GM's Exec. Chief Engineer For Electric Vehicles Pam Fletcher Answers Your Question 107
Pam Fletcher was propulsion system chief engineer on the first Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and is now executive chief engineer for electrified vehicles at GM, overseeing electrified vehicles company-wide. A while ago you had a chance to ask about her work and the future of electric cars. Below you'll find her answers to your questions.
Long range outlook: batteries or fuel cells? by berchca
Right now, based on current technology, American companies are developing battery-powered electric cars, while Japanese are introducing those based on fuel cells. Over the long range, say in ten or twenty years, do you see one technology overtaking the other?
Fletcher: There isn’t going to be a single technology solution that will be the silver bullet when it comes alternative propulsion. GM has teams working on various solutions from extended-range electric vehicles like the current and next-generation Chevrolet Volt, as well as hybrids such as the recently announced Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. We’re also developing pure electrics like the Chevrolet Spark EV and the 200 mile Chevrolet Bolt EV Concept that we plan to bring a to market in the coming years. We also continue to work on hydrogen fuel cells and have a partnership with Honda to help commercialize that technology in the near future.
We are committed to delivering the appropriate relevant and beneficial technologies to our customers around the world and that will depend on a number of factors: affordability and infrastructure to name a few.
Charging at every Gas Station
by jzarling
Has GM looked into developing a partnership with any of the major gas station chains (Exxon/Mobil/BP) to provide recharging services? If a quick charger was as ubiquitous as a gas pump I think it would go along way to defeating range anxiety when traveling long distances.
Fletcher: We’re working with a number of different partners, including major utilities, to help develop an infrastructure to increase the adoption of electric vehicles. But it’s important to note that studies show there are two places where vehicles spend the most time: at home and the workplace. That’s why we’ve joined forces with the Department of Energy on their workplace charging challenge to encourage businesses to install charging that can be used by employees during the workday. We’re also working with various groups on developing simplified permitting for the installation of level 2 charging at home and encouraging the adoption of policies that will encourage developers to install appropriate infrastructure in new construction to support EV charging. Public charging is important, especially when it comes to DC Fast Charging, and we’re partnering with other automakers and utilities to expanding the rollout of DC Fast Charging across the U.S..
GM skateboard
by sichbo
Whatever happened to that rockin' skateboard concept which had a swappable body. The Volt has been a bit of a disappointment in terms of design aesthetics and forward thinking, compared to GM's early electric/hydrogen concept. Do you think the skateboard idea will ever see the light of day, perhaps as a Ni-Cd battery car?
Fletcher: The Hy-Wire concept was an exciting vehicle and we continue to work of fuel cell technology. Will a vehicle and structure like the Hy-Wire come to market? That’s something I can’t speculate on.
In terms of the Volt, I think our more than 70,000 owners would disagree with you. In fact, they are among the most satisfied vehicle owners of any on the planet. The 2016 Chevrolet Volt, which will go on sale this fall, will raise the bar again when it comes to design and EV functionality – with 50 miles of EV range.
What's the deal with the Spark EV?
by danbert8
Pardon the Seinfeld title... The Spark seems like a good candidate for an electric car. Small, lightweight, city car. Indeed there is an electric version! But only for sale in CA and OR... What's up with that? I am in the market for a tiny city car and I am already considering a Spark. I would totally get the EV version if it was for sale in GA. There are electric cars coming out the wazoo in the area I am in, but no Spark EV for me? Seems like a missed opportunity especially considering the marketing potential of the Sparky Spark.
Fletcher: Thanks for your enthusiasm about the Spark EV. We recently announced that we will begin selling the Spark EV in Maryland starting this summer. We continue to study other potential markets for the Spark EV and are excited about the potential for the next all-electric vehicle that will be based off the Bolt EV Concept, which we said was targeted for sale in all 50 states.
Putting the Voltec system into other vehicles...
by Mysticalfruit
I'm an extremely happy Volt owner! It is by far the best car I've ever owned.
Question #1. What is Chevy's plans to extend the Voltec system into other models such as the Trax and/or the Equinox? I ask because my wife's current vehicle is an AWD SUV and I'd like to replace it with a like vehicle that's a EREV but is still AWD and has cargo room. I know the 2016 Volt has a square battery pack and thus a 5th seat, I can only assume that's to make it fit better in other chassis?
