Chevrolet to Produce 10,000 Volts in 2011 and 30,000 in 2012; 50-State Availability 12-18 Months After Launch
02 July 2010
Chevrolet plans to produce 10,000 Volt extended range electric vehicles by the end of the 2011 calendar year, and an additional 30,000 Volts during the 2012 calendar year, according to Volt Marketing Director Tony DiSalle, who made the announcements during a live video webcast 1 July. (Earlier post.)
DiSalle also confirmed that the first Volts available for retail sales will be sold in California; Washington, D.C.; Austin, Texas; and the New York City metropolitan area later this year. Volts are expected to arrive at dealerships in Michigan, New Jersey, Connecticut, as well as the balance of Texas and New York in the first quarter of 2011.
General Motors Chairman and CEO Ed Whitacre separately announced that Chevrolet will add five Texas electric utilities and five Northeast utilities to a Department of Energy development and demonstration program that provides Volts and charging stations to key utilities. The program allows the utilities to study charging station installation process, vehicle charging, and customer feedback
The Texas utilities include: Austin Energy, CenterPoint Energy, CPS Energy, Oncor, and American Electric Power. In the Northeast, Chevrolet is partnering with Con Edison, New York Power Authority, Northeast Utilities, National Grid, and Public Service Electric and Gas.
Additional markets will be added as production volume increases during the second model year, with Volt available in all 50 states 12 to 18 months after the initial launch.
Before receiving Volts for retail sales, dealers will be required to complete specialized sales and service training, and install 240-volt charging stations at their dealership. Chevrolet expects to have nationwide service coverage available through Chevrolet Authorized Volt Service Dealers during the 12 to 18 month national rollout.
DiSalle encouraged Consumers interested in purchasing a Volt to visit www.chevrolet.com/volt and register to receive news updates as Volt approaches the national launch. Consumers can request to be contacted when dealers have available Volts in their area.
DiSalle also confirmed that the Volt will embark on a 1,776-mile “Freedom Drive” leaving Austin 1 June. The Drive will stop in Little Rock, Ark., Nashville, Tenn., Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia before arriving in New York City on July 4.
Fans can follow the Volt’s journey on Chevrolet’s various social media properties, including the Chevrolet Volt Facebook, the @ChevyVolt Twitter account, the Chevrolet Posterous page, and the ChevroletVoltAge.com page, where viewers will find photos, videos and text updates on the Volt’s location and performance. The team will be using the hashtag #VoltDrive during the event.
The Chevrolet Volt is capable of about 340 miles total driving range, with electricity driving the car at all times. For trips as long as 40 miles, the Volt gets its power solely from electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, an engine-generator seamlessly engages to extend the driving range to about 300 miles on a full tank of gas.
Volt production begins late this year at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck facility. Pricing has not been announced.
Gee, think of how many states in which they could have been selling the EV-1 and derivatives if Bob Lutz hadn't crushed the project.
Posted by: Sanity Chk | 02 July 2010 at 05:10 PM
Gee, think of how much money GM (or we) would have lost over the last 10 years if they had been making EV1s and derivatives if Bob Lutz hadn't crushed the project.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 02 July 2010 at 07:06 PM
Toppa: The Prius, introduced in Japan in 1997 and in the US in 2001, has proven there has been a market for fuel-efficient cars. If instead of suing the state of CA for requiring ZEVs, GM had marketed the EV-1 as the perfect commuter vehicle, they would have been industry leaders and may well have weathered the recession without a bailout. Lutz was not alone in his myopic, arrogant view of the future, but he led the charge.
Because he couldn't see the future for the oil derrick in front of his eyes, he delayed the meaningful introduction of EVs to the world by 15 years. I believe he didn't want to mess with it because of lower profit margins, and major reduction in maintenance revenue for their dealers. He wasn't thinking long term - he is the epitome of corporate greed and power mongering. He is a dinosaur - a guy stuck in the corporate mindset of the 60s & 70s.
Posted by: Sanity Chk | 02 July 2010 at 08:02 PM
Your fixation with the evil of Lutz and GM is irrational.
It was not GM that "didn't build" an EV; it was the whole world that "didn't build" an EV.
So you think that if Honda had marketed the Insight-1 as the perfect commuter vehicle, they would have been industry leaders ? Ha ha ha - Insanity.
The EV1, like the Insight-1, was a dead end; the Prius, after 10 years is outsold, today, by the Impala.
Chevrolet plans to produce 10,000 Volt extended range electric vehicles by the end of the 2011.
Holy sit ! 10,000?
That's less 7000 a year - It is obvious that the world is not ready for an EV, or more accurately, the EV is not yet ready for the world.
It may be by 2015 or 2025, but 10 years ago ? - obviously not, obviously, history has proven that.
How could it be more clear?
Posted by: ToppaTom | 02 July 2010 at 09:00 PM
Toppa makes good points. Some products arrive too soon for the market to bear. Or accept. Now, after years of abuse by foreign oil cartels, the US at least is willing to look hard at energy independence by electrification of transport. The cost of oil-driven disasters, foreign military operations, and export of $500B annually - has awakened both ends of the political spectrum.
