Chevy Volt Questions Answered
We got a lot of questions answered this morning about the upcoming Chevy Volt plug-in electric hybrid, but we had a lot more to ask. That’s why we connected with Greg Cesiel, the Volt’s program director at GM. Now we share what we learned below.
Q: Why is it a four-seater?
A: “We joke that there is a fifth passenger — the battery,” Cesiel said. “The T-shaped battery package that fits between the two rear seats worked best with a four-passenger configuration. It would not offer good comfort for a fifth passenger.”
Cesiel did say that if this battery setup were used in another configuration, like an SUV, this would not be an issue.
Q: Will the Volt be compatible with child-safety seats? The four seat setup makes the rear seating area look too small to fit today’s large child-safety seats.
A: Yes it will work with safety seats. “There are no issues there,” he said.
Q: There is a big shifter in the center console. Many hybrids don’t offer many modes/gears to select. What does the Volt have?
A: “There is one forward, one reverse and one low,” Ciesel said. The low mode (there are no gears for electric drives) uses increased power from regenerative braking to assist in situations like ascending hills.
Q: The Volt’s 150 hp — or its electric equivalent — seems like a lot for this type of vehicle. Is GM giving up any range or efficiency by producing that much power?
A: No. “One big advantage of electric propulsions is that we’re not giving anything up [in terms of efficiency],” he said.
GM hopes that the spirited driving experience — and an expected zero to 60 time that’s less than 9 seconds — will be a major draw to intrigued car shoppers. “We expect it to be a very fun vehicle to drive,” he said.
Q: Why is there an LCD screen instead of an analog gauge cluster? Won’t that use more electric power and reduce battery life?
A: The LCD gauges are completely configurable and can display numerous metrics involving the propulsions system and efficiency. Cesiel did not go into the power it consumes, but said that it is the type of display buyers of the Volt would expect in such a car. To us that means, yes, it consumes more electricity than traditional analog gauges would.
Q: Can the Volt run on E85 ethanol?
A: Yes.
Q: Is GM working with the EPA to figure out a new mileage rating standard for the Volt?
A: Yes. “GM is cooperating with the EPA to determine how to measure the fuel economy of a range-extender vehicle,” Cesiel said. Because the first 40 miles driven use no gas whatsoever, there is debate on how the EPA will display mileage. They are probably not considering an infinity icon for city mpgs. There has been no decision made one way or the other.
Q: Will the lithium-ion batteries used to power the Volt be the determining factor in how many you can produce?
A: “We don’t expect battery supply to be a limiting factor,” he said. “Market demand will drive additional supply.” Cesiel did say that GM chose to make the Volt a Chevy because they want it to be a volume product and not a niche vehicle.
Q: Is GM going to lobby the government to get expanded tax credits, like the current ones that are set to expire, that reward buyers on a sliding scale, with more incentives going to those who buy the most efficient vehicles?
A: “Yes, we’d support that,” is all that Cesiel could say, but he wasn’t aware of any current lobbying.
Q: Are you on schedule with your late-2010 on-sale date?
A: There is a very regimented internal schedule for the progress of the Volt. “We’re right on track where we want to be,” he said. “Next year we’ll have our last phase with the integration vehicles. Our mule vehicles were scheduled to start running on Aug. 26 and they didn’t make it until Aug. 28. We’re still working to recover those two days.”
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Q: What have you done to ensure that the lithium ion batteries do not suffer from the same lifespan issues that plague consumer products?
Q: How long is the warranty on the lithium ion battery pack? Can a single cell be replaced without replacing the whole pack? Does the warranty cover decreased charge capacity (e.g., GM will replace the batteries when they hold less than 60% of their rated charge)?
Q: What is the cost to replace a single cell (or the entire battery pack), should the owner have to pay for it?
What exactly is the electric equivalent of 150hp? That's like saying the metric equivalent of a meter. Are they saying it preforms like it's driven by a 150hp gasoline engine?
The EPA is manned by totally brainless morons.
