2010 Chevy Volt: In Person [Pics]
Only four Chevy Volt models are actually built and out in the world, and I had the pleasure of seeing one in person at the 2009 Aspen Environment Forum. As I’m a blogger, not a photographer, you’ll have to excuse my photos - these are the best of about 25 I took when the car was on display inside (not the best lighting).
- » See also: Chrysler Kills ENVI Program, Still Promises Electric Cars In Low Volume
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The latest buzz is that GM will begin building the 2010 Volt by June 1, with 10 a week being built until a fleet of 80 has been manufactured. The price is still to be determined, but the word is somewhere around $40,000.
They didn’t let us drive it, and weren’t too keen on even letting us sit in it, but we all got free espresso drinks…
The Voltec Electric Propulsion System has a range of 40 miles on a full charge, using no gasoline or tailpipe emissions, and a FlexFuel powered generator can extend the range for several hundred miles. The battery charges with either 120V or 240V via the plug shown above. Charge time on 120V is about 8 hours, and on 240V is less than 3 hours.
Sorry, but I have owned far too many GM vehicles to know that the problems will not be properly addressed; the warranty will run out before the problems will; no residual value; poor quality and build control.
My wife and I are very interested in the Tesla S, enough to have visited their Menlo Park store, but will never again (in our lifetimes) consider another GM product.
Do we really want to fuel our cars from our mountain tops? Plug them in for 8 hours into an inneficient coal power plant go 30 miles? We already have “clean diesels” that go 600 miles from 10 gallons of oil from a hole in the ground and are 100% more efficient. Opinion should not over rule science and facts. We all want energy independance and clean air but it will only come when we learn how to rub magnets together without fire. Eventualy personal transportation and air travel will become too expensive as liquid fuel is deminished. Lets hope we still will have mountain tops for wind turbines not mountain tops of disgarded batteries. At least we’ll have some type of energy when oil is gone.
I’m one of those that could care less about being “green.” I just like cars, and electric cars are amazing. There’s very little maintenance, no oil/grime/exhaust to deal with, and they perform much better (acceleration) than most gas-powered cars. Though knowing GM, they’ll likely intentionally gimp the volt’s speed.
GM has been very good to me (grand am, cavalier, firebird, sunfire) as far as making cars that last 15+ years with little drivetrain maintenance. I’ll definitely consider the volt when it comes out, though If I buy one, I’ll look at removing the gas engine and adding another battery pack
Frank,
You are completely discounting any advancements in solar, and recycling of batteries. We need to wean ourselves off oil ASAP—not wait until it runs out or is allocated solely for government use.
Very cool Derek, thanks for sharing this!
If youwant to wean off oil then produce something thats worth it. To drive 50 miles onelectric just does not make the grade. Go to the store and return is about 30 miles. Go around town to 2 stores and your out of juice. Get real. The technology is there. Big business and oil will not allow us to use it!
10 cars per month is even lower than my pessimistic forecast. Sounds like 2 guys building it in a small corner tool shed. And nearly double the price of a Prius. GM wouldn’t be “building” this as a marketing stunt, or just to get gov bailouts?
GM is ONLY 10 years behind Toyota and Honda in hybrid tech. Assuming they are serious about making this a production model (which I’m not), it will be at least 5 years before they produce numbers in the 10’s of thousands per month. By then the technology will be off in a different direction, and they’ll be scratching their behinds (read that brains), as usual.
A Chinese or Korean company will make the first quality electric vehicle in mass-produced volumes and prices. Why? Because they don’t have the overhead of having invested $100’s of billions in traditional factories that they can’t stomach making obsolete. It must be someone with deep pockets, nothing to lose and access to a large supply of LiOn batteries.
First I also wouldn’t buy a GM product especially the first in a production model. We need completely recyclable batteries before we go down this road. By the way there is plenty of fuel out there as long as we devote our efforts on solar and better electric grids. And for all of you who think we need to get away from foreign oil, that would be nice if you don’t actually factor in that it’s cheaper and we should use there’s up before ours. When we came out with this geniuses idea of ethanol we’re seeing it pollutes more over the whole process and they sure don’t sell it for $1 gallon…and its hard on our cars. We need exhaust filters right now like cat converters to help pollution today.
Why didn’t they give a full side view of this car….oh because it looks like something I flush….well it sure as heck isn’t the stylish Vault that moron Wagoner was driving.
The volt is a joke. The Telsa Model S will be my next car. GM had its chance to lead the way with electric vehicles and chose not to. Telsa has done its homework and have earned my business. And all of you who keep throwing out the 30-40 miles per charge that you get from the volt; I have to wonder if you work for one of the oil companies because the Telsa Model S get you 150min to 300max per charge. If you were ignorant of this you are not anymore.
I wonder why they’ve never tried, or maybe they did, build an electronic car that has a dynamo to recharge itself while driving? Wouldn’t that save all the trouble of recharging? Well of course its easier said then done.
It’s just an idea!
Oh and I’d “TM”ed that if they actually havn’t thought of it LOL.