Friday, March 02, 2007
Chevy's Volt Creates Big Buzz at Auto Show
The big hybrid buzz from this year's Detroit Auto Show was the Chevy Volt, a series hybrid concept from General Motors. The Volt concept promises all-electric, gas-free driving for 40 miles, extended driving range up to 600 mile, and use of a so-called "eflex" system to allow a full range of fuel sources, including gasoline, hydrogen, and biofuels. The Volt would put much greater emphasis on the electric part of the gas-electric combination than today's hybrid offerings.
The Chevy Volt concept announcement, like GM's recent announcement about producing a plug-in hybrid version of the Saturn Vue Green Line, is earning praise from environmentalists and advocates of electric cars and plug-in hybrids. But some, such as Walter McManus of the University of Michigan, see subterfuge.
I ran into Bob Lutz, GM’s product guru, and asked him about the key questions regarding the Volt. “I think we can get the batteries relatively soon that will demonstrate the proof of concept to where we can put people in the car and demonstrate it to the press and make it do all the things we say it's going to do,” said Lutz.
Likelihood of delivering the Volt: "Let me put it this way, we would not be doing this, if we weren't confident that it could be done." -read full article at HybridCars.com
The Chevy Volt concept announcement, like GM's recent announcement about producing a plug-in hybrid version of the Saturn Vue Green Line, is earning praise from environmentalists and advocates of electric cars and plug-in hybrids. But some, such as Walter McManus of the University of Michigan, see subterfuge.
I ran into Bob Lutz, GM’s product guru, and asked him about the key questions regarding the Volt. “I think we can get the batteries relatively soon that will demonstrate the proof of concept to where we can put people in the car and demonstrate it to the press and make it do all the things we say it's going to do,” said Lutz.
Likelihood of delivering the Volt: "Let me put it this way, we would not be doing this, if we weren't confident that it could be done." -read full article at HybridCars.com
