When automakers are getting a new vehicle ready for production, the main specifications are generally locked down about 18-24 months before production starts. After that point, validation testing and calibration continues right up until Job One and changes are restricted unless a major problem is encountered. Because of the potential impact on other vehicle systems, any changes are necessarily limited. Meanwhile, once a current generation is locked down, the advanced engineering teams move on to further evolutions.

UK magazine AutoCar is claiming that the Chevy Volt and its European twins the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera will be one=generation vehicles. After the first generation, the publication claims, the Voltec propulsion system will just be applied to other existing vehicles like the Astra. While Voltec will almost certainly be mainstreamed just as Toyota has done with its Hybrid Synergy Drive, the Volt will apparently live on. GM spokesman David Darovitz tells ABG "there is about much truth to this as I am going to be in the next Superman movie. We're already working on Gen II." GM discussed the Gen II Volts back in March. The Ampera may be a different situation however, as GM attempts to sell off controling interest in its European operations. That variant may fade away in the coming years.


[Source: AutoCar, General Motors]

In a recent interview discussing Tesla Motors, CEO Elon Musk didn't really reveal much new information, although he did manage to misrepresent the performance capability of the Chevy Volt, again. He refers to the Volt's range extender as a "lawn mower engine" and says highway performance "will be anemic." While the Volt will no doubt feel anemic next to a Roadster, the reality is that the 160-horsepower electric motor will provide more than adequate performance for almost anyone's needs and should accelerate to 60 mph in about 8.5-9 seconds.

There's plenty more from the hour-and-a-half-long video interview to dissect, including bits about batteries and the high cost of electric vehicles. Check it all out after the jump.

It's been 28 months since we watched Bob Lutz drive onto the stage at Cobo Hall in Detroit and step out of the Chevrolet Volt concept. In the intervening period, a corporate drama of epic proportions has transpired as Lutz has gone into semi-retirement, Rick Wagoner has been ousted as CEO and the U.S. government and the UAW are about to take a 90% ownership stake in General Motors.

In the midst of this corporate chaos, a dedicated group of hundreds of engineers, scientists, designers, technicians and drivers have tried to keep their heads down and out of the line of fire as they worked to make the Volt a production reality. From the time we first saw the original concept, GM has selected a battery supplier (LG Chem), defined the final powertrain configuration and released the production design, among countless other tasks. After more than a year of pestering GM, the call finally to get behind the wheel of a Volt prototype. Read the results after the jump.


Photos Copyright ©2009 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

In a remarkable statement of the obvious, the federal government has declared that the Chevy Volt is not going to be the savior of General Motors in the short to medium term. Given that everyone at GM has acknowledged that the Volt will be a money-loser at launch, it clearly won't contribute to the bottom line. The audit of the viability plans done by the Presidential task force has indicated that GM has spent too much time and money developing the Volt and its extended range EV technology. This comes as GM has slashed the development budgets of products in the lineup except the Volt. Instead, the auditors have said GM should be focusing on more salable cars. Of course, this comes at the same time that members of Congress are saying that GM should not get any money unless they develop plug-in cars like the Volt. Is it just me, or is there the usual disconnect between politics and reality going on here?


[Source: Detroit News, Automotive News]

General Motors Europe boss Carl-Peter Forster began this morning's press conference in Geneva with an acknowledgment of the dire financial straights that the entire industry is experiencing right now. Forster also candidly admitted that GM is currently investigating all options when it comes to changing its relationship with Opel, including outside equity investments. Once he got past all the bad news, however, he introduced the production-intent version of the Opel Ampera. If it looks familiar, it should. If it doesn't, well, what rock have you been hiding under for the last two years? The Ampera is the Opel badged variant of the Chevrolet Volt. It uses the same Voltec powertrain as the Volt, as well as most of its body.

The main differences are the markedly more aggressive front and rear fascias and the black (rather than white) interior. Like the Volt, most of the front fascia is closed off to optimize aerodynamics. The styling of the nose is a mix of the 2007 GTC and Flextreme concepts, and we rather like the bold new look, particularly the chevron-like forms that grow downward from the headlamps.

The Ampera is planned for production in late 2011, about one year after the Volt. A right-hand drive Vauxhall version is scheduled to launch a year after that.

