Volt to get 200 mile EV Range in 2yrs

I think the have been inhaling exhaust fumes too long.
However, I hope they do, the more competition the better.

 

"Regardless, expect GM to launch two plug-in vehicles in 2016-ish: the next-gen Volt and some undisclosed “200-mile” EV that almost certainly won’t feature a range extender, next-gen Volt will likely get 50 to 60 miles per charge.

Business Week quotes GM CEO Dan Akerson as saying the following: “We want it to be a moon shot so we can surprise the competition.” Next-Generation Chevy Volt to Debut in 2016 – GM To “Surprise the Competition” With Upcoming “Moon Shot” EV

 

First, unless he's sitting on the Board of Directors, this guy's out so whatever he says doesn't matter.

Second, GM isn't entirely stupid. It's not that they CAN'T build an EV, they chose NOT to build an EV. They are smart enough to see that Tesla has no problem selling EVs and have the "long range" market to themselves.

Third, Elon Musk has basically said the same thing. The difference is that we believe he'll deliver.

So, if we have a choice between a $35000ish Tesla & GM in a few years where's the down side? The big question is "How is Tesla going to engineer the cost out of the vehicle?" Reduce performance? Reduce quality? Reduce capability?

Tesla has one platform, one vehicle, and one vision. They don't have history, bureaucracy, and internal competition. Can the newbie at GM cut through the crap and deliver a competitive vehicle? We'll see.

 

Isn't that a Queen song?

That is a very interesting question.
Part of the price saving will be in the lower costs of batteries in 2-3 years (should be about 15% less expensive).
Barring a change in battery chemistry, the smaller battery pack will result in less performance. However, the 200 mile range is within a few percent of the current 60 kWh. With a smaller body the car should actually get better performance. Those two factors may balance out so it has the same performance, slightly better or slightly worse.

The smaller size of the car will be less expensive as well.

I would also not be surprised if they take a smaller profit margin. Their base Model S could sell for about 57k if they only took a 5% margin instead of the 25% margin they currently get.

Of course, this is all wild speculation at this point. It will be fun to see Tesla develope as well as the competition.

 

This is old news based on an over 1-month old piece. It likely is based on the Envia FUD/fraud that we discussed at GM Says 100 to 200 mi on Electric Only in 2-4Yrs | Page 5 | PriusChat.

 

Tesla has one platform, one vehicle, and one vision. They don't have history, bureaucracy, and internal competition. Can the newbie at GM cut through the crap and deliver a competitive vehicle? We'll see.




Good point, GM will be the same old, same old.

DBCassidy

 

Newbie? She's been at GM for some 30-odd years per Exclusive: The Inside Story of GM's Comeback and Mary Barra's Rise - Businessweek

And, GM has had a revolving door of CEOs since Rick Wagoner was fired, including some folks who really weren't car guys (including Akerson).
From GM Names Its First Female CEO Mary Barra:

So yeah... I do not know, hard to say if she'll really be able to affect positive chance considering the type of crap GM put out during some her time there.

 

(delete, darn double post)