You cannot assign a single MPG to this type of car - that would be really dumb. The CXhevy Volt travels 40 miels on a battery charge and then gets 50MPG thereafter. THAT is the info that should be pasted in the car's window, not some Federal EPA brainless number.
Is GM planning to sell a less expensive model with 20 miles of driving range since many people don't regularly drive 40 miles and don't want to pay for it?
Also, I think the answer about the low gear is supposed to say "descending hills."
Ironic that GM won't be ready for two more years and the car will cost $30,000 - 40,000. Meanwhile Honda will bring a high MPG hybrid to market next year and it will cost less than $20,000. The only way GM could get a clue is if Honda or Toyota gave it to them.
^^^Perhaps next time you should get a clue as to what "ironic" means before attempting to use it.
well im not convinced this is coming to production. gm tends not to be ready for prime time. Just my opinion they should be working on a lot other things besides this. Its a great idea, but they have so much other to work on. Getting the cruze faster would be good, im addition to brand killing, (hummer,ponitac, etc), contining to encourage the UAW to control costs ( to a reasonable level, working on getting rid of more factories, etc.
40 grand for an unproven car, with brand new technology from a company who isn't really known for the best reliability or quality.
Meanwhile, the Prius has been on the market for over a decade, has sold hundreds of thousand units, earned a solid, well respected reputation and is getting ready for its 3rd generation and can be had for around 25 grand.
And in the other corner, you have Honda who has also given the buying public over 10 years of hybrids from the original Insight to the Civic hybrid and is now planning on introducing another Insight model, priced around 20 grand.
I think its pretty safe to assume the Volt won't be doing much to affect Prius or Insight sales.
Yoing,
As I mentioned elsewhere, with the way the industry is heading I think there will be room for Prius, Insight and Volt just like there's been room for Suburban, CR-V and Camry. This is the new product mix we have to get used to. It's not an either or. Californians alone will eat up the Volt, let alone Chicago and other big cities where you can get the most out of 40 miles on electric.
GM's quality is improving, Ford's has improved dramatically as of late as well. It's not like a VW or Jeep in terms of bottom ratings.
alex,
You are right GM isnt ready for prime time. This is why they have more 6 speeds in production than Toyota (honda has none), two mody hybrids on sale now when Toyota has yet to field a hybrid system for large trucks, direct injection engines, etc. GM is showing they can lead when it comes to technology. The new Honda hybrid will use existing Honda hybrid tech and will not be able to propel itself under electric power only like the Civic hybrid. The Volt is on the next level from an engineering perspective and that's why it will cost $30k. Tesla is charging $80k for an impractical electric sports car and people are saying the Volt it too expensive.
Yoing,
you need to get a clue about the production volumes of Honda's hybrids. The Insight and Accord Hybrids were flops. The civic hybrid sells about 3k units a month and is hardly a runaway success like the Prius. Honda has already said only half of its 100k allotment of 2010 Insights will come to the US market. That means its very possible the Volt may sell as many units as the Insight in it's first full year. The Prius and Insight will be cheaper because they are using inferior technology. No surprise there. In case you didnt know, GM has not announced any official prices for the Volt. Projecting that it will cost $40k two years before it arrives is pointless. I'm willing to be the base price will be closer to $30k.
Dave,
You might as well save your keystrokes. Certain people have their own ideas and they arent going to let the facts get in their way. People chide GM for not being fuel efficient and then criticize their every move once they try to show they are serious about providing innovative, efficient vehicles. Expect these same people to hate on the Cruze when it comes out and gets 40mpg on the highway.
Sheth,
Thanks. I also believe Honda is making 200000 insights with 100000 slated for the U.S.
I think the Insight will easily sell 10,000 a month in the u.s. but will be capped at 8.
"...GM chose to make the Volt a Chevy because they want it to be a volume product and not a niche vehicle."
Good luck GM (for the volume). GM look into the window: another bank just closed doors.
I don't see volumes for a car priced over $30K. Not in this economical chaos.