Fletcher: Thanks for your support. I love hearing from Volt owners. While I can’t comment on potential future vehicles and technologies, I can tell you we are studying ways we can use various systems from the Volt on our vehicles across our portfolio. The Malibu Hybrid, for example, uses a number of components from the Volt. It has a drive unit that’s very similar to the one used in the next-generation Volt, as well as the same regenerative braking system.
Again, I can’t say much on the possibility of a EREV SUV other than we know it’s something Volt fans would love to have in their garage.
Question #2. Why does Chevy not promote the Volt?!? You never see a Chevy commercial that has the Volt in it. They had the "low battery" commercial a couple of years ago and then nothing. When I go places I have people constantly coming up and asking "A volt? What kind of car is this? Chevy? Wow, this thing's awesome! I had no idea..." My wife's joked I should become some sort of Chevy Volt Ambassador!
Fletcher: The next-generation Volt provides us with something we didn’t have when we launched the original: real-world data and feedback from owners like you. We have learned a lot about how we need to refine our communication about the benefits of the Volt and you will see that reflected in our approach to marketing when we launch the 2016 Volt this fall. In fact, we announced that the next-generation Volt will appear in the new Disney film Tomorrowland, which debuts on May 22.
Battery tech on 2500 and 3500 pickups?
by mlts
GM has tried a decent hybrid system on their 1500 Silverados. Where a hybrid system would be very usable, would be on the heavier duty pickups like the 3/4 and one ton models: First, electric motors provide their best torque at near 0 RPM, which is quite useful. Second, on a rural jobsite, if a PSW inverter is available, this would allow the truck to completely replace a generator in the field. Just plug the welder, saw, or other tools into that and use the onboard battery for that, perhaps running the IC engine to keep everything topped off. Third, for farms, it might be economical to have the trucks charge and run on batteries, as it saves on fuel. My question: Will we see this technology being used on the heavier duty series of pickups?
Fletcher: As you mentioned, we offered hybrid technology on our full-size trucks and SUVs in the 2008 and 2009 model years and we continue to study the development of sensible technologies that will help to improve the fuel economy of our trucks.
Tesla's open patents
by istartedi
Has Tesla's decision to open its patents had any impact on your work?
Fletcher: No, but I appreciate the fact that other companies are helping to foster adoption of electric vehicle technology across the industry - the more competition the better. Did you know that GM has the most green patents filed of any carmaker?
Our focus is to cooperate with other manufacturers when it comes to commonality of things that matter most to the customer: charging, for instance. We have worked with the Society of Automotive Engineers and other carmakers to develop a common charging connector for 120V, 240V and DC Fast Charging. We can’t advance adoption if consumers have to find a different charger whether they drive one EV or another. Likewise, we work with our suppliers and university partners to develop battery, motor and control technologies that can be the foundation for a variety of EVs.
Ultracapacitors for Storage?
by paratek
Ms. Fletcher, Does GM have any plans to leverage ultracapacitors for primary energy storage in place of batteries? Thank you!
Fletcher: Our research and development teams are working on various solutions when it comes to energy storage but I can’t provide specifics as to what exactly we’re focused on for the future.
Charger Size
by Ted Cabeen
To date, all GM Electric cars have only supported 3.3kW Level 2 charging. Do you think 3.3kW charging plus CCS quick charging is sufficient for longer-range vehicles that might be used for road trips, like the forthcoming Bolt?
Fletcher: We think that 3.3 kW is ideal for today’s electrified vehicles, like the Volt and Spark EV. We have made a slight upgrade to the charging system on the 2016 Chevrolet Volt to 3.6 kW. What our plans are for the next-generation all-electric vehicle based off the Bolt EV Concept is something we’ll discuss in the future. But our focus is to provide an opportunity for a full recharge overnight.
Economics of the Chevy Bolt
by organgtool
How is the upcoming Chevy Bolt going to get 200 miles per charge with a base price of $30,000? I ask because one of the biggest costs of the car is the batteries and not even Tesla will be able to reach that price point until they have their GigaPlant up and running?
