Yes, but when will they unveil the battery?

...get to mass production already! We all know you haven't been spending a lot of time building SUV's and trucks lately. I'm sure they'll say "it's not that simple"... but, what else are you spending your time on? Get with it...

They'd better make this some damn good car for people to buy it. At 40,000$, it would not only have to be economical to run but also a really good car! If they can come up with a light enough battery package and a powerful enough drivetrain... and if they can make a decent handling car for once... then they might have a shot. Anything else and they will not sell enough of these to make a profit. Something GM has been struggling with for years already...

This is either an opportunity or suicide for them. And I'm not sure they're brilliant enough for it to be the former...

You're talking about the same company that makes the Corvette ZR1, the current record holder for unmodified production vehicles at the 'ring.

Sure, $40k does seem a bit high, but people are buying Teslas.

Who cares at 40k and $ 1.90 gallon gas no one is going to buy it. Just like the electric cars the big 3 had in the 90s. Why you would make this thing 40k just speaks to how dumb the execs for the big 3 are.

It will use a lithium-ion battery, which while having many advantages, has one big problem in that over time (even if not used) it loses a significant portion of its life. Over time, the battery will have less charge and it will become more and more reliant on its gas engine. Owners would have to replace the battery after a few years, and I'm guessing it won't be cheap.
That's not to say I think this is a bad idea. I hope it works out and they actually come through with this, unlike the infamous EV1.

A solution to the battery "problem" is a no-brainer. In fact there are multiple solutions. This is BS folks. Just like the EV1. GM with be all but out of business by 2010.

Oh about those solutions... front load the battery with an ultra capacitor, use NiMH, or hell, only 40 miles on battery power? Then use compressed hydrogen (yea the compression can provide energy along with the hydrogen).

Think about it. You can buy an impala that gets 18 mpg city for 25k. Take 12000 miles / 18 = 667 gallons a year. Times that by $4 a gallon will give you $2668 a year assuming 0 freeway driving. At that price it will take 7 years to recoup the cost of buying the volt. After 7 years the warranty will be up and who knows whats going to need to be replaced on the car after 7 years. IMO you probably wouldn't break even for 10 years givin gas price fluctuation, counting hwy mileage, and maintenance costs.

I'm with Action on this one. No normal person is going to buy this car and it's doomed to fail at this price.

Yes, they built the ZR1, but they also built the Corsa, Astra, Vectra, Omega and lots of big soft muscle cars. All Lotus cars are known for their handling. All Porsches are known for their handling. GM cars are not. Sorry. (I had a Corsa once, you could get sea-sick on S-curves)

Don't get me wrong, I want this car to be good, but I don't think they're using Corvette engineers to build it.

@salgado18:
I don't know where you live, but here in the U.S. I am pretty sure that nobody has ever even heard of "Corsa, Astra, Vectra, Omega", because those are Opel models (and Opel of course is a GM brand), which is actually based in Germany - and they do produce cars with pretty good handling, except for the Corsa.

On another point, hnadling might not be on the priority list of those who are interested in this car. I have a feeling, fuel economy might be on the top of the list.

40 mile range? are you joking me? See, this is why american cars suck......
Grow a bigger brain, or in this case, a bigger battery...

Folds in 2010...Bye GM...

Come on guys, do you really think they would put in a Li-Ion battery with 40 miles of range and then just let it deteriorate? If you follow GM-Volt.com you'd know that it uses SoC (State of Charge) management. The battery doesn't pull as deep of a cycle at the beginning so that it will have the same 40 mile range at the end if its life.

40k? yeah maybe initially, but if your consider the 7,500 dollar tax credit you get for buying the car your really only spending $32,500

Also they are using a more stable battery chemistry than what exists in your typical laptop battery, so it doesn't deteriorate nearly as fast.

A lotus is built on a custom space frame and has a crazy power to weight ratio, it doesnt even compare the a production car like a volt which has to be produced on an assembly line.

They need to make it come in below $25,000. Too little too late I'm afraid.

Yesterday the auto industry gets reamed by Congress because they have no vision and have been slaves to big oil over the past 30 years and now that they need a bailout they decide to unvail their "GREEN" piece of crap. Coincidence? or not? sounds like a small child who wants to be nice to mom and dad because they want that shiney new toy.
I say let them die. Im not going to get a bailout when my small construction company fails, will I?
The problem is I WONT because i have sound business practices, i have prepared for hard times. Big business has not. F'EM. Economic Darwinism Baby, survival of the fitest, if you cant compete you go extinct.

Wow, I can hardly wait for this one.

jess
http://www.privacy.mx.tc

The Volt represents the future of automobile drive trains. There are so many advantages to electric drive, among them: less moving parts, 100% of torque available at 0RPM, and reduced fossil fuel consumption. Most Americans could drive this car for months between fill ups, if not years.

The Volt isn't meant to be the 21st century's "Model T". At $40,000 USD, it will be an upmarket vehicle, which is reflected in its interior. As costs come down (and with technology, costs always come down), GM will begin putting this drive train into other vehicles. The torque characteristics make it ideal for trucks and SUVs; so I would not be surprised to see an electric drive Tahoe or Escalade next. That will drive costs down further to the point where electric drive is viable in an economy car.

People need to understand that the Volt is about more than fuel economy. It's about energy independence so that we can stop giving our money to countries that despise us. It's about the convenience of topping off the charge at home. It's about American technological brilliance. Would you rather spend your money on American technology, or middle eastern oil sheiks who donate their money to Osama Bin Laden's "charities"?

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The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were.
-John F. Kennedy

Doesn't anyone know about the $7,500 Tax credit you will get for purchasing the volt. That is quite a lot off even if the car is priced at 40,000. So, if we look at ricko "plan" of getting an impala, which costs 25K. 18MPG city, and 4 dollars for gas "Take 12000 miles / 18 = 667 gallons a year. " which is fair to assume. $2668 a year would be:

Year 1: $27668
Year 2: $30336
year 3: $33004

It would start paying for itself even before the beginning of the 3rd year.

$40k? That's just stupid. Other than Richy Rich buying it because it is the latest fad, no one will be able to afford it. At that price they might as well not even build it. It wont do the environment any good if only 10 people are driving it.