GM's concept electric car
It will go 40 miles per charge.[:(][:(]
GM goes electric with concept car By Jui Chakravorty
Sun Jan 7, 6:06 PM ET
DETROIT (Reuters) - Struggling auto giant General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - news) on Sunday revived its once-failed idea of a mass-market electric car, unveiling a new "concept" car called the Volt designed to use little or no gasoline.
Introduced at the North American International Auto Show here, the Chevrolet Volt will draw power exclusively from a next-generation battery pack recharged by a small onboard engine -- if the technology is ready in two or three years.
"We have a thoroughly studied concept, but further battery development will define the critical path to start of production," said Jon Lauckner, a GM vice president for product development.
The Volt is designed to run for 40 miles on pure electric power, making it marketable for everyday family use.
For the average American driver who drives 40 miles a day, or 15,000 miles a year, the Volt will require no fuel and lead to an annual savings of 500 gallons of gasoline, GM said.
Unlike current gas-electric hybrids, which use a parallel system twinning battery power and a combustion engine, the Volt will be driven entirely by electric power.
GM has been stung by criticism that it conspired to kill the EV1, an experimental electric vehicle program it launched in 1996 and killed by 2003. The documentary film "Who Killed the Electric Car?" released last year criticized GM for first developing but then abandoning electric vehicles.
GM said the Volt will have advantages over the defunct EV1, including smaller batteries, faster recharging, more room for passengers, and a faster maximum highway speed.
"For most drivers, the Volt will use little or no gasoline," GM chief engineer Nick Zielinski told reporters.
FIGHTING TO GET "GREEN" -- AND TOYOTA?
The Volt is part of GM's bid to demonstrate it is investing in break-through technology with some of the $9 billion saved through a wrenching program of job cuts and plant closures.
"It (Volt) will create a buzz," said Mike Jackson, Chief Executive of AutoNation Inc. (NYSE:AN - news), the largest public auto dealership group. "A thing like Volt shocks people who say 'I really didn't expect this from General Motors."
Jackson said a product like Volt would also make consumers take a second look at other vehicles in GM's line-up.
The push to develop environmentally friendly cars is also an attempt by GM to distance itself from its close association with gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles, a reputation executives say has hampered its sales in some markets.
The Volt's combustion engine is designed only as a supplement to keep its batteries charged, an innovation GM executives hope will help the automaker jump ahead of Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.T), which now dominates the hybrid market.
GM cut 34,000 jobs last year and plans to close 12 plants. Toyota is expected to surpass GM in global production this year, ending a run of more than 80 years for GM as the world's No. 1 automaker.
In November, GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner used a speech at the Los Angeles Auto Show to announce that GM would build plug-in hybrid vehicles, a potential industry first.
Plug-in hybrids, a favorite among many environmentalists, are capable of being charged with a standard electric outlet, a feature GM said it would build into the Volt.
"We commend GM for being the first out of the starting gate in the great plug-in car race of 2007," said Felix Kramer, who founded the non-profit group CalCars to spur automakers and regulators to push for mass-market electric car production.
Battery technology is key to the next generation of hybrid vehicles as automakers seek ways to lower the cost of batteries and increase their power and storage capacity.
The Volt will be outfitted with new lithium-ion battery packs, which hold a charge longer than the nickel metal hydride batteries now used widely in automobiles.
Lauckner said the Volt should be ready for production around the same time the lithium-ion batteries will be, which GM expects to be in two to three years.
Automakers have been cautious that lithium-ion batteries, which are now used in consumer electronics such as laptop computers, have a tendency to overheat.
But GM also plans to introduce hybrid systems in its Saturn Vue, Saturn Aura and Chevrolet Malibu cars and in its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks.
Last week, GM awarded lithium-ion battery development contracts for its Saturn Vue Green Line hybrid to Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE:JCI - news) affiliate Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions and Cobasys, a venture of Chevron Corp. (NYSE:CVX - news) and Energy Conversion Devices Inc. (Nasdaq:ENER - news). Cobasys will work with privately held A123Systems to develop the technology.
