Chevy Volt passes key production milestone, US government buying first 100?
By Donald Melanson 
posted April 2nd 2010 5:38AM
posted April 2nd 2010 5:38AM
The Chevy Volt has already passed quite a few significant milestones on the long road to production, and it's now crossed another big hurdle, with the first pre-production vehicles rolling off the line at the Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Plant. Those won't actually be sold, of course, but they are necessary to ensure that all the points in the production line are up to standards before the retail models go into production later this year. That's not only Volt news of the day, however, as the Obama administration has also announced plans to buy "the first 100 plug-in electric vehicles to roll off American assembly lines" next year, which would seem to leave the Volt as the only option. It seems that's not quite a done deal just yet though, with GM saying that while it's "pleased to see that the Federal government is interested in the greening of their vehicle fleet," it currently has "no further details regarding these purchases."
good to here .....that..... GM is on recovery..........
@XRX Hopefully it'll be good to there too.
@XRX the chevy volt has its downsides but it has an upside.... which well.. still costs the owner money in the electricty bill!
Just wondering, why buy these cars when the government can spend that few million dollars on something like education, or hospitals, etc
I know its not much when your thinking in that scale, but I do believe every little bit counts, know California's school system could really use that money for one.
@abedinthehouse
Gov't employee cars ARE purchased, you know. They are not just conjured out of thin air or given as a gift.
@XRX Glad to know that my government has so much money they can buy car companies and set themselves up a new fleet of rather pricey vehicles, when I had to restrict myself to used cars.
Makes you wonder where they get all that money from. *rolleyes*
@Ducman69 LOL!
@XRX
so THIs is the breaking news they were speaking about in the joojoo video
dang, i knew itd be good ;P
But yeah, looks like a nice car, and no matter how pricey i think that ecofriendly cars are awesome and DEFINITELY worth the investment.
But thats me, i can understand the want to put the money into education, however i think this is almost like putting it into education, i mean, whats the point in having an education if you have nothing to educate into, at least helping the car industry allows some jobs :P
@Ducman69 Your government, by buying cars, helps some people keep their jobs.
@emopoops
Would you rather pay for gas or electric? Were you expecting transportation to be free?
@abedinthehouse
Yeah, can't fed employees just drive hopes and dreams? Think of the children!
@XRX Nothing like the government buying cars from itself to help the economy.
@Ducman69 That and the gov't owns GM so it's really circular. This also take away cars for the public people that really want them.
@XRX Since they own GM, couldn't they technically just requisition the cars?
@emopoops
Um... The volt has a generator and batteries, when the batteries run low, the generator kicks in and charges them, while you drive...
So when you fill up at the gas station, rather than using the gas, you use your batteries, then the engine that uses the gas, cuts off, and the batteries let you go for some time, then when needed, the gas engine kicks back on.
This will let you go farther, than using a normal gas engine with JUST gas
@XRX
why does the gov't have to buy the cars when it already owns the business?
@XRX
Why are the lights on?
Caption competition for the above picture: "I'm sure there's something missing here, but I can't work out what it is!"
@RincewindWiz that the car isnt fully run on electricity alone. and still uses gas
@RincewindWiz Four guys with strong legs?
@RincewindWiz
Dude #1: What's the Problem?
Dude #2: I'm looking to see who worked on all of these. The damn battery is missing.
Dude #1: Maybe it is this guy that we hired from Toyota...
@RincewindWiz
Caption entry: "we'z work for the gub'ment".
@RincewindWiz "Well here's your problem!"
@RincewindWiz
According to the checklist, this one will get the Hover conversion...
@RincewindWiz
'This is why we need to move out of Detroit, thugs keep jackin' my rims.'
This was an opportunity for GM to justifiably bring back something like the EV-1 for which they could have charged their obscene premium, and people would probably have paid for it... assuming it received a much needed redesign.
Instead, they choose to bring this out, how many years after the Honda's and Toyota's and other newer EV's that are more E than G. I suppose people will buy this thing since it has EV and Hybrid labeling, but it seems to me to be a serious disappointment and unimaginative. Maybe the next model in their stable.
@Please forgive me, I'm not aware of any other car company selling an electric car with a drive extender.
@Please forgive me
I assume you mean the body style is unimaginative, which I agree with. The technology is groundbreaking for a mass production vehicle however, and that is what is notable about this car. May it be the first of many.
Now, if they just slap an apple sticker on it and have steve caress it on national TV they will sell millions.
@wraith404
I don't mean the looks of the thing... I have always hated most GM cars based on looks, so that's just personal preference. I really mean the technology of operation.
I actually meant not just a combustion engine with a small 40 mile electric motor. I meant solar panels, TEC generators, chemical exchangers, hydrogen cells, better batteries to extend the range, rethinking how the body / frame / car is made so that the weight and stiffness can be made of something like a Battery. You know, imagination and some technical prowess.
