Reuters is reporting that General Motors may be unveiling a “showroom-ready model” of its electric car, the Volt, in September. It was previously thought that the Volt wouldn’t be released until 2010, but “a deepening slump in sales” has apparently pushed GM to get the Volt on the market ahead of schedule. September’s a good time for GM to unveil the new car, too, as it’ll mark the company’s 100-year anniversary.
The Chevy Volt will be powered by conventional lithium ion batteries and can be recharged using a standard 110-volt household electrical socket. The car can only go 40 miles on battery power alone but uses regenerative braking and other “range-extending onboard power sources” like gasoline or ethanol for longer trips, according to Chevrolet’s web site.
Cool ! This car is analog chrysler crossfire, good car.
You realize that by “release” they’re just SHOWING the production-ready model versus the concept shown here. That doesn’t mean it will be going into production any sooner. The on sale date has not been announced but it surely wouldn’t be before 2009 and late 2009 would be early is my guess.
Yeah, but if by “release” means they’ll be taking orders, then they’ll get my check. The Flex drivetrain platform makes so much more sense than current generation hybrids. Let’s hope it doesn’t suffer too many “v1.0″ gremlins.
GM get the F… off. They always doing the same, a car for nothing.
Check this link to discover the real electric car, born in 1996 by GM
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/
Oh geez. Put down the tin foil hat already. The world is not a conspiracy theory. That movie has more logical holes in it then Courtney Love’s nipples. There never was, and never has been a battery capable of driving a vehicle more then 50 miles with the requirements necessary. Those are,
1.) must weigh less then 500 pounds.
2.) must hold at least 20 kwh of energy.
3.) must last for 10 years at at least 80% capacity.
4.) must cost less then 5 thousand dollars.
The EV1 failed because there was no long lasting batteries. GM would have had to eat the cost of batteries for each car every few years. The car wouldn’t sell even “at cost”. 50k per car, 10k for a battery change. Get a clue. This is a market, gas is cheap, that’s what we use. Gas costs less then 3k per year even at $4 a gallon, even in the biggest SUV. The “Telsa Roadster” has a 30k battery!! That’s 10 years of gas for a Hummer!!
Even with fierce research in batteries over the last 20 years. Driven by consumer electronics needs in laptops and cell phones. We still “barely” have a good enough battery for something like the Volt. I hope the testing works out. I hope GM can make it happen. I’ll be first in line to buy one.
It’s insulting, and downright mean, for you to belittle the hard working American engineers at GM. Their countless hours, and numerous innovations have built this country. I have little doubt that their intelligence, team work, and inventive spirit will once again be a shining example of what humanity can achieve when necessity knocks.
Here’ the deception for all driver. They think they need to drive around with the ability to go 300miles even if they had to got two blocks to the school to drop off the kids. Then they think they need a Bradley Tank SUV to be safe. I believe the products and the dynamics are present to achieve your stated target…Who the hell made those a criteria anyway?
1.) must weigh less then 500 pounds.
2.) must hold at least 20 kwh of energy.
3.) must last for 10 years at at least 80% capacity.
4.) must cost less then 5 thousand dollars.
Take a look at Hybrid Technologies and Black Bay Technologies and the Norwegian Th!nk. All of their products meet most of that criteria. I have to argue the 10yr battery though. Rarely does anyone even keep their car for 10years like I do. However, if it costs $5000 after 10years for batteries, it’s cheaper that buying another car and is more affordable that an ICE powered behemoth.