Fletcher: By using GM’s global scale and volume, along with the latest in battery cell and system technology, we’ll deliver on the promise we made for the Bolt EV: 200 miles of range at approximately $30,000 after Federal tax incentives. We’ll have more details to share on the technology that will be used on this vehicle as we get closer to production launch.
Re:The one question (Score:5, Informative)
Re:The one question (Score:4, Funny)
You are not the target demo.
Prius owners traded in their DL Volvos. They like ugly cars and driving badly.
Re: (Score:3)
Which is funny, since Tesla has one of the lowest coefficient of drag of any commercial vehicle sold, which just goes to show that you don't have to be butt-ugly to have a low coefficient of drag.
Re: (Score:1)
If you dive a car that looks awesome - you can't be a smug hipster. Smug hipsters drive priuses, smart cars, or bio-diesel conversions of ugly ass cars.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
It still has a lower coefficient of drag compared to a Prius or a Volt.
The Model S has a coefficient of drag of 0.24. The Prius is 0.26, the Volt is 0.28 and the Leaf is 0.32.
http://insideevs.com/car-drive... [insideevs.com]
Even though the Tesla Model S is quite a bit bigger, it is the same as a Prius at 6.2 feet CdA.
Re: (Score:1)
Re:The one question (Score:5, Funny)
The one question that should have been asked is why are electric/hybrid cars so boil-on-a-buttcheek ugly? The exceptions to the rule (Tesla, BMW i8) are the ones grabbing all the headlines and have all the desirability. Why can't automakers create lower priced electric cars that appeal to the eye?
People looking at the car have to be able to tell that that car is an electric vehicle and not an ICE, in order to properly appreciate how the EV owner is saving the planet. By making it ugly, they can also allow the owner to sacrifice further by not driving a good looking car.
Re: (Score:2)
People looking at the car have to be able to tell that that car is an electric vehicle and not an ICE, in order to properly appreciate how the EV owner is saving the planet. By making it ugly, they can also allow the owner to sacrifice further by not driving a good looking car.
That's the cynical answer.
The actual reason that EV cars often look strange is because the designers are trying to make them as aerodynamic as possible in order to extend their range.
As battery power density becomes more adequate, maximizing aerodynamic efficiency will become less of a priority, so in the future you can expect designs that make efficiency tradeoffs in order to get a better look.
Re: (Score:2)
The one on the right looks practical for a parent with two kids. The one on the left looks expensive.
What, you buy cars purely on aesthetics?
Re: (Score:2)
Look at the wheelbase length and wheelbase-length-to-cabin-length ratio. Our perceptions of "cool" with cars is long, low, and sleek. Considering that most electric cars are aiming at inner-city driving, a short wheelbase and overall reduction in size would be key design metrics. Also, the long front we have got used to with internal combustion engines is totally unnecessary in an electric car really (except that you do need to put the batteries somewhere, and to provide a crumple zone in the event of a
Re: (Score:2)
The actual reason that EV cars often look strange is because the designers are trying to make them as aerodynamic as possible in order to extend their range.
Well, then they should make them look more like cool cars, because most cool cars have much lower total drag area than EVs. My BMW sedan has about the same Coefficient of Drag as the Nissan Leaf, but about 30% less front surface area.
The aerodynamic aspect can't really be an argument since ICE car manufacturers are also interested in higher mileage, so they have just as much reason to make cars aerodynamic as EV manufacturers.
Re: (Score:2)
When will their price be on par with ICE cars? (Score:3)
The bare bones Volt is still $35k. That's not exactly in Tesla territory, but it's still double what you would pay for a small economy ICE vehicle.
Re: (Score:2)
The Volt and that small, economy, ICE vehicle aren't quite the same markets. Having test-driven a Volt, it was a hell of a lot more fun than those smaller cars, with significantly better acceleration and handling. We would have bought it, had my wife (who would have been the primary driver) not had a problem with driver-side visibility, as a cross-bar in the rear driver-side window was right at her eye level when looking over her shoulder.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:3)
The Volt and that small, economy, ICE vehicle aren't quite the same markets.
Nonsense, they are...
