GM’s Volt: More Stretch Than Toyota’s Plug-In Hybrid, Bloomberg Reports
August 03, 2007

Kudos to Bloomberg News for reporting what many of us covering the auto industry noticed but hadn’t written -– and shame on us for not doing so: Toyota's recently announced plug-in hybrid has far less range than does General Motors’ Chevrolet Volt concept -– as little as half the range, in fact.

GM intends for the Volt to travel at least 40 miles after being charged; Toyota’s model may go no more than 20 miles on a single charge and possibly as little as 10 miles, Bloomberg reports, quoting sources familiar with the vehicles.

Interestingly, Bloomberg also quotes an unlikely source of praise for GM: Chris Paine, whose 2006 documentary, Who Killed the Electric Car? criticized GM’s decision to drop and destroy the EV-1.

Paine, who attended GM’s unveiling of the Volt at the January Detroit auto show, told Bloomberg electric vehicle fans are frustrated with GM for killing the EV-1 but also with Toyota for not having a plug-in Prius by now.

"The market is going to sort out which one is best,'' Paine said in an interview with Bloomberg. "GM is taking a bigger risk, and I applaud them for that.''

Who's Best?

Indeed, a glance at the specifications for each vehicle confirms the Volt outdoes the Toyota in range.

The Volt uses a battery that is planned for a range of 40 city miles on a single charge -- the average daily commute for a large share of Americans. After that, a small engine kicks in, not to power the car, but to generate electricity to power the wheels and extend the range of the vehicle to 640 miles. GM envisions the E-Flex system used in the Volt could have an engine that runs on a variety of fuels, including gasoline, diesel, ethanol, biofuels or hydrogen fuel cells.

Similar in concept, Toyota’s plug-in, based on the specifications it would have according to the automaker’s July announcement, would have half the electric-only range, and maybe less. However, Bloomberg quoted Jaycie Chitwood, a U.S. senior strategic planner with Toyota's advanced vehicle group in Torrance, California, who said a plug-in Prius for the consumer market would probably go farther. Yet, she declined to provide Toyota's target range.

A key for both companies will be batteries. GM is counting on advanced lithium-ion batteries for the Volt and its derivatives. It has awarded development contracts to battery makers. Toyota also is working on lithium-ion batteries but has said they will not, as had been expected, be in the next-generation Prius nor will it be in the current vision for a plug-in hybrid. Toyota, it has been reported, is nervous about the quality of lithium-ion batteries in the face of recent quality problems.

Who's First?

And then there’s the race for who will have the first plug-in hybrid on the road.

Toyota said in July it is testing its plug-in hybrids on public roads in Japan, Europe and the U.S. Sale to consumers is unknown.

Bloomberg, quoting unnamed sources, reports GM aims to have a prototype in early 2008 that can travel about 10 miles without recharging. The 40-mile Volt would follow in 2009 and might go on sale by the end of the decade.

The battle between Toyota and GM for the first and best plug-in hybrids is like the race to the moon between the U.S. and Russia in the 1960s. And the stakes are high for both companies: Toyota’s reputation as the world leader in hybrids is on the line, while GM's future as a technology leader, not a laggard, is in play.

Posted by Michelle Krebs at 7:41 AM under Commentary , Featured , GM , Personalities , Technology , Toyota | Comments (6) | digg this | Seed Newsvine