Despite
"favorable" battery test, Volt by 2010 a
"stretch"
Wednesday, January 8, 2008
Little
more than a shell in 2007?
About a year ago today I was still abuzz from the shocking
Chevy
Volt debut at NAIAS 2007, confused by my new found
faith. Just a couple days earlier I was making a daily
habit of blogging about the failures of GM. Suddenly I was
a convert advocating for this shell of a concept vehicle,
the Chevy Volt, as faithfully as an Apostle.
Critics, such as Tesla's ex-CEO, Martin Eberhard, called
the Volt a hoax. Others called it a way to silence the
growing interest in the dismantled EV1 program that the
movie Who Killed the
Electric Car had awakened. Some just called it a
cheap marketing gimmick to piggyback on the growing green
movement that the Toyota Prius had come to symbolize.
However, when Bob Lutz staked his legendary career to the
Volt, my doubt disappeared. Besides the Volt buzz was a
noise that was growing so loud that GM would have no
choice but to succeed.
Nonetheless, when GM's CEO Rick Wagoner told reporters
Tuesday at CES, fresh off the debut of the Cadillac
Provoq, that a Volt by 2010 was a "stretch",
I was disappointed. Even though GM has always maintained
that 2010 was a stretch, even as recently as just a few
days before, I want the Volt by 2010. Is that so bad?
Still, Wagoner also claimed that early tests on the
just-delivered Volt battery pack had been
"favorable". Additionally, the Volt program's
200 engineers have not yet hit any snags. So, overall,
everything is going well in the Volt program.
Besides, despite the best of efforts, the launch date of
the Volt will probably not be determined by GM anyway, but
by the battery makers making the crucial lithium battery
packs for the Volt.
So, Wagoner's statements about the Volt are a smart move
to manage Volt expectations. Over-promising and under
delivering cannot be an option for something as important
as the Volt's success. Consequently, until 2011, I'll keep
my fingers crossed for a 2010 launch.
"Snake
Oil. It is the hype of a soon-to-be receding industry. By
keeping hopes up for American consumers that they can
still buy American and not change their overly consuming
habits, GM is trying to save their world. Mass-deployment
of this technology at a practical level for the average
Joe to enjoy is years beyond 2010. We will only make it to
that point if consumption habits change dramatically
within the next few years."
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