You clearly need to go drive some more cars, the $35k a Volt will cost you will buy a LOT of fun cars.
The Volt simply makes no economic sense, that 70k people have bought one doesn't make it so, it just means that not everyone buys cars due to what makes economic sense.
Well duh, most cars are purchased emotionally... Otherwise the Mustang would never sell :)
Re:When will their price be on par with ICE cars? (Score:5, Interesting)
The Volt simply makes no economic sense
Those people who have some bizarre philosophical opposition to alternative fuel vehicles sure are easy to spot (they're the same people who are opposed to solar and wind too). Even in California where we're paying $0.15 - $0.20 per kWh of electricity, electric vehicles save so much gas that they almost pay for themselves. The economics are indisputable.
I drive about 45 miles round trip to work each day. In my 4-cylinder Honda Accord it cost me about $8 each day in gas ($175 a month). In a Chevy Volt that same trip costs about $2.50 in electricity ($55 a month). Even if the state decided to recoup my "unpaid" gasoline taxes, the trip would be $3.30 per day. That $120 per month savings in gas is enough to "buy" a $7,000 price premium over 5 years, and more if amortized longer.
Hell, don't take my word for it. Edmunds pegs the total cost of ownership of a Honda Accord sedan over 5 years at north of $40,000 and a Volt at $38,000.
All of the economics are also ignoring that your gas guzzler is getting a free ride by not having the economics costs of your carbon emissions priced into each gallon of gas you burn. The price is artificially low for carbon fuels and STILL electric cars beat them on economics.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Current CA gas prices are $3.80/gal. If he's spending $8/ day in gas that means his Accord must be using 2.1 gal per day for the 45 mile commute, giving 21.4mpg. That's about what my mid-size truck gets (and the list cost was less than a base level Accord).
The thing that really makes it uneconomical is that (unless your current vehicle has been totaled) the cost of gas saved per year should be compared to the total purchase price of the Volt less the difference in operating/maintenance costs over 2/5/10 y
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Only because you're getting ass-raped on gasoline as well. When I topped off the gas tank here in Vegas before driving down to LA last weekend to visit my nieces, I paid $3.04. I pulled over in Baker for a snack. The gas station next to the jerky place wanted somewhere around $4.50! Granted, Baker's never been the cheapest, but gas in Barstow was still aroun
Re: (Score:2)
Land prices are lower, delivery costs are lower, and taxes are lower. The first is the reason prices are lower in Barstow than LA and the second why prices are lower in LA than in Baker. It's always been a bad idea to fuel up along I-15 at anyplace other than major endpoints, and maybe Barstow/Victorville.
Re: (Score:2)
Which economy cars are you saying are comparable to a Volt? Have you driven a Volt? Per Edmunds, Volt has the lowest TCO of Civic EX, Jetta TDI, Mazda3, and a Subaru Outback or Impreza (all the cars I was considering when I bought my Volt). How does it not make economic sense? Just because it costs more than barebones Versa?
Re: (Score:2)
Which economy cars are you saying are comparable to a Volt? Have you driven a Volt?
Go drive a new Ford Focus SE with the appearance package, you might be shocked at what $20k gets you these days.
That is a heck of a fun little car that comes with a whole lot of stuff that can be purchased for about $20k. It also sips fuel to the point where you'll replace it before the Volt pays for itself.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
I built one to match the features of the Volt and the base price climbed to $23.1K. After rebates, my loaded Volt cost 28K.
Take the rebate away and tell me the price. I could make the Volt free with enough of other people's money.
The focus is a nice little car. I like Ford vehicles. But it's still a buzzy little gas guzzler and it only gets 36MPG highway.
Since when did 36MPG become "bad"?
"Gas guzzler?" Really?
I'm getting 80MPGe in my Volt and drive 20K miles a year. With free workplace charging
All, more of that "free stuff" from other people... those solar panels weren't "free".
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Gas would be $8.00 to $10.00 a gallon if not for government subsidies of our oil industry, so you'll have to excuse me for not giving a shit.
That is simply not accurate...
Gas would be $8 a gallon if they taxed it the way Europe does, the government gives tax breaks for investment, the same way they do to all businesses.