Sheth,
when you point to something, you need to understand what are you talking about. This is I talk about your bashing of Honda and Toyota old tech.
OK. GM is trying to bump their fuel efficiency by making more gears, direct injection, etc. But they didn't run far from Honda, did they?
They (GM) tuned their trannies for fuel economy and now they work like old 4-speed - they pick wrong gear, etc.
The conventional future is CVT anyway and GM is nowhere in this department, while Honda, Toyota and especially Nissan are ahead.
All Japanese makes were investing heavily into diesel research. Their diesels are all over the world. And GM is nowhere in car-diesel/clean diesel technology.
Also, the idea of electric powertrain and internal combustion engine as generator is not new. Quary vehicles been using it for 50 years. I told long ago, "why no carmaker is looking into it?", and now GM did. Which is nice.
But to say that GM has 6 gears and Honda don't is like saying to the Wayne Gretzky that he is too skinny to play hockey.
Not that it matters now, but I'd like to point out, that the Civic Hybrid's electric motor CAN propel the vehicle under certain circumstances (just like the Prius). Also the Insight won't be Honda's only Hybrid offering in the US. There will also be the sporty CR-Z and the Civic hybrid will continue to be sold.
Also Sheth, please come back to reality. The Volt is a niche product that probably won't sell more than 12,000 per year. Note that this isn't a bad thing. GM built it as a "halo" vehicle not a high volume vehicle. Keep in mind they probably won't make a profit on selling Volts, so I don't think they care if it doesn't sell 100K units per year. The Volt's purpose is to improve Chevy's image and if it's successful (at improving Chevy's image) then it will help sell more malibus and other volume cars.
dave,
I couldnt remember if it was 100k or 200k. Either way the Prius will outsell the insight next year and the Insight will be the most popular Honda hybrid by FAR. Honda is only one for three on hybrids so far and currently Honda only sells one hybrid while GM sells 5.
Tony,
Your ignorance about the subject matter is overwhelming. Honda is doing next to nothing with CVTs. Same applies to Toyota. Only Nissan has made a major commitment to CVTs. Toyota is still using 4 speed autos in some products and offers a 6 speed on a handful of Toyota branded products and ZERO Scion products. Trust me, I know exactly what I am talking about.
Many 6 speeds that are geared for fuel efficiency lack the shfit smoothness of GM's older 4 speed autos. This is hardly unique to GM products nor is this a complains of every GM product with a 6 speed auto.
GM's philisophy on engines has little to do with HOnda. HOnda doesnt sell one direct injected engine in the US market and Honda only uses turbos on one engine. GM employs DI, turbos, dual VVT, AFM, superchargers and other things to get more power and efficiency out of it's motors. Honda is still makes SOHC engines while all of GM's OHC engines have DOHC heads.
"All Japanese makes were investing heavily into diesel research. Their diesels are all over the world. And GM is nowhere in car-diesel/clean diesel technology."
Another lie. How many diesels do Honda and Toyota sell in the US market? None. GM makes diesels in europe just like every other global automakers. THere are very few diesel options in the US due to our emissions laws. GM has a new 4.5L turbo V8 coming out next year in the US that will power GMT900 vehicles. Toyota has promised a similar engine but announced no details or launch date. GM currently sells diesels for HD pickups. If Euro engines could meet US standards GM could offer any number of it's advanced European market diesels here. They are launching a brand new 2.9L V6 in Europe next year that will be used in the CTS and other products.
CJ,
Did you not read that this vehicle will be a Chevy so it wont be a niche product? When has GM ever said it will only sell 12k a year? Even if that was the capacity in the first year common sense should tell you they are going to ramp it up. GM isnt going to convert an entire plant to build 12k units a year. If the batteries are available I would think they plan to sell at least 50k in the first year. I do love how GM bashers like yourself are so quick to make baseless predictions about things like production levels of the Volt. You poeple are always trying to not give credit where it's due. I bet you will have plenty of positive things to say about Toytoa's upcoming PRius plug in. Also, the E-flex system will be used on an OPel and possible a Saturn twin in the future.
