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EV World Open Access Article
Fuel Cell Version of Chevy Volt introduced at Shanghai Auto Show
General Motors China Group President and Managing Director Kevin Wale introduces the fuel cell-powered version of the Chevrolet Volt concept car at the Shanghai Auto Show Friday, April 20, 2007 in Shanghai, China.

Volt Jump-starts GM

Range-extended electric car offers General Motors a huge opportunity both at home and abroad.


By Ron Erb



Open Access Article Originally Published: September 04, 2008

General Motor's Chevy Volt represents more than an environmentally friendly, responsible, sustainable, practical plug-in hybrid car. Chevy's green entry into the scramble to replace our family transports is a big step towards weening America from foreign oil. With GM's international presence behind the sleek, quick, high-tech machine, it could make a global impact.

America impressed the world with Yankee ingenuity during most of the twentieth century. More recently, the U. S. of A. taught the world about marketing. From selling cigarettes to soda water, the United States dazzled the planet. Ironically, the former Big Three marketed themselves into dire straits with high profit SUV's, trucks and muscle cars. When seeking sympathy for their situation, car makers claim they gave Americans what they wanted. But why were soccer moms so eager for 4-wheel-drive mall monsters? Could it have been the advertising?

While the big wheels turned and the profits rolled in, the world changed in two important ways. Both trends will push car makers well into the new century.

New communications technologies pierce international borders creating communities that never existed. People learn how interconnected we all are and about the problems we share. Cell phones and the Internet make broadcasting a push-button operation. Citizen journalism and individual communications make it increasingly difficult for corporations to act in purely selfish ways. Profits depend on global trade and international responsibility. People in America ask, if the Chinese can make electric cars, why can't Detroit?

But the Chinese want American cars! And China's race to economic powerhouse put the brakes on Detroit's SUV joy ride. This second trend dominates world markets in three ways.

China's oil thirst makes U.S. cheap gasoline a thing of the past. Gains in U.S. oil production, wherever they come from, will do little to dent global oil prices. Burdensome U.S. government oil subsidies will draw increasing criticism as the country's debt soars.

China's huge market for cars and its mounting pollution problems mark a great opportunity for American innovation. Chinese people do love American cars, but if other manufacturers offer cleaner, cheaper cars, Detroit will loose.

International car companies will need manufacturing bases in China to compete, whether through Chinese partnerships or stand-alone operations. Chinese manufacturing will be necessary to save with economies of scale and shipping. Wise car companies will partner with Chinese battery and car manufacturers, taking advantage of the Chinese government's financial support.

While the challenges are huge, so are the opportunities. GM, if it follows through with 2010 delivery of Volt, may emerge at the top of the hybrid heap. Designers at General Motors hope to produce a visually appealing car. Volt doesn't look like a hybrid. It doesn't look like a Prius. While not exactly the concept car, the images released do follow sight lines similar to many other American cars. Volt might be considered a hot car. Let's call it the Tesla effect. The high-end Tesla roadster blasted the reputation of electric cars as dowdy, slow, sluggish electric cars of the past. Volt could be considered a sports sedan. Marketing savvy coupled with innovation might bring forth a car America can love. Even if it is good for us!

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9 comments so far...

04-Sep-2008
63662 		   You can bet GM will make it as difficult as possible for the 'auto hackers' to remove the IC engine and add additional batteries. 40 mile electric range is nothing for today's EVs
Posted by: Juan Francisco
16-Sep-2008
63864 		   Strange, but true. Chinese love American cars for some unknown reasons. While Chinese outside mainland China tend to buy Japanese cars (need small cars for crowded cities), mainland Chinese prefers American cars. I 'guess' this has something to do with American car companies entered Chinese market much earlier than Japanese car companies.
Posted by: Jay Chan
09-Sep-2008
63731 		   2. oh yeah, who says the chinese want american cars? betcha they'd rather have japanese cars. there goes gm's marketers again dictating what's popular and twisting everyone's minds. guess they'll stick at what's been successful
Posted by: jason devlin
05-Sep-2008
63672 		   Don't think that the Chinese are asleep at the switch, that would be a big mistake and a very costly one at that.

Go to this link and see what BYD is doing and have a good look at what they are producing and what will be coming to the good old USA and the rest of the world

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/04/byd-electric-car-e6-crossover-mpv.php

Read the specs and wonder if the Chinese know something we don't know. There are several companies that make electric vehicles over there , from the basic golf cart to the exotic and luxury electric and hybrid, China is a manufacturing country , give them the plans and the specifications and they will make it to ISO standards and if you don't have the plans maybe you can work with them because they have many ideas and plans that were designed and developed over there. If you want quality just specify that you want quality , the bonus is that it will cost less than domestically produced because they have a big population that is too big to support big wages for everybody who works.
Posted by: Keith Tomilson

05-Sep-2008
63678 		   do you know why there are no chinese cars running around the usa? they make poor quality vehicles just like most of the rest of the stuff they build, they crash tested a vehicle here a year or two ago and it was the worst seen in 20 years, they chose not to build cars for usa until they can catch up to the rest of the world, this will take years
Posted by: henry h
06-Sep-2008
63692 		   _I_ could build a car with the same specs as the Volt. Take a look at the ev photo album (evalbum.com). Look at the specs of those cars... and those are mere hacks of poorly optimized vehicles yet they often beat 40 MPC. It's good that they're building a range extended EV, but they still aren't pushing the limit. Heck, even the EV1 got over double that with 80's technology and NiMH batteries. I guess they'll make a real hybrid EV and charge a premium for it... Unless Toyota characteristically give them a belly blow by building what they should have built in the first place.
Posted by: Machine Man
07-Sep-2008
63700 		   The most fuel efficient cars being sold by GM only get 32-34mpg, and many only 18mpg, so they are going to need to sell a lot of PHEV's if they are going to meet 2015 CAFE targets. The Chevy Volt doesn't seem to be aimed at replacing those 18mpg SUV's so lets hope a PHEV replacement is at least in the clay/CAD design stage. It shouldn't require a new body design, just enough batteries to give 20 miles EV range should double the present very poor mileage.
Posted by: Neil Howes
09-Sep-2008
63730 		   i hate to sound negative, i like the volt, but when it comes to crybaby-gm and their marketing i have a hard time trusting anything they do anymore. i fell for Z-71 hype (worst 4x4 i've ever had) and all those gm-biased magazines, 57 chevy-this, and small block-that. all turned out to be nothin special. but look at auto traders or anything media and these kids are all chevy. makes me sick. the volt is the first good thing gm's done in a long time but who knows what crafty brain-washing marketing tactics they'll use. because THAT'S where gm is definitlely number 1.
Posted by: jason devlin
09-Oct-2008
64296 		   Not only do they like American, but they like the big cars and trucks. I really don't get it myself. The reason I don't buy cars that are not made by US companies because I dislike having a hard time trying to find parts for replacement. Plus, I doubt the quality of China products as a whole. I'd rather go for quality replacement chevrolet parts straight from the dealer than be frustrated by cheap low quality parts.
Posted by: Josef Heath
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