After recently driving GM's electric plug-in car, I walked away with very mixed feelings. It's hard not to be impressed by this technology. I've never driven a vehicle that was as quiet and offered as smooth a ride as this one. I also had no trouble getting the electric car up to 80 mph quickly. It really is cool technology.
What is disappointing is that GM didn't try to bring this technology to market sooner. By now many of us have heard of the EV1. That was an electric car the company tested in California back in the 1990s. GM pulled the plug on the program in part because it was difficult producing small lithium ion battery packs. When gas prices began rising again a couple of years ago GM resurrected the technology in the Chevy Volt concept. It promised to bring that electric car to market next year, about 13 years after scrapping the EV1.
That begs some questions: If GM had pursued electric plug-ins more aggressively, would the Chevy Volt have come to market sooner? If the technology was successful, would GM be in the financial trouble it is in now?
The Chevy Volt might not have saved GM from its current difficulties, but the electric car might have helped convince consumers that GM is the auto company of the future.
Comments
Re: Battery tech here in the US, The President's advisers (Chu) have showed him that the battery technology that we invented here is being manufactured over there.
To that end our administration has dedicated $2 billion in Grants for advanced battery manufacturing, (H.R.1, pg. 24; originally authorized but not funded under the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, EISA-Section 135) Check the Plug in America website for more on how batteries for Electric Vehicles are being forwarded in the US.
It should also be pointed out the Oil/Gasoline is something we drill pump, ship, refine, ship and then burn up in our cars. It is a non renewable energy source.
Batteries and the chemicals that make them (like lithium) are used to store energy and are then recycled.
The electric energy we use to charge those batteries can come from clean renewable sources like wind and solar.
Burning gasoline in a car is so incredibly-inefficient (about 75%) and electric motors are so super-efficient (90%) that even when burning US coal to make electricity (about 48% of the country...and dropping) an electric car pollutes less than a polluting car burning oil from foreign lands.
Lithium batteries had absolutely nothing to do with the pulling of the EV-1. You don't need to be really into EV's to know that simple fact, you could just watch the movie. They had exceptional new NiHM battery technology that worked amazingly well, but the patent was sold to GM who didn't want the car to succeed and then they sold the battery patent to big oil.
The Volt is NOT an electric car. It is a serial hybrid and has different battery requirements than a true EV.
Kent - whoever you really are - there are REAL EVs on the road called the RAV4 from 2003. They have lasted - only - according to Doug - the battery tech is offlimits. An EV would be great. I seldom travel more than 25 miles from home 99% of the time. How many other Americans do the same with their second car?
People buy motorcycles all the time. Almost no utility, almost no creature comforts, and they are built in very small batches. I've seen alot of them that cost $15K -the small as a well equipped car and expected to last a third as long in mileage...
Build EVsand plenty of early adopters will line up for them. Once they drive them their families and neighbors will grow to appreciate theur charms and want the to.
what is it - $40K to fuel a gasoline powered vehicle for 200K miles?
Doesn't even account for keeping the and transmission in good working order... Doesn't even matter if you choose to drive three vehicles for that 200K miles. Still hugely expensive. Get the cars on the market and batteries will mature quickly!
Real EVs in Santa Monica EV parade Jan, 2009
By claiming that it needs Lithium batteries for the supposed VOLT, GM is telling you that they have no intention of honestly making an Electric car.
We are driving proof, and GM crushed other proof, that you don't need Lithium to go 40 miles in all-electric mode in a serial hybrid (which Lutz calls an EREV).
In fact, the 400 lb. supposed VOLT Lithium battery only yields 8 kWh of useable energy, whereas 400 lbs. of NiMH would yield 12 kWh of useable energy (enough to go 60 all-electric miles!). The reason is that Lithium can't be filled or discharged the same way that large NiMH packs can be used; so it's inferior in energy density, in practice.
Heck, for that matter, if GM were honest (which it is NOT, GM would put out the first versions of the supposed VOLT using lead-acid batteries (400 lbs. of lead would easily give 30 miles range in all-electric mode, and are far cheaper than Li or Ni, and also fully recyclable, unlike Lithium, which is just discarded).
In fact, ALL successful Electric vehicles (HondaEV, EV1, RangerEV, RAV4-EV, S10-E) started with lead-acid, and were upgraded later to NiMH when it became available.
Why do no STUPID reporters ask GM liars this simple question?? Put out the VOLT with existing batteries, and stop LYING.
Interesting that many of the "comments" here are just plain BONE IGNORANT.
You'd think people would do some research before writing stuff that makes them look like fools.
GM of course lies about the EV1 and its THREE varieties of battery packs (GM-Ovonics defective NiMH, GM-Delco defective lead, and PSB1260 good lead acid). Even on defective GM NiMH, the EV1 had 160 miles range because it got up to 6 miles pre kWh.
JUST HOW IS THAT A FAILURE. IT'S A GREAT SUCCESS.
Naturally, if you only make 1115 EV1, your amortized design cost is going to make it cost $54,000 (that's the price GM stated on its leases). But in mass production, IF GM had been honest, which it was not, the cost would have been no more than $8,000 to build, and maybe less than that.
