They'll all just get jobs as electricity execs and in 10 years electricity will be $4/kwh.

I wonder how long it would take to charge 40 miles? Might take two days to get from here to KC.

1

That's a good point. The Tesla also looks badass.

its too bad the design change from the concept. most concepts don't make it that far in design. I just thought that whole new futuristic look would bode well with the actual purpose of the vehicle and its tech. a new look, a new technology, a new day could have been the slogan. as a proud camry owner who recently opted for it over the prius last december(smacking myself), I wanted to give the volt a serious look when it came out. I had hail damage recently to the camry and had a rental when it was in the shop. they gave me a new impala to drive, what a hunk of junk. ill continue buying foreign autos until the americans can get it right.


on aside note, have any of you noticed a plastic smell in the impala that won't go away?Posted via Mobile Device

No.

I think the impala's are nice

I have a 2006 Impala. It's about as exciting as a glass of milk, but it's a good car.

glass of milk is good as long as it gets your to work

from a far yes. I went from on 06 is250 to the 08 camry. I just think the poor design and cheapness in the materials really turned me off.
Posted via Mobile Device

Well, it gets me to the train, which gets me to work.

It's just.... DULL. My last car was a red Mustang. Now I have a silver Impala. I'm an old fart in an old fart car. It's depressing. :(

That's a start. I'm glad to see some American ingenuity taking place.

my friend then you need not worry about gas prices as you hardly use it ;)

QFT

a WARM glass at least?

Not really, no.

When I bought this, the choice was down to the silver Impala or a blue Pontiac G6 GT, which I really liked. It was sportier, faster and had more features. But it was more expensive, and I was able to get a better interest rate on the Impala due to some promotion that was running at the time. So I did the smart thing and got the Impala, but every time I see a blue G6 it pisses me off, because that's the one I really wanted. Had I gone that route, my payment would be $40 more a month, but I'd be much happier. Oh well.

The Tesla also costs $109k. What happens if you need to take the Tesla on a 250 mile trip...you'll have to stop and recharge. I'm guessing the batteries are similar or possibly the same, GM is just bringing it to the masses in a more cost effective and practical manner.

If they leave it looking like that I will be amazed..

Usually they **** up the style once it is in production..

The Tesla is a niche car with small production runs, hence the price. I'm talking about their battery technology. Electric cars are not for cross country runs and probably won't be in my lifetime, but driving more than 40 miles in a day isn't uncommon for most people. The 220 miles the Tesla battery offers makes a huge difference in day to day use.

Watt?

The only thing connected to the drive wheels is the electric motor. But, it has a little gasoline engine that can also charge the batteries, so range is not 40 miles and dead.

It takes 10 hours to charge at standard household voltage and current, apparently.

What happens if you cut short the charge??

I think that 40 miles or below per day is where a majority of people fall. I remember seeing a stat when this car was first being discussed that 70% or so fall into this category.

The gasoline motor apparently kicks in to charge at around 30% battery remaining.

So I can pay $30-$40k for a car that will get me back and forth to work once in a day....and I have to charge it for 10 hours?

No thanks.

:clap:

Out of my price range. I love how they do that.

On the gasoline engine alone it is estimated to get 50-60mpg, any charge beyond that just increases that. If you mostly commute less than 20 miles and back per day, you can extend that to hundreds of mpg. for the target audience, it's a slightly high but well worth considering price.

a bit plain though. the concept car was beautiful.

ohm my god. just stop. resistance is futile.

we gotta take the power back.

no stop signs, speed limits...

sorry, angus made me do it.