GM stakes reputation on stylish Volt, long-range battery

Tag : battery
The Chevrolet Volt isn't in Oz anymore, Toto. The ballyhooed electric car rolled into the real world Tuesdaymorning to cap celebrations for General Motors Corp.'s centennial. "The Volt is symbolic of what GM stands for today," companyChairman Rick Wagoner said in the automaker's headquarters onDetroit's riverfront, adding "GM's second century starts right now"as Vice Chairman Bob Lutz drove the production version of thefour-seat compact car into public view for the first time. Nobody can accuse GM of underplaying the Volt's significance.Scheduled to go on sale in November 2010, the car relies on severalnew technologies to deliver 40 miles of cruising range on batterypower alone and an onboard generator to keep the batteries chargedon longer trips. GM has bet its reputation - moreover, hopes of improving itsreputation - on the revolutionary car's success. "This Volt is GM's moon shot, the project that organized andmeasured the best of our company's abilities," Chevrolet GeneralManager Ed Peper said Tuesday, echoing President John F. Kennedy'sdescription of the program to put a man on the moon. GM has been unprecedentedly open about the program to develop theVolt. It has won vast positive publicity, but that attentionguarantees massive headlines for any problems. Morale within thecompany also depends on getting the Volt on the road trouble-free. GM expects to build the Volt at its Detroit plant, but it plans touse the Volt technology powertrain in a wide variety of vehiclesaround the world, possibly including midsize cars like theChevrolet Malibu. Assuming current rates for electricity, a Volt owner couldtheoretically drive 15,000 miles a year for $180 to $300, chiefengineer Frank Weber said. Considering that the EPA estimates acompact car, like the Chevy Cobalt or Honda Civic, uses almost$2,000 a year in fuel, that savings would go a long way towardoffsetting what's likely to be a $40,000-plus price. Cost andbattery size should fall rapidly as production rises, Weber said. The car unveiled Tuesday didn't have the production powertrain.That's undergoing round-the-clock tests clothed in the body of thehumble 2007 Malibu sedan. The final design also differs in significant ways from the angularVolt concept car GM first showed in January 2007. The Web erupted with design critics when photos of the car leakedout last week. Up close and personal, though, the production Volt is a sporty anddistinctive hatchback. It's recognizably derived from the concept,but more modern and aerodynamic. The production Volt has a rounded front end. Every surface has beensculpted in the wind tunnel to maximize aerodynamic efficiency anddeliver the 40-mile all-electric range. GM says that range will allow 80 percent of American drivers to usethe Volt every day without ever using the generator's 1.4-litergasoline engine. In other parts of the world, where commutingdistances are generally shorter, an even higher proportion ofdrivers will be able to power the car solely with electricity,Weber said. The Volt's slippery fastback styling encloses a four-seat interiorthat matches the passenger space in current compact cars. A centerconsole running the length of the passenger compartmentsimultaneously contributes to a sporty wraparound feeling andhouses a 400-pound pack of lithium-ion batteries. The Volt's looks are almost immaterial to its success, however. It's what's behind the curtain - the Volt's advanced but unprovenbattery - that matters here, Toto.