But you're simply misinformed as to how much that really is. This concept of "oil subsidies" is just nonsense.
Re: (Score:2)
Oil subsidies are huge, a fact you can easily confirm with a few seconds of Googling. Here's what I found in less than 10 seconds:
http://priceofoil.org/fossil-f... [priceofoil.org]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
http://www.taxpayer.net/images... [taxpayer.net]
Re: (Score:2)
I drive a lot of small, economy cars through travel, probably in the range of a dozen or so per year. Not one of them had anything near the fun of driving the Volt, except for the one time I landed in a Mini Cooper.
Keep in mind that most of those small, economy cars don't cost anywhere near $35,000. With some upgrades that move them closer to that price point, they become more fun to drive, but I don't think even those launch like the Volt did.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Battery prices have been dropping like a rock for the last several years. Price parity should come very soon, and it will probably neatly coincide with the expiration of the federal tax subsidies.
When the Volt costs $20k without tax subsidies, call me.
I'll bet we won't see it for a very long time, and not "very soon".
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I don't care what you think. You obviously have your mind made up.
As do you... that door swings both ways...
If I'm wrong, then fair enough... but a whole lot of people are "so sure" that these things will be cheap as chips in no time flat...
I think you're going to be disappointed...
Time will tell..
Re: (Score:2)
Agreed. Right now you can buy a brand new Prius for $21k and get 49.7 MPG in real world driving. I love the idea of an e-vehicle and will buy one as soon as the numbers work but we just aren't there yet.
Re: (Score:1)
After tax credits, most people pay mid to low $20's for their Volts. I paid 25.5k. So nowhere near double a small economy ICE. And the Volt is not an economy-style car... test drive one and see! If all we care is about is saving money, we'd all buy new Versas for $14k (or better yet, a used car for much less). But drive a Versa and drive a Volt (or any other mid $20's car) and you'll see what you pay for.
Re: (Score:2)
New ones have an MSRP of $35, but most are actually leaving the lots at 30k. Add a $7500 rebate, and you're talking low-mid 20s new.
And a volt is not really comparable to the cruze it was built from. I own a Volt, and drove a Cruze for 2 weeks as a rental. Its sluggish, loud, unrefined, everything you'd expect from a $15,000 new car. The volt on the otherhand is quite
Re: (Score:2)
Non-answers (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
I'm with you. It was sanitized corporate-speak. I didn't learn anything from reading any of the answers...
Re: (Score:3)
I'm with you. It was sanitized corporate-speak. I didn't learn anything from reading any of the answers...
She sounded more like a PR droid than a nerd. She couldn't even give a straight answer to question about ultra-caps, which are an absolutely idiotic technology for primary storage (they may make sense for regenerative braking capture, but that wasn't the question). This was a very disappointing interview.
Re: (Score:3)
Or, you know, she can't talk about future technology decisions because it would either violate confidentiality agreements or SEC rules for insider trading.
I've personally been someone who had to (for purely technical reasons) suddenly become classed as an insider for trading purposes for the remainder of a quarter -- because I suddenly knew something which could materially relate to future financial statements or hint at deals which aren't yet public.
Re:Non-answers (Score:4, Insightful)
Well, it was a darned good question about heavier trucks and using the electric system to power accessories.
Her answer to that was the worst of them all, and that is saying something. It may be the case that they have a 2500 Farm Volt close to ready, and they're worried Dodge is going to steal it out from under them. But unlikely.
She should not have agreed to answer any questions, if she was not allowed to in the first place.
Re: (Score:1)
I work for a Fortune 500 company that is publicly traded. I can answer questions without violating NDAs or running afoul of the SEC just fine. This was, for the most part, a series of easy questions and instead we got many and varied lines of bullshit.
No one asked anything wildly proprietary, or about forward-looking financials, or anything else that a competitor could jump all over. And instead we got "Do you know we have more green patents than anyone else?"
If this story was sponsored by Dice you guys wou
Re:Non-answers (Score:5, Insightful)
Or, you know, she can't talk about future technology decisions
Pro-tip: If you are not allowed to answer questions, then don't do interviews. She could have avoided wasting everyone's time, including her own.
