A long article on the coming Chevy Volt in Popular Science. The project is real. The battery will be lithium ion. They have two battery suppliers, both of which have delivered prototype batteries to GM. A123 Systems from Massachusetts and Compact Power Inc from Korea. The battery specs call for 40 mile range, weight less than 400 pounds, push the car from 0 to 60 in 8 seconds, a ten year 150000 mile service life, and store 16 kilowatt hours, which is close to the electricity my house uses in a day.
Ten "Mali-volt" test vehicles (Volt drive train in a Malibu body) are running around GM test tracks. The first Volt prototypes will hit the track this month. The batteries are under test, both charge/discharge cycling and oven testing to evaluate life. Battery life is critical, the battery is the most expensive part of the car. If it fails under warranty GM will loose money, if the car gets a reputation of battery dying at 50000 miles resale value will nosedive.
The Volt project is real, not vaporware. GM will bring the car to market in 2010. If it works properly, it ought to sell for something in the mid thirties, which is Prius money. Prius sells briskly even though it's too costly to make economic sense. With a 40 mile battery range, plenty of Volt owners could go for months on just electricity, no need to buy gas at all.
With luck, Volt will give GM a real product, something that people buy 'cause they like it.
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