xcel
10-16-2007, 08:32 PM
Will the Volt fly? The budgets and energy being directed its way say definitely. (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/in-the-news/t-chevrolet-volt-its-just-a-concept-car-right-6853.html#post50297)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Volt_in_Boston.jpgWayne Gerdes – CleanMPG (www.cleanmpg.com) – Oct. 15, 2007
The Volt as seen on display in Boston. By all appearances, it is still the same non-working concept shell we saw in Detroit in January … as it should be!
The Blogs were active wrt the Volt yesterday and Edmunds joined into the fray with their own speculation including "GM has yet to say whether E-flex and the Chevrolet Volt are ready for prime time."
Unfortunately or not, the Volt is being developed from a concept just as all new vehicle platforms are. Whether or not there are barely working prototypes deep inside GM’s Tech Center in Warren, MI., driving around GM’s Proving Grounds in Milford, MI. or doing warm weather testing at GM’s Desert Proving Grounds in Mesa, Arizona, it is still being developed from a concept. With a little over 9 months since the concepts public debut at the 2007 NAIAS in Detroit, seeing a road worthy version would be a stretch. Prime time? Of course not. Under intense development with thousands of dedicated individuals and tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars of development dollars being channeled into its development, hell yeah!
"Yes, the Volt is still a concept car, but GM has taken many affirmative steps toward making it a reality in the next few years," said Bob Boniface, GM’s Design Director of E-Flex Systems.
Questioning GM’s commitment at this point would be a foolish endeavor given public comments from other even more influential individuals within GM. “I’m hoping that as early as spring of ‘08, we will have the first rough prototypes running, which will permit members of the media to drive 30 or 40 miles purely on batteries and listen to the internal combustion engine kick in.” said GM’s Bob Lutz. Regarding an actual release date, “It’ll either be late ‘10 or early ‘11, but we’re still holding everybody’s feet to the fire for 2010.”
The realities and speculation of the worlds first OEM PHEV.
The release of the Saturn VUE 2-Mode is scheduled for 2008 with vague commitments for a PHEV version that will get approximately twice the fuel economy of any SUV currently on the market in 2009. Its PHEV capabilities are only estimates at this point but there are Saturn VUE 2-Modes being driven today with 7kWh A123 Systems Li-Ion packs. At an estimated 50% DoD and 350 Wh/mile consumption, a 10 mile AER (all electric range) PHEV would be a great start for the first publicly available OEM PHEV long before anyone else has the chance to offer the same including speculation that a yet to be seen Toyota Prius-III PHEV variant or the Chevrolet Volt would be the first.
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Volt_in_Boston.jpgWayne Gerdes – CleanMPG (www.cleanmpg.com) – Oct. 15, 2007
The Volt as seen on display in Boston. By all appearances, it is still the same non-working concept shell we saw in Detroit in January … as it should be!
The Blogs were active wrt the Volt yesterday and Edmunds joined into the fray with their own speculation including "GM has yet to say whether E-flex and the Chevrolet Volt are ready for prime time."
Unfortunately or not, the Volt is being developed from a concept just as all new vehicle platforms are. Whether or not there are barely working prototypes deep inside GM’s Tech Center in Warren, MI., driving around GM’s Proving Grounds in Milford, MI. or doing warm weather testing at GM’s Desert Proving Grounds in Mesa, Arizona, it is still being developed from a concept. With a little over 9 months since the concepts public debut at the 2007 NAIAS in Detroit, seeing a road worthy version would be a stretch. Prime time? Of course not. Under intense development with thousands of dedicated individuals and tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars of development dollars being channeled into its development, hell yeah!
"Yes, the Volt is still a concept car, but GM has taken many affirmative steps toward making it a reality in the next few years," said Bob Boniface, GM’s Design Director of E-Flex Systems.
Questioning GM’s commitment at this point would be a foolish endeavor given public comments from other even more influential individuals within GM. “I’m hoping that as early as spring of ‘08, we will have the first rough prototypes running, which will permit members of the media to drive 30 or 40 miles purely on batteries and listen to the internal combustion engine kick in.” said GM’s Bob Lutz. Regarding an actual release date, “It’ll either be late ‘10 or early ‘11, but we’re still holding everybody’s feet to the fire for 2010.”
The realities and speculation of the worlds first OEM PHEV.
The release of the Saturn VUE 2-Mode is scheduled for 2008 with vague commitments for a PHEV version that will get approximately twice the fuel economy of any SUV currently on the market in 2009. Its PHEV capabilities are only estimates at this point but there are Saturn VUE 2-Modes being driven today with 7kWh A123 Systems Li-Ion packs. At an estimated 50% DoD and 350 Wh/mile consumption, a 10 mile AER (all electric range) PHEV would be a great start for the first publicly available OEM PHEV long before anyone else has the chance to offer the same including speculation that a yet to be seen Toyota Prius-III PHEV variant or the Chevrolet Volt would be the first.