Re: (Score:1)
Was this a paid advertisement for GM? She provided almost no information beyond what a GM commercial would have...
Re: (Score:1)
All of /. has become a paid advertisement.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Were you surprised?
I'd bet more lawyers at GM looked over these answers then slashdot readers will.
Chief Engineer Politician (Score:4, Insightful)
How the hell does a "Chief Engineer" talk like a politician? Oh right, cuz the Chief Engineer didn't answer any of the damned questions.
Re: (Score:1)
To be fair, it's tough to clear the bar set by the John McAfee questions where he explained how to organize all your hookers and bribe 3rd world police while running drugs.
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, they do seem to have been run through a legal/marketing filter, don't they? Certainly don't sound like engineer's answers. I have a sneaking suspicion that her actual answers were swooped upon by serious people in serious suits until we got the above. Frankly, I kept expecting the phrase:
"Thank you for asking. Your question is very important to us. Unfortunately we cannot answer your question at this time. Please ask again later. Thank you. [BEEP]"
To pop up.
Still, the few little nuggets of info we did
Re:Non-answers (Score:5, Informative)
I agree. It also just goes to show how far behind GM is compared to Tesla. I've had my Tesla Model S for over two years and I have to say that GM's response has been pathetic at best. Their Cadillac ELR was supposed to be the Tesla killer, it failed miserably. Tesla is years ahead when it comes to battery technology, having much higher energy density at much lower cost. Tesla's skateboard design is also much better when it comes to interior room and storage space.
Saying a 3.3KW charger is adequate is a joke. The only reason that it's even possible to go up to 20KW with the SAE J1772 connector is because Tesla fought hard for it. I have a 20KW charger at home and it comes in handy. Sadly few public charging stations come anywhere near that, though most I've used will handle at least 6KW (30-32A, 208/240V) and the RV hookups are often 10KW (40A, 240V). Usually I rarely bother to use the public charging units unless they're free since it's cheaper to just charge at home where I can charge at 80A, 240V which adds around 55 miles of range per hour. The one time I had to use a public charging station to reach my destination it was painful since it only added 18 miles of range per hour so I was stuck an hour waiting until I had enough range to reach the Gilroy supercharger. Fortunately it looks like by the end of the year they'll have a spot around Monterey.
GM also has no real answer to Tesla's supercharger network which is years ahead of anyone else. I just used it a few days ago to travel from the Bay Area to Reno. In every case, it took longer for me to eat lunch or dinner than it took for my car to charge. Hell, I added 40 miles of range (which I didn't even need) when I stopped in Truckee just to use the restroom and pick up a 6-pack of hard cider at Safeway. Tesla's network is building out very quickly (go to their supercharger site [teslamotors.com] to see). I made the same trip to Reno last year but this year there were 4 more superchargers along the route. Last year I had to make a short jog over to Folsom to charge, this year I had my choice of places along the route. Right now there are multiple routes across the country. I can drive all the way from San Diego to Edmonton, Canada or anywhere along the East Coast. By the end of this year it looks like most of the major north/south routes in California will be covered, 5, 101 and 395 and by the end of next year 99 will also be covered. They have also been helping seed a lot of hotels around the country with 20KW chargers in a lot of the vacation spots.
As far as batteries go, Panasonic may be manufacturing Tesla's batteries, but Tesla owns much of the intellectual property of their batteries and holds numerous patents on them. The Tesla batteries are quite a bit cheaper with a higher energy density and they seem to be fairly reliable as well.
Tesla has also shown that it's possible to create a car with a very low coefficient of drag that isn't butt ugly. I say this as a former Prius owner.
Re: (Score:2)
I agree the Cadillac ELR was a poor response to the Tesla S but the Volt is an excellent car. GM didn't get it all wrong. For starters, the average person finds the Volt slightly expensive to own, nevermind the Telsa S which is even more out of range for the average Joe making it even more of a pipe dream. Another huge problem is that the supercharger network doesn't go everywhere, there's not a single supercharger to be found in NorthWestern Ontario which is fairly remote and we suffer from very extreme
Re: (Score:2)
As it is, there have been more Volt fires than Tesla fires. In three separate tests the Volts tested by the NTSB caught fire. There was at least one Volt that have caught fire, one after it was rear-ended and the 12v battery caused it to burn up, completely burning up the interior of the car. None of the Tesla fires affected the passenger compartment.
