Originally Posted by FoxFour
I see that the Volt will have Lithium Ion batteries. Even though they (GM) say they are of modified design, these batteries are quite the unpredictable little buggers. Overcharge a typical lithium ion battery and they can either explode,catch fire or both. But they should have the design fully tested and deemed safe by the time the car hits the streets. I mean, new cars never have any problems, right?
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You'll notice that most of the delay with the volt has been battery development. GM is fully aware of the issues that lithium ion batteries have and is set on making them work in the Volt. I'm so glad they're not stuck in the 90's using NiCd's like Toyota.
Originally Posted by dutchmasterflex
GM says this car will get 40 MILES per charge?! Hahahahah
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Yes, exactly. They don't want it to weigh as much so terribly much like electric cars or hybrids from the past. Most people only drive about 40 miles in a commuting day. If they go over that, they have the gas engine as an efficient generator. I myself fall exactly into this category with my commute to school (38 miles a day.) People in the midwest will certainly find their heater plugins (or whatever those are called) to be quite handy for their Volts.
It's a very well thought out car. The drivetrain is basically like what you'd find in your average diesel electric train. It's not a coincidence that trains don't run the diesel directly in combination with regenerative braking and a whole freaking extra drivetrain. Ugh, current hybrids like the Prius are such bandaid technology it's not even funny.