@Please forgive me An EV that you can also use on long trips doesn't seem unimaginative to me.
Which other car are you saying moves the state of the art in getting away from gasoline further? A $110,000 two seater EV? I doubt that. The Leaf sounds promising due to the low, low price, but it also has only about 70 miles real range and then you're just stuck. That means most people have to own it only as a 2nd or 3rd car.
Personally, I think the real lack of imagination here is your own.
You can't charge the owner....
Any bets on a huge price drop for the 101st Volt? ;)
How about releasing it internationally (asap) as well?
We got Chevy in the Philippines already, so here's to hoping that the Chevy Volt would be released in our country later.
: )
@keyboardstyli God no!
I wouldn't wish American cars on my most hated nation!
@keyboardstyli
How about they speed up the release to Americans first.
You don't want our crappy cars anyway...
I'm waiting for the Aptera...
Chevy has done a really great job here. I think they have hit the sweet spot between electric and gas. Right now, all electric just does not cut it. 100 miles is not enough, especially considering how long cars like the Nissan Leaf take to charge (8 hours!) and that most places won't have the high capacity charges and then everyone isn't willing to buy a 2nd vehicle for road trips.
Volt has the "2nd vehicle" built in. The 40 miles is good enough for most people on an every day bases. I'll be going to work with this and not using any gasoline. On a weekend trip, I won't have to worry about running out of charger and being stranded. with 240V, I can be charged up in only 3 hours! Add this to the fact that it is the best LOOKING compared to Prius and Leaf, the great App that is being made for it, and the nice interior tech, and I think this car may be the first American car that I consider buying it.
Two questions remain - price and durability.
@KBatFLORIDA electricity and gas isnt really the sweet spot. im not too sure that cars should even be running on the kind of gas they do!!! what would really hit the "sweet spot" is a cleaner "fuel" and electricty (for shorter trips) amiright?
@emopoops
No, you are a wrong and a unrealistic idealist.
@emopoops
That sounds like the worst idea ever. Cleaner fuel wasn't the main point of moving away from gasoline. What we are shooting for is a cheap, clean, "renewable" resource.
@emopoops You know that 48% of the electricity generated in the US comes from burning coal, right?
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=electricity_in_the_united_states
@cayton
You know that burning coal at a power plant is FAR more efficient and environmentally friendly than burning gasoline in an internal combustion engine right?
@Jeff Kibuule
The point is not to burn coal at the factory... hello... the point is that a lot of reactions create electricity, so it's believed that electricity is a fundamental state of energy transfer, so the investment in electricity. The other fundamental state of energy transfer is combustion. I'm sure there are others, but they may not propel cars. I know friction / resistance is another... wind sails. Things like that.
The idea is to go with a technique that seems to be a winnable approach in the long run... electricity is a reasonable guess, because they expect to be able to make boat loads of electricity environmentally friendly using renewable methods. Ocean wave generators, wind turbines, photovoltaic, solar furnaces, hydroelectric, etc. That's why electric. Not because of coal.
I see now, the bailout was all about getting a better lease rate for the Fleet Cars the Government
Gotta love Government Motors. I think this is complete BS that our Government is now buying a ton of GM products after they bought the company. If I were Ford I would be pissed. They ran their company the correct way without taking Government hand outs now they have to sit back and watch as GM gets even more of a competitive advantage.
@Clemalum07
Ignorance is bliss. I work for the government and you know what most of our cars in our fleet are? FORD!
Until Ford makes a car that runs on electric as its main power source, stop whining.
@Clemalum07
what's the name of that electric Ford again?
@Duke
Since Electric Cars are so wonderful.... Do yourself a favor and look up the environmental impact of the factories that are making these batteries. Or how about the mining process for the minerals that they are made from.
Also while you are at it find a nice storage place for them after their life expires.
@Clemalum07
I don't recall saying they are so wonderful sparky - but if the Fed is looking to buy electric cars, they have to get them from makers of... you guessed it, electric cars!
@Clemalum07
Lithium based batteries are nontoxic and don't require the smelting process that nickel metal hydride and lead acid batteries require (because they are heavy metal based). Lithium is found in dense surface deposits all throughout Bolivia as it is a mineral salt in its naturally occurring state.
As for storage when they reach the end of their useful lifespan, it will be in our homes. They're considered "dead" when they've run down to 80% capacity after about 10-15 years at which time they are resold to home owners as energy storage for their rooftop solar panel arrays. Once they run down so much that they're no longer useful at all, they're recycled.
They should sell the first few to car enthusiast and people who are actually going to promote them. I am sure there are a lot of autoblogs out there that would give thorough reviews and tear-downs of them to get people excited about buying them. The government is just going to drive them a few miles, and let them sit. Let people who are excited about them drive them and tinker with them. Also, the government favors GM far too much.