Since Tesla's change there has not been a single new fire in the Tesla. Tesla is losing money, but they're doing what they need to do. All that money is being
Patents (Score:5, Informative)
Wrong crowd to brag about your green patents to. Open them up to push the technology farther and for the goodwill of the community.
Re:Patents (Score:4, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Eh, hardware companies have a way different perspective about patents than software ones. If your company's been around for many decades and products take many years to develop and get to market (unlike software), patents are way more effective at their job of "put your ideas on paper and show them to the world". Having a short term monopoly on that idea is awfully brief when it takes so long to build up public infrastructure.
No Comment (Score:5, Insightful)
Why bother to have an interview if you're not going to answer any questions?
"That’s something I can’t speculate on.
We continue to study other potential markets...
While I can’t comment on potential future vehicles and technologies...
Again, I can’t say much on the possibility of a EREV SUV other than we know it’s something Volt fans would love to have in their garage. ...we continue to study the development of sensible technologies...
I can’t provide specifics as to what exactly we’re focused on for the future.
What our plans are ... is something we’ll discuss in the future.
We’ll have more details to share on the technology that will be used on this vehicle as we get closer to production launch."
Re: (Score:2)
Why bother to have an interview if you're not going to answer any questions?
Exactly, she didn't actually say anything... She could have saved herself the trouble and just stayed home that day, same outcome...
Re: (Score:2)
This wasn't supposed to be an interview with a senior executive. A "Chief Engineer" should be the person responsible for making all of the critical technical decisions for the product line, not a PR suit. The whole point of these interviews is to have a frank/open discussion between an expert on the technical aspects of a product and the relatively tech savvy and intelligent people who frequent /.
Instead we get this. Lame.
Re: (Score:3)
My experience driving my Tesla for two years is that the whole range anxiety thing is disappearing very quickly. I just got back from a trip from the Bay Area to Reno and back. In every case where I stopped to grab lunch or dinner my car was fully charged before I finished my meal. In one case I stopped just to make a quick pit stop and pick up a 6-pack of cider and by the time I returned to my car I had added another 40 miles of range, and the only reason I stopped was I had to stop, not my car. I had my c
Translation (Score:5, Funny)
I took a few Khan academy courses on MBA stuff, so I can translate it from corporate speak to straight talk:
1. Long range outlook: batteries or fuel cells?
Answer: I have no freaking clue bro.
2. Charging at gas stations?
Answer: Not gonna happen.
3. The volt has poor aesthetics, will the GM skateboard's swappable chassis concept become real?
Answer: Some people are buying ugly, so we'll continue to sell it. I am going to ignore your question about the GM skateboard and swappable chassis (which are never gonna happen btw) and talk about fuel cells instead. Fuel cells -- I know nothing about them.
4. Will I be able to buy a Spark EV in Georgia?
Answer: No, we don't sell to hicks. We would only consider selling you guys a car that isn't ever going to be made.
5. What is Chevy's plans to extend the Voltec system into other models such as the Trax and/or the Equinox?
Answer: Never gonna happen. We still want your money though, so why don't you buy one of our cars that use the same floor mat as a Volt?
6. Why don't you guys advertise the Volt?
Answer: Have you seen the documentary "Who killed the electric car?" starring the EV1? Well, we are setting up the Volt to star in the sequel.
7. Will you guys make hybrid pickups again?
Answer: No, we rather sell you the gas guzzlers and get the oil company kickbacks.
8. Are you guys benefitting from Tesla's open patents?
Answer: Yes, but we'll never admit it. Btw, did you know that GM's vagina is much deeper than anyone else's?
9. Would you guys ever use ultracapacitors?
Answer: What's an ultracapacitor? I am going to have to google that one.
10. Would you make the charging go faster?
Answer: No. Deal with it.
11. How is the upcoming Chevy Bolt going to get 200 miles per charge with a base price of $30,000?
Answer: It is impossible.
