While the Volt will charge overnight on a normal outlet, those with less predictable schedules may understandably want to opt for a 240V charging solution, which can cut the charge time to four hours. But you better believe you’re gonna pay. → Read More
Chevrolet has just announced the price for the Chevy Volt home charging kit : $490. That’s the price “before installation,” mind you. How much are you looking at with installation? → Read More
It seems that the Chevy Volt will soon have competition from within its own ranks. General Motors is said to begin fleet testing a rather potent Cruze EV next month in South Korea. US availability is still up in the air apparently, but if all goes well, chances are GM will be the latest automaker to offer a pure EV vehicle like the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV. → Read More
One thing is clear to me now: GM gets it. Government Motors now understands the importance of cutting edge technology. They understand rapid development processes. But most importantly, the once largest auto maker understands the future. If only they had “gotten it” back at the turn of the century, they wouldn’t be in the mess they’re in now.
I recently spent some time at a couple GM facilities where in between various PowerPoint presentations mainly about OnStar and the Volt, I was shown several labs and testing areas. All this was neat and about what you would expect: motion simulators, virtual testing, all housed in cold cement buildings. But it was the overall message that instilled hope in me that the automaker born in my hometown of Flint is actually on the right path.
After the grand tour with several fellow journalists we were escorted to a pair of early production Chevy Volts. This is where it all came together. Love it or hate it, the Chevy Volt saved GM and you can’t even buy it yet. Let me explain. → Read More
GM is banking large on the Chevy Volt and apparently feels confident about its success. The auto maker just issued a statement, which conveniently coincides while President Obama is touring the assembly plant, detailing the increased production estimate for 2012. The Detroit-Hamtramck facility will now pump out 50% more than previously detailed, an increase to 45,000 from 30,000.
Chances are this production bump is dependent on a successful roll-out of the first 10,000 vehicles slated to hit dealers later this year. If the $41,000 Volt quickly flops, then GM will probably scale the production numbers back to the initial estimate or less. → Read More
I honestly laid in bed last night thinking about the Chevy Volt’s $41k price tag. Seriously. When I got the press release shortly before it crossed the wire yesterday, the price seemed about right for a first-gen Voltec vehicle. The $350 lease program looked even better. I was already totally sold on the Volt after driving an early mule over a year ago and the price tag didn’t even bother me one bit. It’s not like I planned on buying one, but I could see where GM was coming from.
Then my post went up at 12:00 pm yesterday and quickly filled with commentors railing against the $41,000 price tag. That was followed by nearly every national news program claiming the Volt’s price invokes a bit of sticker shock. I thought, “Did these people really think the Volt was going to be the same price as a Malibu?” Apparently.
But then Rush Limbaugh opened-up on the Volt today and two things became clear. One, many people including Rush (and previously Letterman) do not fundamentally understand the Volt’s capabilities. I believe most consumers expected the Volt to be a mass-market vehicle and an instant hit in a sort of iPhone way. Yeah, that’s just not how the auto industry works. → Read More
It’s hard to ignore the looming EV vehicle showdown between the Chevy Volt and the Nissan Leaf even though the vehicles are totally different in nature and target market. While the Nissan Leaf is simply a beautifully-packaged electric vehicle with around a 100 mile range, the Chevy Volt takes a different approach by having a somewhat limited 40 mile EV range but an on-board gas-powered generator that will power the electric motor as long as there’s gas in the tank. GM is clearly targeting the a higher-end market with a $41,000 MSRP while the Nissan Leaf is a bit more down-market with a starting price of $32,000. That’s fine. There’s more than enough room in the world for both of the vehicles. There doesn’t really have to be a winner here. In terms of sales numbers, the Nissan Leaf will enter more markets than the Volt (or its Opel Ampera counterpart) initially anyway. GM only expects to sell about 10,000 Volts during the first year where Nissan already 17,000 Leaf pre-orders, 5,000 more than the first year estimate. Clearly both vehicles are highly anticipated, though, so comparisons will no doubt be made around workplace watercoolers from now on. Here’s what we know so far. → Read More
The Chevy Volt will cost $41,000. GM finally went live with the second to last piece of the Chevy Volt puzzle and select dealers are ready to take orders with delivery expected “later this year.” After the available $7,500 tax credit, the effective price drops down to a much more reasonable $33,500. A tad pricey, yes, but GM is fully prepared to counter that higher price with an affordable leasing program that gets drivers into the Volt for only $350 per month with $2,500 due at signing.
