Lutz hints at Pure EV Volt

So something like a 4 door EV1 then?

 

The prototype EV1 WAS a 4 door version. Think Lutz is in the crusher trying to piece back together the only thing they did right in the past 12 years?

 

This article in IEEE Spectrum claims that the Volt will have a small gasoline engine for range extension ... the Volt will be hybrid.
IEEE Spectrum: EV ROUNDUP: ELECTRIC VEHICLES MOVE FORWARD...SLOWLY

 

At this point, it looks like GM is just throwing crap against the wall and seeing what sticks.

What GM - or a forward thinking car maker - needs to do is put their might behind building a commuter electric vehicle and package it together with a rooftop solar system and market it as "The Way to Your Energy Independence." Anything else is just more of the stuff they are throwing against the wall.

 

So in the article, Lutz throws out the possibility of a "Volt" that's pure EV, and also of a "Volt" that's a pure gasoline (series hybrid) car. Sounds like he's starting to prepare us for the eventual announcement of a "Volt" that's just a plain old-fashioned gasoline car.

Maybe the naysayers like me have gotten it wrong: We've been saying GM will never build the Volt. Maybe they will build it after all. But it will a plane-Jane gasoline-powered car, without batteries or electric motor.

Then why call it the "Volt" at all? Well, to save face. "We promised we'd build the Volt, and we've kept our promise." -- "But you said it would be an electric car that plugs into the grid, with a range-extender. -- "Well, we've decided that was not possible with today's battery and electric motor technology, so we're building it as a regular car, but as soon as we can develop the technology, we'll introduce a Volt that's electric." -- "But you had the technology a decade ago." -- "Yes, we did, but we've misplaced it. But I assure you I've got several file clerks looking for it very diligently, and we'll make an announcement if they manage to find it." -- "Why don't you just reverse engineer an old EV-1?" -- "Gosh, we'd love to, but we crushed them all."

 

Hi daniel,

Well, they have done that already. They came out the Saturn ION, which was a pure gasoline car.

 

When you are selling cars and you are planning something new, you keep quiet about it because an announcement might discourage people from buying the present (soon to be outdated) cars. But when you have no plans on building the new car and you're getting bad press about it, you announce a super car, so unlike anything in your present line that it will not affect your sales, but which will discourage people from buying your competitors' cars.

As soon as Toyota announces a PHEV-40, potential Prius buyers will back off, and they'll have to discount the prices deeply. SUV buyers will not hold off buying an SUV on the expectation of the Volt, but maybe potential Prius buyers would hold out for the Volt instead. GM hurts Toyota, does not affect its own sales, and gains brownie points if it can convince the press and the public that it's seriously trying to develop the Volt. Unlike W and his war, you can be sure than GM has an exit strategy: It already knows what excuses it will give for in the end not building the Volt. (Or for building a conventional car that it will call the Volt.)

 

Everytime GM makes makes a vaporware announcement, they're damaging their credibility.

Lutz has cried wolf too many times. Pretty soon, no one will listen.

 

I would never consider a GM auto. I can only imagine the issues with a GM hybrid or fully electric auto. Not gonna happen for me ... ever.

... Brad

 

I'm with you, Brad! There is no way I would buy any GM, Ford, or Chrysler product. These vehicles are garbage! My 30+ years as a Consumer Reports subscriber has made me quite aware of this fact!!

 

Nissan has promised a full-featured EV in the US by 2010.

There were several ideas built up. One was a 4-door. And one was (drum roll please) a serial hybrid EV1. These were all built for demonstration purposes back in the late 80's.

 

I don't think so. It takes less effort to plug in a car in your garage every night than it takes to stop at a gas station, pump gas, and pay for it once every few days or a week. With the present and likely future price of gas, I think regular folks would jump on a PHEV from a company with a reputation for reliability, especially when it seems to be just one step up from a proven car with lots of positive press (at last).

 

Where I used to live, in North Dakota, they plug in or their car doesn't start. Nobody leaves their car idling all night long.

Edit: When gas hits $10/gal (i.e. next year) they'll be happy to plug in rather than visit the pumps.

 

When you wish upon a star,
Makes no difference who you arrrrrrre,
even if you'r Bob Lutz who works for GM and it's not really possible except in your mind and you want to leapfrog past Toyota but you're hard-pressed to just catch up to them but you can still dream about that dream carrrrrrrr