GM goes electric with concept car By Jui Chakravorty
Sun Jan 7, 6:06 PM ET
DETROIT (Reuters) - Struggling auto giant General Motors Corp. (NYSE:GM - news) on Sunday revived its once-failed idea of a mass-market electric car, unveiling a new "concept" car called the Volt designed to use little or no gasoline.
Introduced at the North American International Auto Show here, the Chevrolet Volt will draw power exclusively from a next-generation battery pack recharged by a small onboard engine -- if the technology is ready in two or three years.
"We have a thoroughly studied concept, but further battery development will define the critical path to start of production," said Jon Lauckner, a GM vice president for product development.
The Volt is designed to run for 40 miles on pure electric power, making it marketable for everyday family use.
For the average American driver who drives 40 miles a day, or 15,000 miles a year, the Volt will require no fuel and lead to an annual savings of 500 gallons of gasoline, GM said.
Unlike current gas-electric hybrids, which use a parallel system twinning battery power and a combustion engine, the Volt will be driven entirely by electric power.
GM has been stung by criticism that it conspired to kill the EV1, an experimental electric vehicle program it launched in 1996 and killed by 2003. The documentary film "Who Killed the Electric Car?" released last year criticized GM for first developing but then abandoning electric vehicles.
GM said the Volt will have advantages over the defunct EV1, including smaller batteries, faster recharging, more room for passengers, and a faster maximum highway speed.
"For most drivers, the Volt will use little or no gasoline," GM chief engineer Nick Zielinski told reporters.
FIGHTING TO GET "GREEN" -- AND TOYOTA?
The Volt is part of GM's bid to demonstrate it is investing in break-through technology with some of the $9 billion saved through a wrenching program of job cuts and plant closures.
"It (Volt) will create a buzz," said Mike Jackson, Chief Executive of AutoNation Inc. (NYSE:AN - news), the largest public auto dealership group. "A thing like Volt shocks people who say 'I really didn't expect this from General Motors."
Jackson said a product like Volt would also make consumers take a second look at other vehicles in GM's line-up.
The push to develop environmentally friendly cars is also an attempt by GM to distance itself from its close association with gas-guzzling sport utility vehicles, a reputation executives say has hampered its sales in some markets.
The Volt's combustion engine is designed only as a supplement to keep its batteries charged, an innovation GM executives hope will help the automaker jump ahead of Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.T), which now dominates the hybrid market.
GM cut 34,000 jobs last year and plans to close 12 plants. Toyota is expected to surpass GM in global production this year, ending a run of more than 80 years for GM as the world's No. 1 automaker.
In November, GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner used a speech at the Los Angeles Auto Show to announce that GM would build plug-in hybrid vehicles, a potential industry first.
Plug-in hybrids, a favorite among many environmentalists, are capable of being charged with a standard electric outlet, a feature GM said it would build into the Volt.
"We commend GM for being the first out of the starting gate in the great plug-in car race of 2007," said Felix Kramer, who founded the non-profit group CalCars to spur automakers and regulators to push for mass-market electric car production.
Battery technology is key to the next generation of hybrid vehicles as automakers seek ways to lower the cost of batteries and increase their power and storage capacity.
The Volt will be outfitted with new lithium-ion battery packs, which hold a charge longer than the nickel metal hydride batteries now used widely in automobiles.
Lauckner said the Volt should be ready for production around the same time the lithium-ion batteries will be, which GM expects to be in two to three years.
Automakers have been cautious that lithium-ion batteries, which are now used in consumer electronics such as laptop computers, have a tendency to overheat.
But GM also plans to introduce hybrid systems in its Saturn Vue, Saturn Aura and Chevrolet Malibu cars and in its Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra trucks.
Last week, GM awarded lithium-ion battery development contracts for its Saturn Vue Green Line hybrid to Johnson Controls Inc. (NYSE:JCI - news) affiliate Johnson Controls-Saft Advanced Power Solutions and Cobasys, a venture of Chevron Corp. (NYSE:CVX - news) and Energy Conversion Devices Inc. (Nasdaq:ENER - news). Cobasys will work with privately held A123Systems to develop the technology.
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why didn't they design it with a modular battery array that can be swapped out?
