The little plug-in also taught the company a lot about what consumers want, added spokesperson Minter, starting with the fact that they don't want to sacrifice interior space, comfort or performance, but "want their electric vehicle to drive just like a regular vehicle."įuture GM BEVs will also lift some of the innovative features first used on Volt, such as steering wheel paddles that can adjust how much energy is captured by the car's regeneration system during braking and coasting. "GM learned a ton from Volt in terms of technology that they have applied to the Bolt EV" and other long-range battery-electric vehicles to follow, she said. This shift in focus doesn't mean Volt was a failure, agrees Stephanie Brinley, principle auto analyst at IHS Markit. Indeed, Mary Barra, GM's current CEO, last March outlined what she described as "a path to an all-electric future," with about 25 BEVs due to market by mid-decade. Going forward, that downward cost spiral has convinced GM to shift away from plug-in hybrids and focus on all-electric models like the Bolt and the long-range Cadillac SUV the brand previewed last month, said Katie Minter, lead spokesperson for the Detroit automaker's electrification program. So, Bolt's 60 kWh battery pack costs the carmaker less than $10,000 and can manage 238 miles per charge. By the time the Chevrolet Bolt EV was launched, just over two years ago, that had fallen to around $150, confirmed Mark Reuss, who now serves as both GM president and its global product development chief. In late 2010, GM was paying almost $1,000 per kilowatt-hour for lithium-ion batteries, a hefty penalty for a vehicle that needed a 24 kWh pack - or around $24,000 per vehicle.
Chevy volt range gas tank full#
"We viewed it as a stepping stone to full electrics, which were totally out of reach due to the then-astronomical cost of lithium-ion batteries."
"While it was a financial loser, it did what was intended," the now retired former GM Vice Chairman Lutz, told The Associated Press. Selling pointĭespite its demise, not everyone sees the Chevrolet Volt as a failure, however. According to GM data, the average Volt owner traveled about 700 miles before refilling the small, 10-gallon fuel tank with the original model and even more with the longer-range update. But, unlike a BEV, the Volt could keep running whenever its batteries drained by automatically firing up a small, onboard gas engine designed to serve as a generator, feeding electricity to its motors.įor most owners, there was more than enough range to cover the typical daily drive. In use, the battery pack could propel the hatchback up to 38 miles in its first generation – 53 miles for the second model – while producing zero emissions. It featured a larger battery capable of being plugged in to draw energy from the grid. The Chevy Volt was seen as the next step. While that helped reduce fuel consumption, Prius still burned gasoline whenever it moved. The Prius was designed to recapture energy normally lost during braking and coasting, storing it in a small battery to be reused during launch and acceleration to assist the car's downsized internal combustion engine. When GM's product development team, then led by legendary "car czar" Bob Lutz, first envisioned the Volt early in the new millennium, demand for the more conventional hybrid Toyota Prius was exploding. Personal Loans for 670 Credit Score or Lower Personal Loans for 580 Credit Score or Lower Best Debt Consolidation Loans for Bad Credit
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