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Using old Dell laptop batteries, no doubt.
That's bad news; VOLT is innovative and bold; something GM is not known for. Doesn't need to become the electric Pinto.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...12-01-14-56-43
GM offers to buy Volts back from customers at full price...
NEW YORK (AP) -- General Motors will buy Chevrolet Volts back from any owner who is afraid the electric cars will catch fire, the company's CEO said Thursday.
In an exclusive interview with The Associated Press, CEO Dan Akerson insisted that the cars are safe, but said the company will purchase the Volts because it wants to keep customers happy. Three fires have broken out in Volts after side-impact crash tests done by the federal government.
Akerson said that if necessary, GM will recall the more than 6,000 Volts now on the road in the U.S. and repair them once the company and federal safety regulators figure out what caused the fires.
"If we find that is the solution, we will retrofit every one of them," Akerson said. "We'll make it right."
The fires happened seven days to three weeks after tests performed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And GM has said there's no threat of fires immediately after crashes. GM also has said that no Volts involved in real-world crashes have caught fire.
Still, NHTSA has opened an investigation into the fires and has asked other companies that make electric cars for battery testing data. NHTSA said the safety testing hasn't raised concerns about electric vehicles other than the Volt.
"The fire broke out seven days later. Not seven minutes. Not seven seconds," Akerson said, adding that the company wants to fix the problem so people continue to have faith in Volts and other advanced technology cars. The company is notified of any Volt crash through its OnStar safety system and dispatches a team with 48 hours to drain the battery, preventing fires, he said.
"I think in the interest of General Motors, the industry, the electrification of the car, it's best to get it right now than when you have - instead of 6,000 - 60,000 or 600,000 cars on the road," he said.
The NHTSA testing, Akerson said, intruded into the Volt's battery pack by four to five inches, beyond the normal testing standard of about two inches. Then the cars were rotated 360 degrees to simulate a rollover crash. He said anytime there's a new technology introduced like the Volt, problems will arise. GM is dedicated to fixing them.
He conceded that the fires may cause some potential buyers to shy away from the Volt. But he added that GM is trying to get the message out that they happened only after extreme tests. Akerson also stressed that standard gas engine cars also have problems with fires after crashes.
The Volt can go about 35 miles on battery power before a small gasoline generator kicks in to keep the car running. The car can be recharged with a standard home electrical outlet.
The Nissan Leaf, a fully electric car and the Volt's main compe or, has not had any similar fires after crash tests or real-world crashes, Nissan said.
The Leaf battery is cooled by air rather than a liquid used to cool the Volt battery.
Akerson said investigators are looking at spilled coolant as one possible cause of the fires, although he said the coolant itself did not catch fire. Investigators are looking at everything from circuit boards to the way the battery cells are packaged into the Volt's larger T-shaped battery pack, he said.
Investigators have some promising leads but no conclusions yet, Akerson said.
GM doesn't expect many Volt owners to return their cars, given feedback from customers thus far, said spokesman Rob Peterson.
Earlier this week GM offered loaner cars to all Volt owners until the cause of the fires is found and fixed. So far, Akerson said 16 Volt owners have inquired and only two have taken the loaners.
Using old Dell laptop batteries, no doubt.
That's bad news; VOLT is innovative and bold; something GM is not known for. Doesn't need to become the electric Pinto.
Definitely embarrassing for GM, but as long as they find a fix and do the recall that will be the end of it.
solution will probably include more anti-impact steel protection = more weight = less mileage
Why Chevy Volt sales matter less than you think
Consumer Reports this week reported that the Volt has the highest customer satisfaction rating of any new car. (That, however, was done before the NHTSA board opened an investigation in Volt battery safety.)
But when it comes to making "green cars" accessible to the masses, the Volt's leading-edge design is competing with many other technologies, including traditional hybrids, "mild hybrid" or start-stop technology, and fuel efficiencies in gas and diesel engines. As a result, sales of Volts have gone toward the early technology adopters and are likely to stay that way next year.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-57...?tag=mncol;txt
US needs to adopt Euro diesel and crash regs. LOTS of cars that get great mileage over there that we never see.
VW Jetta TDI forums report 50+ mpg highway, Passat TDI also very good.
There's a real bias in Detroit against diesel, and even Japs who sell diesels in Europe don't offer them in USA.
My guess is that Oilcos are behind the "bias", spreading FUD about diesel.
Now that USA requires low-sulfur diesel, Euro diesels are very pollution free, no black exhaust, as well as quiet, torque-y, reliable.