The Volt will slowly roll out nationwide starting with California, New York, Michigan, Connecticut, Texas, New Jersey, and the Washington D.C. area. GetMyVolt.com will locate your nearest dealership who should be able to start processing orders as soon as today. Customers will then receive a phone call from a dedicated Volt advisor who will be able to answer any further questions.
But will GM have any issue moving the $41k Volt off of dealer’s lots? Probably not. → Read More
GM is going live with the Chevy Volt‘s pricing today at Noon Eastern but Bloomberg apparently got word early from a source within GM. Apparently the price will be “about $40,000.” That means buyers will end up spending about $32,500 after the $7,500 tax credit is figured in. We’ll have to wait a couple more hours before GM’s VP of US marketing, Joel Ewanick, takes the stage at the Plug-In 2010 conference can confirm this price, but it certainly sounds about right. → Read More
The Chevy Volt is slowly and surely creeping towards dealers and GM is set to unveil the price tomorrow. At 12:00 pm ET Joel Ewanick, VP of US marketing, will make the announcement at the Plug-In 2010 Conference in San Jose, California.
Of course a lot has changed in the three year span it has taken the Volt to hit production. Nearly every major car company either already sells a few hybrids or there’s one coming soon. There are even a couple more pure electric vehicles that will compete for the same marketshare now. But saving any major manufacturing hurdle, the Chevy Volt should be the first mass-produced Extended Range Electric Vehicle to hit the streets here in the States when it hits dealers later this year.
The last big question should be answered tomorrow. What’s the price? → Read More
Chevrolet apparently has started advertising the Chevy Volt but you won’t see anything about batteries, expected range, the price or any of the Volt’s novel traits — only silence. Click through for the ad spot. → Read More
The Chevy Volt is finally coming together. GM just went public with the details surrounding its battery warranty and it’s on the same level as the Prius’s. The auto maker will cover the Volt’s LG Chem lithium-manganese pack for eight years or 100,000 miles. This comes after extensive testing over a three-year period in which testers logged over 1 million miles of driving and 4 million hours on the battery packs. Needless to say that GM tested the entire system thoroughly. → Read More
Things are looking good for the Volt. Chevy said that the first pre-production Volt rolled off the line yesterday. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you can buy one yet, but it’s still a pretty huge deal. For the future! → Read More
This test is no doubt neat. I mean, automakers test the exterior to make sure every piece can withstand extreme temperatures and they should. But how about the test where the Volt‘s battery is heated up to 200 degrees. Where is that video? I’ve sat in a few cars after they baked in the sun all day long and the exterior was cool to the touch but were at least 200 degrees inside. What’s that going to do to the lithium-ion battery pack? I have so many questions. → Read More
This makes a bit more sense. Apparently the horrendous Chevy Volt dance routine that hit it big a few days back wasn’t meant to be seen by me or you. It was written with 7-12 years and was shown during a webcast that involved 120 schools before the L.A. Auto Show. But of course everyone has a video cam these days and someone captured the event for the whole world to enjoy. → Read More
Do not watch the video above. It will burn your eyes out and cut a few years off your life. Hopefully someone lost their job at GM over it because this is not how you sell the Chevy Volt. [GM-Volt via AutoblogGreen] → Read More
GM has a lot riding on the Chevy Volt. It’s not the vehicle that will save the company from failure, (the Chevy Cruze will do that) but it’s huge PR halo car. It will be the car that draws everyone’s attention back to the auto maker and having the car work with a flashy iPhone and Blackberry app should help with that. → Read More
Man, this thing is actually going to come out. GM said today that it’s going to release the Chevy Volt late next year in California, giving the Golden State first dibs on the car. → Read More
I, and many of you, had a bunch of questions when GM announced that under the new EPA guidelines, the Chevy Volt will earn 230 MPG in urban driving conditions. After all the EPA hasn’t tested the Chevy Volt yet and GM was just going off the new criteria. Urban drivers could very well get 230 MPG if they only drive 40 miles a day, but once they go over that and the on-board 1.4 L gasoline generator kicks in, that mileage will drop quickly to a more familiar range. Well, the EPA released a very patriotic statement to Edumnds that doesn’t say a whole lot unfortunately. → Read More
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