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GM Hints That It May Sell Volts without motors for EV conversion

 
1,627 views Oct 14, 2009

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Responding to an audience question during a panel-discussion at the October AltCar expo In Santa Monica, Ca, GM Spokesman Dave Barthmuss suggested that GM may be willing to sell Volt "gliders" ( that is, vehicles without a powertrain) to enthusiasts who wish to turn the Volt into a full EV.  He went on to say that while this was not yet policy, it would definitely be considered.

Barthmuss also said that it is official GM policy to prioritize the plug-in powertrain of the Volt over the fuel cell powertrain in the Equinox.

[SOURCE: AutoBlog Green]





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Comments (8)

  1. By Desertstraw Posted: 10/14/2009 3:26pm PDT

    Let them bring back the EV1 with the NiMH battery and I will buy one. We know that NiMH batteries are dependable and last a long time. People who leased the car loved it and achieved a range of well over 100 miles.
    Now that Chevron no longer owns the NiMH patent, why doesn't somebody build an electric car with the NiMH battery?
    May 14, 1996:
    -- Solectria Corporation announced today that unofficial
    results indicate the Solectria Sunrise electric sedan powered by Ovonic
    Nickel-Metal Hydride batteries set a new electric vehicle range record by
    completing 375 miles on a single charge in the third day of racing in the
    1996 NESEA American Tour de Sol, the national solar and electric vehicle (EV)
    championship.
     
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  2. By DC Posted: 10/14/2009 4:31pm PDT

    What do you mean now that chevron no longer owns the patent? My understanding was SOME of the Nimh patents come off in 2010 with the rest in 2014. Chevron is not done hindering the development of EVs by a long shot. Want to bet come 2010 or 14 that a new set of obstacles wont suddendly appear? Why do you think Li-on is being embraced so enthusiatcially? Because it "needs" decades of more work to "prefect" it. As for GM and Vaporware volt, they have to produce a single lot-ready car, and now they want to sell bascially frames sans-ICE component. They have no working volts to sell, much less frames. Nice concept execpt for the small problem that both GM AND Chevron have managed to keep all but Lead-acid out of the hands of smaller companies and DIYer EVers
     
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  3. By  Jim J Posted: 10/14/2009 11:29pm PDT

    Why isn't the goverment going after Chevron for Restraint of Trade?
     
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  4. By Davron Posted: 10/15/2009 1:16am PDT

    Agreed. It would seem that all but lead acid are out of the hands of consumers. Am I right - the best we can get are the gel cells in motoized wheel chairs and such?
    What I do know is that Chevron sued and obstructed Panasonic when they tried to manufatcture NiMH for consumer automobile use. They thumped them and thumped them hard. They stopped Panasonic, not only from manufacturing big nickel batteries in the U.S., but from making them anywhere in the world.
     
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  5. fb_100000120908659 avatar Fanof Ecd Posted: 10/15/2009 12:05pm PDT

    To Desertstraw: Well, GM tried to use the "Ovonic" NiMH batteries. They leaked and ruined their entire 2007 hybrid production. But, hey, I am sure if you ask them nicely, they will be willing to ship you all these recalled batteries just for the cost of shipping from the dumpster. Good luck!
    You will be ill-advised to believe anything that the NiMH pushers tell you:
    http://ecdfan.blogspot.com/2009/05/advanced-nimh-vs-li-ion.html
    There are quite a few reasons why NiMH batteries are rapidly disappearing from consumer electronics, and soon, from hybrids or EVs.
     
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  6. By James E Posted: 10/15/2009 7:44pm PDT

    If GM is finally willing to sell a Volt without the ICE then they should just sell a Cobolt witht eh Battery and elect motor. Drive down the cost $40k is a joke.
     
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  7. By Desertstraw Posted: 10/15/2009 8:31pm PDT

    To: Fanof Ecd
    Where do you get your misinformation? I have about 116,000 miles on my 2001 Prius with NiMH batteries. Others have reported over 200,000 miles. Toyota RAV4 Electrics with well over 100,000 trouble free miles are on the road in California. At home, I use rechargeable NiMH batteries for all my appliances. All without a leak.
    I thought that I read all of GM's excuses about why they killed the EV1 but you have come up with a new one.
     
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  8. By B. Tuttle Posted: 10/17/2009 2:39pm PDT

    From what I can see, Friend of ECD gets his info from TTA-ECD, a contrived forum for the oil industry lobby. There, grad students and Phd professors are paid large salaries to produce articles that debunk things like global warming and alternate energy. The web blogs are presented as authoritative science, but it is the kind of science where a conclusion is made first, and then data is drawn and observations made that will lead to that conclusion. The tobacco industry has made similar stories.
    The purpose of the oil lobby is to discredit new technologies and ridicule people like Desertstraw who have first hand experience with these competative technologies.
     
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