Want to see exactly how General Motors is progressing on the production version of its Chevrolet Volt electric car? Well, thanks to a little sneakiness on the part of WWJ 950 radio reporter Jeff Gilbert, now you can.
Gilbert was among a group of reporters that was invited by GM to come and take a look at the latest stages of testing for the much ballyhooed Volt, and despite strict security on the part of the automaker, was somehow able to walk out with the footage for this rather comprehensive walk through video. On display is The General’s battery laboratory, a production Volt model undergoing aerodynamics testing, as well as an honest to god test mule…that looks strangely familiar. Watch and learn.
+ WWJ.com: VIDEO: Tour GM’s Chevy Volt Laboratory (via Jalopnik)
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Am I the only one who was thinking about the steamroller scene in Austin powers when the Volt was actually moving… watch out grandma, the Volt might be able to catch your electric scooter…
At least segway owners don’t have anything to worry about.
GM is so far behind Tesla it’s ridiculous.
Huh? Seems to me that this is light years ahead of the Tesla.
The Tesla costs $100k, not $30k-40k. The Tesla is all electric, and therefore, not really usable as more than a toy. The Volt has a small ICE to charge batteries. The Tesla is a two seater, the Volt is a full size car. GM’s battery tech is better, it’s aero tech is better, its goal is FAR more challenging… I’m not sure how GM can be far behind Tesla on this one, except only on timeline… and that’s not really fair, is it?
If GM’s battery technology is better, why are they only able to achieve ~40 miles per charge for a much larger battery pack than the one that powers the Tesla roadster? Even though the Volt will weigh quite a bit more than the Tesla, a 40 mile range is a joke.
The Volt is just a glorified hybrid that is far from production, the Tesla roadster is a fully electric vehicle that is in production now and is able to achieve over 200 miles per charge, and with a 0-60 time of ~4 seconds it’s hardly a toy. The price tag is steep, but it is a full-fledged sports car, not a golf cart.
Additionally, the next generation Tesla Whitestar will be a 5 passenger sedan that will improve on the technology that has been provided in the roadster and will most likely run circles around the Volt.
Has anyone seen “Who Killed the Electric Car”? The electric car in this case was GM’s EV-1. The EV-1 was only available for lease with no option to renew that lease. GM took all of them back and destroyed them.
Anyway, I agree that the Tesla is way ahead of the Volt, even though this is round 2 for GM.
… real world, useable car… toy car… real world… toy…
Tesla technology > Chevy Volt technology. Better in performance, intuitiveness, weight, and mileage. Tesla has built something brilliant, Chevy has built something that makes us think that their smart engineers might actually exist.
Tesla technology > Chevy Volt… but…
Tesla = $100,000. Volt = ~$40,000. Technology comes at a cost. For now, I can’t afford a Tesla, so I’m first in line for a Volt.
I guess false advertising is ok if it’s in the interests of the environment. What happened to the 4.0 second 0-60 mph time?
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