In an exclusive interview with Green Fuels Forecast, General Motors Vice Chairman Bob Lutz says his very first drive of a Chevrolet Volt development vehicle left him "thrilled" with what represents a "radical break from the past."

Barely 14 months after debuting as a concept at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, the Chevrolet Volt passed a major milestone on its way to production when an engineering development vehicle, or "mule" rolled out of the workshop at the Milford Proving Ground with a full E-Flex powertrain. During Lutz's first behind-the-wheel test on May 22 - he drove about 20 miles, primarily on the Vehicle Dynamics Area (known as Black Lake) at the Milford Proving Grounds.

"The thing that's eerie is the silence, there's just no mechanical noise whatsoever," he says. "Our first shot out of the gun, our electric motors and drive system are deathly silent, there's no whine or whirring noise from the electric motor."

The first batch of vehicles are based on the 2007 Chevrolet Malibu body, dubbed the "Mali-Volt." The body's have been heavily modified to accommodate the new drive system, which consists of an electric motor to drive the front wheels, a 1.0L flex fuel three-cylinder engine to drive the generator and a 16kWh lithium ion battery pack packaged down the center tunnel of the car. In mid-April 2008, the first prototype lithium-ion battery pack was installed, followed by several weeks of static testing and some initial calibration.

According to Lutz, the engine/generator never turned on during his test drive. Lutz describes the experience as "like being in a conventional car at 70mph, shutting down and coasting with no engine, that's what it sounds like."

When early development vehicles of this type are built, they are typically very rough, and built to test specific new components. Although the Mali-Volts are primarily powertrain test vehicles, their dynamics have proved better than expected at this stage of development, Lutz says.

"(The car) had great acceleration, I had it up to 75-80mph going around the circular track. It handles well because the weight of the battery pack is very low," Lutz says. "The center of gravity is probably lower than it is on a conventional car. All I can say is I was thrilled."

GM is currently concentrating on packs from only one of the two development suppliers. Lutz declined to reveal whether the mules are running with packs from Compact Power or Continental/A123 Systems but did explain that "we feel we have a lower risk with the one company than with the other."  Packs from both suppliers are still being exercised on the test stands at the Warren MI, Technical Center and in Germany. 

The current group of "3 or 4 vehicles" now running with battery packs is "going to increase very quickly." Toward the end of this year GM will have the first batch of "real" prototypes running with the actual Volt bodywork. By the spring and summer of 2009, the integration vehicles incorporating all the production intent systems will be up and running. By that time, GM expects to have several hundred vehicles running at test facilities and on the road. These vehicles will be used for crash testing and so engineers can complete all the software development and calibration, as well as validate battery durability.

Discussing the development team, Lutz tells GFF that "two months ago they were still sort of, 'Yeah, well we'll do the best we can, but gee we just don't know, you can be sure we'll try real hard.' Now I would say it's just a growing level of confidence. The guys are now convinced that unless we have some sudden whoops that we don't see, we're good for November of 2010."

So far the batteries are "exceeding" expectations and the problems that are occurring are mechanical in nature, such as inter-connect welds rather than electrochemical.

At this stage, it appears that all the technical issues with the Volt are surmountable. The hurdle that may prove to be the most difficult to scale is cost. Lithium ion batteries are still very expensive and Lutz acknowledges that "the first generation Volt is going to be more expensive than we'd like it to be, but that's the way it is."
"It's still way less expensive than other electric alternatives" such as fuel cells, he says. As production ramps up, Lutz expects the battery cost to drop dramatically and right now he remains "super-pumped."

Lutz describes himself as "an eclectic user of two- and four-wheel vehicles, mostly fossil-fuel powered but increasingly transitioning to an electric fleet."

He owns four Segways at his home and just took delivery of a Vectrix electric scooter.

"I just enjoy new technology and it's just been so long since there's been anything really fundamentally new in automobiles or motorcycles and that's why we get the horsepower race, because people are trying to differentiate themselves with technology that's just evolutionary," he says. "The electric vehicles to me are exciting because it's a radical break with the past."

JUNE 2008