I guess I'd better patent that idea before they wake up [:D]0 -
Not bad. at 40 miles the gas turns on to keep a charge? 0 -
I wonder if I can make some ramps to winch it up in the bed of my truck when it quits. 0 -
they aren't going anywhere without the battery technology. if that Li-Ion technology doesn't appear in 3 years like they are expecting, they will have missed the mark and wasted bucket loads of $$. they should just drop that for now and concentrate on pulling their asses out of the fire. 0 -
Has anyone considered how much it is going to cost to charge these things up...I'm sure the electric companies are all for electric cars. 0 -
just in time to catch up to illinois electric rate increase, it is predicted to increase 40-80 % 0 -
Does this mean GAS will get cheaper? [:o)][:o)] 0 -
quote:For the average American driver who drives 40 miles a day, or 15,000 miles a year WHO WOULD THAT BE???????? My grandma puts more miles on than that. The only place I can see that they will have any real use is in big cities where commutes are long in terms of time but short in terms of miles. And anybody knows that as that batteries do not perfom at 100% throughout their charge. It is likely that performance will be reduced after about 30 miles. The biggest problem I see with "electric" cars is the weight to power ratio. Currently the weight of the storage batteries drastically reduces the effectiveness of an electric motor as it wastes too much energy dragging its own power source. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by ECC
Has anyone considered how much it is going to cost to charge these things up...I'm sure the electric companies are all for electric cars.
You don't plug it into a wall, the battery is recharged via a gasoline combustion engine. When the battery gets low, the gas engine kicks in and recharges it. So it still requires gasoline, just a helluva lot less (500 fewer gallons per year for the average American). Let's say gas will cost an average of $2.25 a gallon, that would save the average driver over $1100 in gasoline costs per year.
I think it's a good idea. Any development like this brings us one small step closer to energey independence from the Middle East. Every time you fill up your tank, some of that money goes to the terror-supporting Saudi Royal Family. I'd rather drive one of these GM electric cars than give my money to Saudis so they can fund more Wahhabi schools or give it to Al-Qaeda in Iraq.0 -
Here is some fuzzy math... 15,000 miles divided by 30 MPG = 500 gallons of gas. So how is it going to save 500 gallons of gasoline when the combust motor charges it up when it gets low?
GW.. just figurin'0 -
lemme get this straight... a small gasoline engine runs a generator, which charges a battery, which runs an electric engine, which replaces... a gasoline engine??
o-k
the small gas motor has inefficiencies, and the generator, and the battery, and the electric engine. if they think all those together would still be more efficient than 1 big gas motor, whatever!
it would be the cat's meow if they could simply convert gasoline directly into electricity. electrolysis, combustion, photosynthesis, anything, then they could skip the small motor/generator/battery components, reduce a lot of weight, and greatly increase efficiency. really, that would be in theory a direct improvement over the normal gasoline motor, by starting with the same fuel (gas) and directly replacing the inefficient gasoline motor with an electric one. electric motors are pretty good, just need a power source.0 -
quote:Originally posted by select-fire
So how is it going to save 500 gallons of gasoline when the combust motor charges it up when it gets low?
GW.. just figurin'
Because you can travel for 40 miles just on pure battery power, only after using it up will you have to rely on the gas engine. And even then, you only burn gas just long enough to charge the battery, after which you are powered by the battery again. In a standard car, you'd be burning gas the entire time, in this GM vehicle, you are only burning gas a fraction of the time. Therefore you save gas.0 -
I'm still waiting for the cold fusion reactor powered vehicle. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by warriorsfan
.....You don't plug it into a wall....
quote:Originally posted by select-fire
...In November, GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner used a speech at the Los Angeles Auto Show to announce that GM would build plug-in hybrid vehicles, a potential industry first.
car plugs into wall, drawing electicity from the city grid and thereby increasing the demand. grid is powered by the electric plant, which is probably either coal or oil fired. both are fossil fuels. both polute the atmosphere. and because there is an increase in the demand, more pollution.....
or we could just keep driving the cars we have and keep the status quo.0 -
So the GM Fuel Cell Program is dead? 0
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