CARB Battery Technology Assessment Workship estimated in 2000 (link on ev1.org) that NiMH in mass production would cost no more than $7,000 per battery pack, and probably much less if process engineers had worked on cost reduction.
NiMH is fully recyclable; Ni metal is used in stainless steel and monel, as well as other alloys. The batteries, after perhaps 200,000 miles, would be returned to a "refreshing station" where the metals would be reprocessed into new batteries.
BUT THE BIG PROBLEM IS THAT GM-CHEVRON WERE NOT HONEST. LIARS DON'T TELL THE TRUTH.
Diane,
Thanks for your thought provoking article, which was intended to get the readers to question the current vision of company that once had the clear opportunity to work steadily toward the development of an affordable electric car. In my opinion, that company listened to shareholders who wanted steady profits, and not the visionaries of the future (who now work in California). We who own and use full-sized EVs here in California, have watched GM for several years promote the Volt whenever someone asks what their contribution to "going green" will be...
On April 20, 2009 my Toyota RAV4 EV will be the first car I have ever owned for over 7-years. By next week, it will have 101,800 maintenance free miles, at a average cost of $0.019 per mile... Mom always said "actions speak louder than words..."
GM IS A LIAR about Electric cars.
Our 7-year-old Toyota RAV4-EV have more than 120 miles range using proven Nickel Metal Hydride batteries developed by Toyota.
But GM bought up the patent rights in 1994 and tried to suppress and hide this better battery; Toyota nevertheless improved it, and brought out the superior NiMH Electric car. GM was forced to release 465 NiMH EV1, which everyone loved.
But you don't need more than lead-acid. The 1999 EV1 with PSB lead batteries had more than 100 miles range.
The 1999 NiMH EV1 had 160 miles range (we drove it that far), and the HondaEV 130 miles range.
But no Oct. 10, 2000, GM handed off control of NiMH patent rights to Texaco; six days later, on Oct. 16, 2000, Texaco announced it would be absorbed by Standard Oil of California (Chevron Oil). The next year, Chevron funded a lawsuit against Toyota.
In Dec., 2002, Toyota agreed to surrender to Chevron's lawsuit, ending production of their superior version of the NiMH battery, paying Chevron's unit $30 million USD, and crushing their program to SELL Toyota RAV4-EV.
Thus ending the ONLY time a major auto company sold Electric cars to the general public (all the rest were leased and crushed).
Those 300 or so Toyota RAV4-EV are still running, still have over 100 miles range, and mostly are powered by electric produced by EV drivers from their rooftop solar system.
If you have a plug-in car, the money you DON'T spend on Chevron's gasoline pays for your rooftop solar system.
IS IT ANY WONDER THAT CHEVRON AND GENERAL MOTORS THUS COLLUDED TO CRUSH THE ELECTRIC CAR AND NIMH BATTERIES?
I haven't seen anything yet that convinces me there are going to be enough buyers for electric cars--or cars of any kind, to warrant mass production unless they can be produced at prices very close to todays average prices or perhaps even lower. It boils down to disposable income.
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Most of America buy based on monthly payments. All those fancy financing options and lease programs are designed to compress the autos prices into a payment that can be supported due to no real significant growth in disposable income for many years.
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With no real growth projected, GM or anyone else is going to be hard-pressed to successfully bring a vehicle onto the market that is significantly more expensive and costlier to maintain even if it is more fuel efficient and environmentally preferable.
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Somethings got to give... there just isn't enough money out there in the hands of the middle class to support all the things we would like to see companies produce.
Dear All,
When considering GM strategy please do not forget that GM is a global company. The price of gas in the US is a legacy of the time when the US was a net exporter of oil. Look at the price of gas in Europe and you're going to realise that the business case of an Opel Ampera is very strong...
Diane, the place were the batteries are manufactured is not a big deal. How the electricity is being produced is the key point. By definition electricity is the ultimate flexible energy carrier...
Chris,
Monte Carlo
There is commercially available safe advanced Li -ion cell technology in the US. Manufacturing processes is outsourced. Safe operation requires attention to chemistry and integrated electronic circuitry. Wouldn't want the car to burst into flames during charging or after an accident.
LH Thompson - you are clueless.
I appreciate the comments and dialogue this blog has produced.
Regarding the comment about gas prices influencing Volt sales: I think they absolutely will have an impact. Look at the influence they've had in the past couple of years on hybrid sales. If GM can successfully bring the Volt to market next year, it will require the financial commitment from consumers to make it successful.
Another issue regarding lithium ion batteries involves the cells used to make them. My understanding is that they come primarily from S. Korea. I don't think any labs in the U.S. are producing them yet. So, again we are relying on
another country to help us power our vehicles. I think there are some companies or labs here that are working on that technology. Does anyone out there have more information on cell development here?