Last week, Opel staffers foolishly left the new Ampera parked outside its Russelsheim, Germany headquarters in plain view of a photographer. There were of course no real surprises in the resulting shots, sincee the Ampera is essentially a Chevy Volt with new front and rear fascias. Opel has now released the first official image of the Ampera ahead of its reveal at the Geneva Motor Show this week. It's clearly visible that the Ampera gets a face inspired by the GTC concept of a couple years back along with a different wheel design from its American sibling. GM sources tell us that the Ampera will have a somewhat more upscale interior as well. Under the skin, though, the hardware remains the same with a 40-mile plug-in range, 300-mile total range and a 1.4L range extender.


[Source: Opel]

After canceling the construction contracts for a new Flint, MI engine plant a month ago, General Motors has now officially canceled the whole plant. The plant was due to build new 1.4L four cylinder engines for the Chevy Cruze and Volt starting in 2010. Based on current and expected future production volumes, the company decided it had enough space in an existing plant adjacent to where the new one was to be built.

This spring, GM will begin preparation of the Flint South engine plant to accommodate tooling for the new engine line. Production of the new engines is scheduled to start in December 2010. When Cruze production begins next spring, the initial supplies of engines will come from a plant in Aspern, Austria until the domestic production is ready.

Related:

• Tech analysis of GM's new 1.4L four cylinder engine
• GM officially announces Flint MI production for Volt/Cruze engines

[Source: General Motors]

For the time being, General Motors is content to let suppliers like A123 Systems, LG Chem and Cobasys focus on cell chemistry for its hybrid and electric vehicle battery packs. GM leaders like Denise Gray and Bob Kruse believe that the key to ensuring that those cells last for (essentially) the life of the car, is in how those cells are managed. One of the killers of advanced rechargeable batteries is extreme temperatures, whether too hot or too cold. In order to ensure the batteries stay in their optimal range, General Motors is taking charge of the management control systems for its batteries regardless of who supplies the cells inside. That means the battery state of charge models need to be accurate to prevent over-charging and overheating. Lithium batteries don't like cold temperatures, so when the Volt is plugged in, the battery pack will be warmed up to ensure it provides adequate performance. If the car is left unplugged during cold weather, the range extender will start up as soon as the car is turned on to help warm the battery and the car will only switch to electric battery power once the internal temperature of the battery is within range.

[Source: Green Fuels Forecast]

In yet another blow to both General Motors and the hard-hit city of Flint MI, it appears that the automaker has canceled construction contracts on its new Flint MI engine plant. Local TV station WJRT-12 reported the news late last night and we're still waiting on a comment from GM. The plant was scheduled to produce a new 1.4L four cylinder engine to be used in the Chevrolet Cruze and Volt beginning int 2010. Work on the factory had already been suspended in mid-December in an effort to cut spending.

The plant was announced last September just before the financial crisis hit in full force and even sales of small cars collapsed. GM spokeswoman Sharon Basel told the TV station that other facilities are being considered for production of the engines. An existing version of the 1.4L "Family 0" engine is already being produced overseas and if world-wide auto sales continue to lag over the next 18-24 months, those factories would likely have sufficient capacity to supply engines for both the Cruze and Volt in 2010. We'll update this story as we learn more. Thanks to Donny for the tip!

Update: We just spoke with Sharon Basel at GM. Basel told ABG that the Flint plant was never planned to be ready for Job 1 of the Cruze in spring 2010 and Volt later in the year. It was always planned for initial engine supplies to be provided from European engine plant that builds the Family 0 engines. That plan continues and the events in Flint will not affect program timing for either Cruze or Volt. The intention is still to add Family 0 production in Flint with timing being dependent on economic conditions. The contract cancellations came at a time when GM would have had to commit to spending more capital that it doesn't have right now. This allowed GM to avoid paying out more money for the plant that it was not ready to proceed with yet.

Related:

• Tech analysis of GM's new 1.4L four cylinder engine
• GM officially announces Flint MI production for Volt/Cruze engines

[Source: WJRT-TV 12]

Having honored the VW Jetta TDI as the Green Car of the Year at last month's LA Auto Show, the editors at Green Car Journal are not done with awards just yet. Next up they will be selecting a winner for the Green Car Vision award. The nominees go beyond ordinary concepts and are either current low volume production units, in fleet tests or are in development for production in the near future. The nominees are the Mitsubishi iMiEV (above), the Honda FCX Clarity, Chevy Volt, Fisker Karma and MINI E. All but the Honda have plug-in capability, with the Fisker and Chevrolet using range-extenders. The winner will be announced at the Washington, DC Auto Show on February 3, 2009.

[Sources: Green Car Journal, Mitsubishi]