US policy needs to reduce Fed tax on diesel, which tends to be more expensive than gasoline, while Euros promoted diesel by making it cheaper than gasoline.
And when will we see natural gas cars and infrastructure?
Socialist!
It is surprising that the EPA hasn't revisited the anti-diesel regs they put in place back in the 90s.
True
You can blame the lack of high mileage diesels in the US squarely on the EPA regulations.
I would suspect US auto manufacturers would be behind the anti-diesel stance of the EPA. WAY behind on small diesel engine development; would get smoked (so to speak).
The problem with most imports not offered in the USA is they either do not submit the car to required testing by US regulation, or they fail to meet safety standards by US regulation.
You should know this Boutons, as you are all in favor of regulations.
I'll bet part of the 50+ MPG is because they shaved so much weight off, it doesn't meet US crash test requirements. Do you think this is a probably reason?
Do you really think the Germans and the Japs don't know how to build cars to meet US safety/pollution regs?
btw, ABS, 4-wheel independent suspension, radial tires on passenger cars were not American innovations.
So it's not a disaster.
Absolutely they do. Do you think they are beholden to make all cars meet US standards? What if when they add some extra body structure and lose 2 MPG. Why should their market suffer over our regulations? Don't you think the only worry about their own standards for many of their vehicles?
The popular Nissan Skyline, and a sports car, was not available in the USA for some years.
The first planned year for the Lancer Evolution being released in the USA was delayed a year because it didn't meet the 5MPH bumper test. This may seem small, but the inter-cooler is right up to the bumper, so several thousands in damage occur.
Unforunately for GM, most people will not look past "It caught fire.....".
Here's hoping this won't sink the Volt. I'm all for car manufacturers looking at more energy-efficient vehicles.
It's called progress...
What impedes electric cars the most is the high price tag, which would buy one very nice gasoline car.
A huge breakthrough in battery performance, weight, lifetime, before electric cars really get wide adoption.
And of course, the oilcos and VRWC will spew outrageous lies to hold back the tide.
electric cars could get a huge push if gasoline rose to $5+/gal, for whatever reason.
With the Prius dual electric/hybrid coming out next year, the Volt isn't the proxy for this market as many thinks. I think the market for these vehicles will be fine
The disaster was when the US government bailed out GM.
Let the best car win, indeed. The Prius, and soon it's plug-in version have won. Won is a bit weak of a word; utterly dominated the entire market in nearly every aspect is more accurate.
The disaster was when GM killed the EV-1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1
GM could have been right there at the starting gate with the Prius, and it would have been great horse race. But Prius got the jump as First Mover.
The game is not over. Prius only sets the target for other EV mfrs. The market will be way larger than today. All kinds of innovations are in the labs, like that heat-to-electricity conversion, and artificial photosynthesis splitting water in to H and O using sunlight, the inputs for fuel cells.
US burns 70% of imported oil on transport, and 70% of that is wasted in heat, not locomotion. Turning that heat into electricity would be game changing.
GM owns Opel/Vauxhall, Ford has its european division, Chrysler had been married with Mercedes an now Fiat.
They all have modern diesels since the late 90s. Last to the game was Ford in 2000. On paper all they had to do was to either import engines or retool an US factory.
Trolling much again?
So Europeans with all the nanny states and safety nets are are supposed to be driving around in cardboard cars in pursuit of a bit better fuel economy?
Lets test this:
basic US diesel Passat:
http://www.vw.com/en/models/passat/t...03cce1746aa3f4
(click on technical data - damn dynamic pages)
Weight: 3360 lbs
basic German diesel Passat:
http://www.volkswagen.de/de/models/der_neue_passat/ausstattungsvarianten.s9_trimlevel_detail.suffix.h tml/der_neue_passat~2Ftrendline.html#/tab=d871e8c896db9eeb0686e1aa3b91ce7c|trimlevel=0ca 54af0dee9fa84a86b46d8d5c19b67
(works for me but it's probably the cookie - so click around)
Weight: 1.532 kg
An if we put that in lbs it comes out at 3377 lbs aka. a bit more aka. the same crap.
50 mpg is on the low end but possible and surpassable if you are willing to function as moving chicane otherwise known as member of hyper-milers club.
Average number from (real German) Jetta owners is 37.63 mpg:
http://www.spritmonitor.de/en/overview/50-Volkswagen/540-Jetta.html?power_s=103&power_e=103
It's not the same car. Sure the chassis weight is probably identical, but the German version is different. It has a larger alternator and different engine specs.
Now 37.63 MPG is pretty good for Germany considering the average speed on the Autobahn is probably around 130 MPH.
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