I am well aware that Honda plans two more hybrids but they are hoping to be able to sell 500k hybrids worldwide by 2010. Toyota will be selling more than double that. As I said the civic hybrid has been a modest success and that is partially due to its regular car styling. Ford is boosting its hybrid production and expanding its lineup with the 2010 Fusion hybrid and they expect to be 2nd to Toyota in US hybrid sales within the next couple of years.
Sheth, 6 speeds aren't the "be all and end all" of success. The 5 speed Accord gets better gas mileage than the 6 speed Malibu.
sorry let me clarify I'm talking about the V6s ;)
"Sheth, 6 speeds aren't the "be all and end all" of success. The 5 speed Accord gets better gas mileage than the 6 speed Malibu."
This has to do with the engine. With DI the 3.6 gets much more efficient which is why the CTS matches the mileage of the FWD TL in spite of having more power and being heavier. This is also why the Lambdas get better mileage than the Pilot. Generally speaking more speeds equals better mileage and thats why the MAlibu gets 22/33 vs 21/31 for Accord and camry with 5 speed autos. Ford is going to have 6 speeds standard on the Fusion and expects to top Camry/Accord in mileage as well.
Lets not forget the Accord only gets decent V6 mileage because of VCM which doesnt seem to do much in the real world. Magazine tests have shown the V6 accord to get about 21mpg which is about the same as the Malibu. The Accord 6MT gets 17/25 which is worse than the Malibu due to lack of VCM.
sheth,
you can definitely write mad posts but those take you even further from the truth. Even if you call my statement a lie. And you are misleading readers here too.
Honda and Toyota, Mazda do sell diesels all over the world. I don't care why they don't sell them in USA. But the fact is that they invested into CAR diesel tech. And Acura TSX 2.2D is not a new car. It is European Accord diesel.
And, Honda and Toyota involved in CVT. Prius and Insite are running on it.
And the topic is:
Honda and Toyota can make cars very fuel efficient for its class without adding all the toys such as 6 gears, DI, etc.
In the recent Car And Driver magazine small 4cyl SUV test the best fuel economy was displayed by Toyota RAV-4, which has only 4 gears.
So, I tell you, the GM HAS to turn to all possible ways to make their cars compatible while Honda and Toyota rely on years of research (wasted by GM) so they can keep their costs down while delivering top products.
Oh, and Honda VCM...
Just a toy.
Tony,
Every global automaker sells diesels in Europe. This isnt news. I do not know why you feel Honda and Toyota are "leaders" in this field. You need diesels to compete in Europe. Just for reference, GM sells more cars in Europe than Honda or Toyota so they must have a pretty good handle on the diesel market there.
I have no idea why you feel advanced technology should be dismissed as "toys" when innovation is generally seen as a good thing. Direct injection is a very useful technology that is being used in many high end products to boost power and efficiency. It's not a toy. I cannot believe you feel we should give Toyota and Honda credit for being behind in powertrain technology. CVTs are not widely uses and they have limitations in terms of torque capacity. This is why most CVTs are used on small cars. Toyota has CVTs on its hybrid models and Honda has it on ONE model for sale in the US. GM had a CVT back in 2003 in the Ion and Vue but dropped it due to cost. Honda nor Toyota has announced any massive commitment to CVTs. With the exception of Audi European manufacturers have shown little interest in CVTs and have focused on 6 and 7 speed transmissions.
The RAV4 (and other Toyotas) is efficient because it's light. It has nothing to do with the efficiency of the powertrain. Since you are obviously out of touch here are a few facts: The Cobalt with 2.4L engine gets better mileage than the Corolla S, the Malibu and Aura I-4 get better mileage than camry or Accord, the lambdas get better mileage than the Pilot in spite of having 48 more hp and more weight, the GMT900s gets better mileage than their Toyota counterparts, the cobalt XFE gets better highway mileage than Corolla, Civic or Fit, the Malibu hybrid gets 34mpg hwy which is more than camry hybrid. The facts speak for themselves.