Diane, I don't think you fully appreciate how big a gamble GM is taking by even bringing this very new vehicle technology to market in 2010. The oil exporting nations may well decide to attempt to kill the Volt and waste GM's investment in alternative fuel technology by keeping oil prices low until the Volt flops and goes out of production. If auto makers learn that the oil exporters can kill alternative-fueled vehicles at any time by temporarily lowering the price of oil, it will be a long time indeed before others try what GM has been brave (or foolish!) enough to attempt here. GM deserves our help and support for doing what it is doing now -- not whining and criticism over its proper decision 13 years ago to not mass produce a car based on a battery technology that could never win a mass market.
Others have pointed out that the Lithium Ion batteries didn't exist in the late '90s. Back the Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) batteries were state-of-the-art in laptops, and terribly expensive at that.
The thing that killed the EV1 was that it cost like a Ferrari to build, and the battery was inadequate.
Fortunately, none of the engineering was lost. The engineers who worked on the EV1 and the other electric cars went on to other things at GM and elsewhere. Many improved their expertise in EV systems at places like AC Propulsion. The Tesla Roadster is just one of the descendants of the EV1.
So is the Volt.
I do stand corrected. We visited GM's Tech Center last summer in Pontiac, Michigan where engineers were testing a couple of different lithium ion batteries for the Volt. I went back to my orignial story and, yes, you're absolutely right the EV1 bettery was lead acid. Structurally that battery pack looked a lot like the current pack, but was about a third larger. GM said its size and weight was a big reason it never brought the EV1 to market
The point I was trying to make was had the company continued working toward the development of an electric car we might have seen something like the Volt come to market sooner.
Kent & Jim,
It's one thing to have a different opinion to the story but it's way out of line to question someone's "competence" or journalist capabilities. Maybe you should let NBR know where you work and what you do so they can do some research on your competence and your capabilities. It's not life and death---so lighten up!
Correction: Lithium-Ion battery technology didn't exist in the 1990s. The first EV1s used lead-acid batteries and then GM dabbled with NiMH batteries. Modern Li-Ion batteries are far lighter and reliable. They are a big part of why we're seeing a rebirth of the electric car.
Diane Eastabrook,
I find your view on your the Volt test drive as just 'out of the scope'. You were invited to test drive the car, not to speak about about its the timing. Are you sure that this car is late to the market? How many electric car are there already? I am a little bit surprise to learn that you are a journalist.
I object to anyone not familiar with previous EV technologies (such as the crappy EV-1) making claims about how "it might have worked." WRONG!!
The heart and soul of the electric car is the battery. The battery for the Volt did not exist back in the days of the EV-1, when its NiMH battery pack cost over $30,000 and lasted about 6 years and took 12 hours to recharge. Even today there are no viable battery-only electric cars on the road - only ultra media hyped impractical beasts like the Tesla (all 500 of them). The Volt exists because it has a range extender gas motor to provide juice when the battery's depleted.
And, without $4 gas and emissions concerns, no one in their right mind would fork over $40K for a $17K car. The Volt will exist only so long as those conditions prevail. Economically, electric cars make zero sense. Look at the paltry sales of the half-as-expensive Chinese version of the Volt (BYD F3DM, with 60 miles of range versus the Volt's 40 miles of range) already on sale in China. Nobody is buying them. Get real PBS, and quit assigning reporters to stories they are clearly not competent to write.
80 mph??????? my old Lada does like 80 mph in 5 minutes.......... that's a sweet ride
Of course GM waited too long to bring out this technology. These billion dollar companies don't forecast or have a good understanding of what the world needs and seem blind to the changing economic tide.
A comment on the Chevy Volt and GM. Does anybody really
believe GM is going to come out with the Volt next year?
They will come out with something because they have no choice
not because they want to. And what they come out with is going
to have a lot of problems and we're going to pay for it.
The best thing that happened to GM was to retire Mr Waggoner.
This gentleman, although not the architect of GM failure is surely
one of the people who is responsible. The gentleman running
the Volt program is, unless a change has taken place, one of
the group of managers responsible for the GM mess. The word
"fresh" is not part of the GM way of doing things. Where is
the fresh new thinking? There just isn't any-that we know of.
A picture in The New York Times recently, about a 2 wheel
vehicle and how new and fresh it all is. There's nothing
new in putting together a two wheel go-cart that has got to
be a death trap on wheels. We've seen all this before. One
of the last ones was their electric car. GM took them off the
road and crushed them so there would be no trace. The
manipulation and outright gangsterism on the part of
the car manufacturers is well known. When I was small,
living in Los Angeles, California, the GM team bought up the
street car lines and closed them down. The greed and anti-
American policies of GM are criminal and we know it. All
one has to do is look at the city of Detroit and you can see
where this corporate greed has taken the country. Think of
all the suffering, poverty, crime, etc., in Detroit and other
cities in the name of GM corporate profits. And while every-
thing was crumbling and falling apart around them what do
the GM managers do? they come up with the Hummer. As
I understand it one of the places the Hummer does sell well
is of all places Bagdad, Iraq. Throw out the self centered
greedy managers and put some people in who care about
their country and the environment.
"
80 mph quickly. It really is cool
"
Let me see your drivers license and your registration card
!