Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, GM
VIDEO: NBC grabs the first media drive of a Volt mule!
GM CEO Rick Wagoner with the Levin boys in DC
While we've been sitting here drumming our fingers on the table waiting impatiently to get the call from GM to come over to Milford or Warren, the NBC crew swept into town and went for the first media drive of one of the Chevy Volt/Cruze mules. The report that was on NBC's Today show this morning actually tries to put GM in a good light for a change. Matt Lauer and Phil LeBeau visited the tech center and spoke with Volt design chief Bob Boniface and dropped by a local Chevy dealer. The report wraps up with some too-brief footage of the two gentlemen in one of the Cruze-bodied mules like the one that Rick Wagoner drove during his last visit to DC. You can watch the video after the jump, but since this is American network news, don't expect any significant details. Thanks to Nick for the tip!
[Source: Hulu]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sasha S. 4:33PM (1/08/2009)
For those outside of USA who can't watch HULU here is link where video is available worldwide:
http://gm-volt.com/2009/01/08/nbc-reporter-test-drives-chevy-volt-mule/
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Epyx 4:36PM (1/08/2009)
Yeah not much detail but it is pretty significant that two journalists actually got to drive it. Would have been nice to hear about what happens when the generator kicks on after the first 40 miles but I assume it was running under pure electric the whole time.
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Epyx 4:44PM (1/08/2009)
From the web page gm-volt.com
"Impressive. Very impressive. I spent part of Wednesday afternoon tooling around GM’s tech center in a “mule” version of the Volt. When I hit the gas, the acceleration was instant. Like all electric cars, the torque and response from the car is immediate. The Volt will deliver the same performance you would get from a car with 250 horse power.
The other thing that stands out about the Volt is how smooth and quiet it is. There is not the whirring sound that I have heard in other electric cars I have driven. It also feels effortless when you are driving it. All around, I can see why executives at GM have growing confidence the Volt will deliver everything that’s been promised." - Mr. LeBeau
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snp 1:47AM (1/09/2009)
Why bother making a post if you were just going to quote the whole paragraph? Volt is nice if it comes out 20% cheaper. 40k is too much for a standard electric vehicle. 33-35k is more reasonable. Also, how would this be much better than a fusion hybrid @41mpg? It's about a 1gallon difference right? Would that 1gallon be that bad? I find it hard to plug in my vehicle from the sidewalk.
Tim 5:39PM (1/08/2009)
Some good news about GM. :)
Thank's Sam!
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jpm 6:50PM (1/08/2009)
Wow such unbiased news reporting. Gee thanks. Or was that a paid advertisement by GM? Hard to tell.
Paraphrasing the GM Lead Designer in the video, "we've only got one chance to get the customer, once we've lost them, they're gone for good". Well no shit man. You did exactly that when your company revoked and crushed the EV1. I can't wait til GM goes bankrupt so we can quit wasting our tax dollars.
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Colin 9:37AM (1/09/2009)
Give me a break. The media is so biased against US cars it's not even funny. They FINALLY get a well deserved positive story and it's bad? Whatever.
Mike!!ekiM 8:08PM (1/08/2009)
From the clip it looks like it will be a handsome car as well. Always good. Good to hear it's silent run operation.
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hostage 10:16AM (1/09/2009)
A well deserved positive story would have been if GM had announced this prior to or shortly after the Honda Insight in 200 or the Toyota Prius in 2001. Being 10 years late to the market just demonstrates the ineptness of GM management! The Volt "may" end being a good, but overpriced vehicle - we'll have to wait and see. Many Prius's are over 150,000 miles and still going strong - can;t say I have faith in GM vehicles to do the same. Bottom line in my book is that GM can't build timely and competitive vehicles with their current corporate structure. At ~$40,000 it is just another example of a good concept (i.e.EV-1) from GM with poor execution (price).
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RSR 11:26AM (1/09/2009)
If being 10 years behind the market for a certain technology demonstrates ineptness of GM management, what about everyone else besides very very few OEMs that market hybrid? Let's start with every European OEMs. And then move on to all the Japanese OEMs except for Honda and Toyota. And then the Korean OEMs. Anyone else I missed out? Nissan has only one hybrid model Altima, which it licensed its technology from Toyota, and it sells it only in limited markets; and Ghosn is still skeptical of hybrid.
And let's not even talk about Volt's technology outrunning Toyota's traditional hybrid in its innovation - enough to put Toyota in defensive mode.
Do you always chasten kids improving its grade in school, saying "you idiot, you should have done well 10 years ago."
How about less hatred?
Dean 12:05PM (1/09/2009)
hostage, you said:
"Being 10 years late to the market just demonstrates the ineptness of GM management!"
You mean I could have bought a range-extended electric vehicle 10 years ago? Who was selling it? Where can I get one now? Seriously, my checkbook is waiting....
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Sasha S. 1:39PM (1/09/2009)
Many americans are complaining about 40000 USD price tag.
However, one should not forget that one of the so called earmarked legislations that was passed alongside 700Billion bailout under Bush administration was a law that mandates federal subsidy to the tune of 7500 dollars for future Volt buyers.
That reduces the price to 32.500 USD
Add on top of that how much would you be saving on difference between powering your car on electricity instead of powering it on gas. This calculation is difficult to make and depends on usage scenario, but lets take some preliminary calculation with very conservative figures:
Say 5 days a week commute with 25 miles per day = 125 miles a week, 500 miles a month, 6000 miles a year.
Then let's assume price of 3 dollars per gallon and take average efficiency of a wehicle to be 15mpg (this is assuming rush hour driving).
6000 miles / 15 mpg = 400 gallons * 3 dollars = 1200 dollars a year
Price of electricity is unknown to me (I am in The Netherlands) but I know that here in Holland I can power Volt for 6000 miles for 120 US Dollars worth of electricity.
That leaves difference of 1100 dollars EVERY YEAR of operation.
Let's assume 10 year operating of a Volt would mean savings in fuel of:
10 * 1100 = 11.000 US dollars
that in the terms of gasoline car prices Volt is equivalent to:
32.500 - 11000 = 21.500 USD
Suddenly Volt seems like a VERY affordable car.
Of course this would mean more costs upfront but lower operation costs, but even with higher servicing costs of the car-loan, this would make Volt very affordable
this is just my 0,05 Euro cents ;-)
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