BTW, the most fuel efficient compact SUV is the Escape. The gas only model beats the RAV4 because it has a standard 6 speed auto and naturally the hybrid model whips any Honda or Toyota compact SUV in mileage.
Sheth, follow this link and you will see that the V6 Accord gets better real world gas milage than the Malibu
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008car2tablef.jsp?column=2&id=24902
GM must be doing a great job of engineering the Volt. I read elsewhere that it will cost 80 cents to recharge the batteries to drive the car 40 miles. That means it will have 8 kilowatt hours of storage. The Prius I drive has one and a half Kwh capacity but will only go electric-only for about a mile and a half, so the Volt powertrain must be extremely efficient. The Honda Civic Hybrid with integrated motor assist can only go electric when the car is already moving, but it will be a short distance indeed because the electric motor is still turning over the four dead cylinders. Actually I owned the first car with Integrated Motor Assist - it was a 1952 Chevy. One day it broke down on the highway and the gasoline engine wouldn't run, so I slipped it into low and hit the starter switch, and the starter motor pulled the car off the road onto the shoulder. The Civic Hybrid's Integrated motor assist won't even do that. Since GM invented the electric starter motor, I guess they also invented integrated motor assist.
CJ,
You need to learn the difference between EPA mileage and real world mileage. The Accord beats the MAlibu in the EPA tests with a 19/29 rating. In tests conducted by Edmunds and MT the Accord V6's mileage has not been much better than that of the Malibu. MT and Edmunds have long term Accord V6 models that are averaging about 21mpg. At least 75% of the cars sold in this class are I-4 models and the Accord gets beat there by Sonata and Aura/Malibu for 2009. The camry V6 actually has slightly worse mileage than the Accord V6 but the Camry has consitently meet or beat its EPA ratings in magazine tests. Generally, the Accord V6 has been observed to produce about 21mpg and the camry 24mpg.
According to another posting on this site, the Volt will have a 16 kwh battery, but I'm guessing the computer will kick on the gasoline generator to keep the batteries at no less than a 50 percent charge. That would explain the 80 cent recharge from the wall plug - the batteries will never be more than half depleted when you get home to plug it in.
"I don't see volumes for a car priced over $30K."
Or 4 seater compacts for $40k
"Expect these same people to hate on the Cruze when it comes out and gets 40mpg on the highway."
If it does and it isn't a cheap pile of crap like the Cobalt is then there will be no reason to hate. I have doubts that GM can pull off such a thing when their little deathtrap tin can they call the Aveo can't even manage the same mileage as a Honda Accord.
"No surprise there. In case you didnt know, GM has not announced any official prices for the Volt. Projecting that it will cost $40k two years before it arrives is pointless. I'm willing to be the base price will be closer to $30k."
http://gm-volt.com/2008/06/18/lutz-40000-is-breakeven-price-for-the-chevy-volt-and-first-generation-will-not-make-money-for-gm/
“Lutz said the first-generation Volt will retail for about $40,000 and generate no profit for GM. The company hopes to make money as it rolls out later versions of the vehicle and other plug-in models.”
"Honda is only one for three on hybrids so far and currently Honda only sells one hybrid while GM sells 5."
http://blogs.edmunds.com/greencaradvisor/2008/06/gm-hybrid-sales-hurt-by-recall-of-9000-faulty-batteries.html
Baby steps GM, baby steps.
BTW, the Insight was not a flop by any means, have no idea where you pulled that one out of. It was on the market for 6 years and was a low volume product to begin with.
Same with the Volt, so I guess it'll be a "flop" as well since it'll sell in small quantities too huh?
"I have doubts that GM can pull off such a thing when their little deathtrap tin can they call the Aveo can't even manage the same mileage as a Honda Accord. "
The Aveo gets 27/34 which is better than any accord. Do some fact checking.