NOW is the time to push hard to build acceptance of new energy resources. November marks the beginning of the electric transportation era. EV1 and its failure only reinforces the idea that mere legislation is not enough to alter the course of huge industries like fossil fuel. The public needs to see the larger picture and broader losses of using out-dated resources like fossil fuel.
The Energy Independence campaign is making the future of electrification far more acceptable to the vast majority than ever before. The measured rollout of the Volt will build slow and steady acceptance of the move from ICE to EVs. GM is doing a very good job of this and Lutz set it all in motion. Better late than never.
Posted by: Reel$$ | 03 July 2010 at 06:58 AM
It could take gasoline going over $4 again and staying there for people to wake up. We react to events rather than make sure that the events do not occur in the first place.."if it ain't broke, don't fix it" is the conservative motto.
Posted by: SJC | 03 July 2010 at 08:09 AM
Roger Smith favored the EV1 and Lutz favored the Volt, maybe there is some good in people that have done wrong. All that I know is public acceptance is the key to progress in a market system. If people won't buy and use the advanced more efficient products, then not much progress will be made.
Posted by: SJC | 03 July 2010 at 09:43 PM
The EV1 and EVs t are not about good in people or bad in people.
Well, they are – in a way.
I think Dan Neil, in Time magazine said it best in “ The 50 Worst Cars of All Time” list which included the 1997 GM EV1
Source:
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1658545_1658544_1658535,00.html#ixzz0siQpBX1F
“battery technology at the time was nowhere near ready to replace the piston-powered engine. The early car's lead-acid bats, and even the later nickel-metal hydride batteries, couldn't supply the range or durability required by the mass market. The car itself was a tiny, super-light two-seater, not exactly what American consumers were looking for. And the EV1 was horrifically expensive to build, which was why GM's execs terminated the program — handing detractors yet another stick to beat them with. GM, the company that had done more to advance EV technology than any other, became the company that "killed the electric car."
I do not admire GM. Far from it; they have no soul, - but neither does Microsoft, BP, Toyota, MB, Volvo or Acorn.
I defend GM’s actions wrt the EV1 because I see think the truth will set us free. Lies will not.
What’s IS bad in people is the malicious support and spreading of myths to further their idea of how society should be.
I assume technical ignorance accounts for some of these beliefs, but even there, I believe an underlying cause is the desire of many of these fringe dwellers to force society to their vision.
Posted by: ToppaTom | 04 July 2010 at 05:55 AM
SJC said it: gas at $4/gal will put EV's in high gear. The EV1 was ahead of the market, the same way the edsel was (way ahead in safety features).
The Volt and followers will languish if gas stays cheap. (the Volt will also languish if GM doesn't drop the price).
Even better than expensive gas would be gas shortages. If you can't buy it at the pump, recharging at home will look SOoooooo goood!
Posted by: danm | 06 July 2010 at 08:47 AM
what a bunch of horshit you can read here
the tesla roadster sell 1000 cars a year and cost 100 thousands dollars
a cheaper car like volt would sell 50thousand a year
there is market
there are people who want to buy them
there is oil companys who dont want they sell much
all oil companies have shares in mercedes ,gm etc,,
they boicot any mass produccion
it is obvius
Posted by: luis | 06 July 2010 at 02:08 PM
340 / 9 (http://gm-volt.com/2010/06/28/report-chevrolet-volt-gas-tank-is-9-gallons/) equals 39 MPG highway (assuming GM used a driver size of 100 pounds and an empty vehicle). Average American is more like 200 pounds, and there is always going to be some level of stuff (toys, books, magazines, etc) in the vehicle so figure realistic highway and city MPG is going to be at least 25% less than advertised. 30-32 highway and 20-22 city MPG is NOT compelling enough to go out and buy one given the ICE competition. My prediction is that the Volt will not be a breakout vehicle adopted by the masses unless it was super cheap or had MPG at least double to triple the current figures.
Posted by: ejj | 07 July 2010 at 06:27 AM
340 / 9 = 37.78 (whoops) but still...the Volt will not be a blockbuster with the initial MSRP and MPG.
Posted by: ejj | 07 July 2010 at 06:28 AM
ejj:
People who buy a Volt are intending to use it as an EV - NOT as a serial hybrid burning gasoline. We know that 85% of all commutes in the US are under 40 miles/ day. So Volt's MPG is infinite if you commute under 40 miles and plug in daily. But if you have a fifty mile commute the last 10 miles will use the genset to power the motor. Combining the two propulsion methods is the fuzzy part. But utilizing the draft EPA 11 mile driving cycle to SOC depletion and then driving 1 more cycle - resulted in the vaunted 230MPG estimate.
That's too rich for EPA and the industry so they're gonna alter the test procedure to some higher gas cycle yielding a lower combined EV+charge depletion mode fuel number. But it will likely be no less than 100 MPG.
If you want green - give ALL new EVs some support. they may not be perfect but they ARE moving in the right direction.
Posted by: Reel$$ | 07 July 2010 at 04:18 PM