GM responds to CMU study questioning Volt viability
It's not dead yetLast week Carnegie Melon University put out a study questioning Volt viability. Actually, it wasn't just questioning the Chevy Volt, but the size of the battery pack in a plug-in vehicle and whether or not it would be cost-competitive, reduce global warming issues, etc. compared to conventional cars, hybrid cars and smaller battery-pack hybrids.
Yesterday, GM responded. One of their primary contentions was the cost of the battery pack cited in study, which GM claims is over-estimated.
The response also suggests the Volt won't be cost-effective at first, but scalability will change that. Read the full response here.
Labels: Chevy Volt electric vehicle concept, plug-in hybrid vehicles
posted by Dahcredyns at
10:22 AM
3 Comments:
I just read this response, quickly, but I found the response a little weak.
For instance, if GM's lithium costs go down, the lithium costs of small plug-in hybrids go down as well. So, does scalability really make the Volt more cost-effective compared to smaller lithium-battery pack hybrids?
Ultimately, however, I think the CMU study is very relevant. More important, I think the study demonstrates that the Volt is not a perfect solution, nor will it be better than a conventional hybrid or a smaller battery-pack plug-in hybrid for the driving conditions of many drivers.
For many drivers, however, the Volt will make sense.
Inevitably, hybrids, plug-in hybrids of various battery sizes and pure EVs all have a role to play in the very near future. Thus, if there was one take away for GM, in my opinion, build conventional hybrids. Build smaller battery pack PHEVs, such as the Vue plug-in. Build the Volt. And build EVs.
However, the Volt alone is not enough.
Dahcredyns, I absolutely agree with you.
Some folks are going to want EVs, some folks are going to want a cheap PHEVs with a battery range of only 30 kilometers, and some folks are going to want an expensive PHEV with the full 60 Kilometer battery range.
And GM needs to be smart enough to offer all three.
http://newpapyrusmagazine.blogspot.com/
And the crazy thing is that GM has all the technology. It's all there right now.
GM seems to believe pretty strongly in the battery technology that is soon set to power the Volt. So, why not use that same battery technology to power a conventional hybrid Volt today?
It's less wear an tear on the battery.
Moreover, if you can do that, then add in different kwh's of battery for different costs based on consumer preference, etc. Forget this obsession with 40 miles of EV power.
Be Flexible.
I thought that was what E Flex architecture was all about in the first place. I guess that's why they changed the name to Voltek, or whatever the hell it is today.
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