"BTW, the Insight was not a flop by any means, have no idea where you pulled that one out of. It was on the market for 6 years and was a low volume product to begin with. "
Not only was the Insight sold in very low volumes, Honda cancelled it due to poor sales and concentrated on the civic and accord hybrid. As you know the Accord hybrid was also a flop and was cancelled with the redesign. If the Insight was so successful why did Honda abandon it and get trounced by the Prius? Also, when is Honda going to offer any hybrid SUVs or pickups?
YOING,
I will repeat again that know official pricing has been announced. Let me know if you can find that pricing anywhere. Lutz speaks freely and he is merely guessing at this point. Just the other day Wagoner said it may be $35k.
Sheth you're delusional. You say that mileage estimates posted by real consumers from all across the nation are not "real", but at the same time you say that mileage estimates from mag testers that flog their cars and have heavy as lead feet are "real". I know you're a GM freak, but please at least be rational.
"Not only was the Insight sold in very low volumes, Honda cancelled it due to poor sales"
It was on the market for 6 years. It wasn't "cancelled". It ran its course and Honda concentrated on Civic hybrids instead of both.
"Also, when is Honda going to offer any hybrid SUVs or pickups?"
Why should they, they've got clean diesels (which have been praised in the UK btw) coming for the Ridgeline, Pilot/MDX and CRV.
Meanwhile
http://www.leftlanenews.com/lutz-interview-part-2-no-diesels-volt-future.html
"Lutz speaks freely and he is merely guessing at this point. Just the other day Wagoner said it may be $35k."
SO even after tax credits, 35 grand for a 4 seater compact with an unproven drivetrain with unproven reliability, and no real world data as far as those mileage claims go is worth the gamble?
A Prius can be had for 25 grand, and that's with the current demand and current production capacity.
Toyota has already said it is going to increase output for the next generation (double the current output if I recall) so that 25 grand could even be 20 or even 22 grand (which makes sense since Honda is shooting for a pricetag of around 20 grand for the next Insight.) which puts it right back at that 15 thousand dollar margin.
sheth,
things you say do sound right at first,
like why not new tech?,
Cobalt better mileage then Corolla and Aura then Accord,
RAV4 more efficient because it is lighter....
But honestly, have you ever sat in the Cobalt? Or Malibu? You need to seat in the Malibu and then go into Accord. May be then you will see what we're talking here. The engineering!!! And 1MPG more will not make me dismiss all the comfort of rear seat in Accord compare to crampness of Malibu.
And yes, lets say RAV4 is lighter - fine. Isn't what research goes to? Make lighter, stronger materials, which is a way to make your car more fuel efficient and safer at same time. Also when RAV4 was tested the new Escape didn't exist. And RAV4 is aging model, which is shows that Toyota was ahead of the game.
And this is true. Honda always takes some risks and fails on many ocasions. Like, CRX to DelSol, 93 Accord, Passport from Isuzu, 2-seater Hybrid, Acord Hybrid. Accord Hybrid intentions were not the mileage - it was boosted power. Mileage was just a side effect. People were not ready to pay $4000 for extra power and minimal mileage increase. The original Insite had a problem of the cheap gas. Who would downsize so much under those conditions? At least, the Prius was a decent-size car. If people buying Smart, Insite would make it well under $4/G gas.
Then look at Toyota - no risky, just everage consumer design, hight quality. All the needed ingridients to sutisfy mass market. Result - success!
GM is just started to go in the right direction but they still not there. And I will tell you why it will take them some time.
GM
Revenue (ttm): 171.86B
Total Debt (mrq): 43.21B
Gross Profit (ttm): 12.12B
Operating Cash Flow (ttm): 1.28B
Honda
Revenue (ttm): 112.82B
Total Debt (mrq): 45.77B
Gross Profit (ttm): 34.94B
Operating Cash Flow (ttm): 11.49B
T.I.A. - This Is America. Without money, GM will not research in all directions. They will make small steps. They are paying for mismanagement of the company in the last 30 years. They implement all the exising tech for now to patch the holes.