General Motors is currently working on production of the Chevrolet Volt to get the vehicle ready for 2010. The Volt is a fully electric car that will be the world’s largest automaker’s response to the growing demand for cleaner cars. . Reuters reported that GM is already working on plans to produce a working prototype by the end of this year. Bob Lutz, GM’s chief product officer and vice president, said the automaker has already set a target for Chevrolet Volt production in 2010.
The soon-to-be mass-produced electric car will be based on the concept vehicle General Motors introduced in January this year. While the automaker has already set a target for the vehicle’s production, there are still some design issues that they need to work on. Lutz said they are more convinced whether lithium-ion batteries can be developed while keeping production costs low to make them affordable for car buyers. Another concern Lutz noted is whether these lithium-ion batteries can safely power a vehicle. The automaker is already taking steps to address those issues. General Motors will take an unusual step with respect to the development process of the Volt: they will open the development process to the media.
Aside from the aforementioned issue that needs to be addressed, Lutz is still not sure that the company can achieve its goal. “We have set a comprehensive production target in 2010. Whether we can achieve it or not, this remains an unpredictable schedule for us,” said Lutz.
It should be remembered that the concept car was exhibited at the Detroit Auto Show last January of this year. At the event, General Motors unveiled its plans for the all-electric vehicle to the public. However, during that auto show, GM did not announce a set production schedule. As a result, critics questioned GM’s effort to produce an electric car. Some went on to say that General Motors is not going to mass produce the vehicle and is only interested in the amount of attention the concept vehicle has generated.
In response to these accusations, Lutz said that: “Competitors who write this as a public relations exercise are going to be brutally surprised.” It is well documented that cleaner cars have had great public acceptance and support, and that is reason enough for an automaker to produce an all-electric vehicle. When the Volt hits showrooms, we can only hope that it will perform the same high-end performance as other GM cars.