Re: (Score:3)
Sadly I agree with your comment. As a Tesla owner it's clear that GM and the others just don't get it. There's a reason that the Cadillac ELR failed miserably and that Tesla is eating everyone else's lunch when it comes to EVs. When gas got cheap, sales of the other EVs fell significantly. Tesla still can't keep up with demand yet they do basically zero advertising. They've worked hard to address all of the issues people have with EVs, including range, charging and performance. The people who complain about
Re: (Score:2)
6. Why don't you guys advertise the Volt?
Answer: Have you seen the documentary "Who killed the electric car?" starring the EV1? Well, we are setting up the Volt to star in the sequel.
Answer: When we asked for the budget to develop the Volt, top-level decision makers took it out of the ICE budget. Freely and enthusiastically offered internal feedback -- incidentally, from the same group, whose market we would be directly competing with -- bolstered our own projections that requesting additional budget from them for advertising would be counterproductive.
Re: (Score:2)
Charging at petrol stations isn't very practical. The best thing about EV charging is that you don't have to go out if your way. Charge at home or work, or at your destination. Shopping centres and car parks are where you need chargers, and they can be fairly slow 7kW ones too so infrastructure is less of an issue.
Re: (Score:2)
What do you mean "fairly slow 7KW"? That's twice as fast as GM is willing to let their vehicles charge. Their idea is apparently that you charge it overnight and where you work, apparently under the impression that eighteen hours a day of charging is reasonable and won't drive anybody to buy a non-GM electric car.
Re: (Score:2)
3kW is too slow for destination charging. Who wants to wait 8+ hours for a charge?
The sweet spot is 22kW. That will charge a Leaf 80% in about an hour. It doesn't put too heavy demand on the infrastructure and so you can have a few of them in one place, and they are not too expensive either. That makes them ideal for destination charging at say shops or tourist attractions.
Down from that 7kW can be connected to a standard 32A circuit in Europe so is another popular and practical choice. A full charge needs
Re: (Score:2)
The sweet spot is 22kW.
Pffft. LOL. "Sweet" = Tesla Superchargers, at ~120KW. Do it right. The masses will compare filling up at the dead-dinosaur-juice pump to filling up at the electric station, it should at least be a fair battle. The fact that it is *FREE* at the superchargers seals it.
Her answer of 3.3KW nearly made me spray my screen in laughter... I have a single induction burner with 3.8KW capacity.
Why shouldn't we own our own cars? (Score:4, Interesting)
Why does GM claim we only license our cars?
http://boingboing.net/2015/05/21/gm-says-you-dont-own-your-ca.html [boingboing.net]
EV1 (Score:2)
I notice she skipped addressing the questions dealing with the EV1.
Probably necessary, since there is not going to be much more she's likely to be able to add to the subject, but it would be worth hearing anything she did have to say.
3.3kW is not right (Score:2)
While I appreciate the limitations of trying to put a higher powered charger on a car with a small battery like the Volt, you're just plain wrong about the Spark EV.
You may be doing the calculations for overnight home charging. And indeed overnight 3.3kW is fine for a 20kWh battery like in the Spark EV.
But you are selling (leasing) a lot of Spark EVs to people who use and charge the cars at work. These spots are busy charging cars all day and if you have a 3.3kW charger it means your car is perceived as "ho
Re: (Score:3)
3.3KW is a joke. On my model S, charging it to full at 10KW takes over 10 hours if it's empty. Most people don't drain their battery to zero and don't charge to 100% so it's fine for night time charging. I had no issues using at 5.7KW using my dryer outlet for most stuff, but 3.3 can be painful. Most public chargers I have used are 32A at either 208 or 240v, around 6.6KW. My father has a plug-in hybrid car with a 3.3KW charger and it's rather painful due to how slow it charges. At home I now use a 20KW char
Re: (Score:2)
Warning for Questionnaire Respondents? (Score:3)
Just curious: When we have these question/answer paired stories on Slashdot, does anyone at Slashdot ever bother to *warn* the respondent that Slashdotters are going to eviscerate their responses if they come across as a corporate shill and fail to seem like a regular, conversational human being?
It seems like something like this needs to be added at the top of the questions they receive: "Be real, if there's something you can't answer at least try to be funny or sarcastic, and don't seem like a marketing drone."