GM Hikes Production Capacity for Volt by 50%

(AP)  General Motors said Friday that it is boosting production capacity for its new Chevrolet Volt due to strong public interest in the electric car that goes on sale this year.

GM will now have a production capacity of 45,000 vehicles in 2012, up from previous plans for 30,000 vehicles.

The automaker made the announcement as President Barack Obama toured the Volt production facility in Detroit. The federal government sank $50 billion into GM as part of the broader rescue of the auto industry, giving taxpayers a majority stake in the nation's largest auto company.

The Volt, priced at $41,000, can go 340 miles on a single battery charge, according to GM. The vehicle is powered purely by the battery in the first 40 miles, and then uses a small tank of gasoline to create an additional charge for the remaining 300 miles.

Chevrolet dealers began taking orders this week for the 2011 model.

GM recently raised the number of launch markets for the Volt from three to seven.

[rightbehind]

Looking forward to the electrics. It would take about twelve 140 or ten 180 watt solar panels to charge this car off the grid at max charge. Your driving pleasure provided by the sun like manna from heaven. Isn't science great! We could still be stuck in the muck of ideology while republicans continue making the middle class the servant class. We need to throw every republican out of office.

[RonStrong]

The $41,000 Volt is an underpowered, limited space version of a $17,000 Chevrolet Cruze. Its market is limited to those upper income suburbanites (you need a garage to charge it) who want to drive an environmental fashion statement.

[jgg000101]

unless ed begley, jr. buys 45,000 Volts GM is skarooed. Oops, I mean taxpayers are skarooed. Nobody is going to buy this car at that price. And when they have to pay for gas to charge the battery so it squeezes out 340 miles, and then have to pay for electricity to plug it in, it's going to be one ugly, inconvenient piece of junk. Obama has used our money to bail out GM and forced them to put all their eggs in the Volt basket. The consumer will decide whether that was the right decision. If not, it's the taxpayer who will pay the price.

[sjc_1]

Do you always post nonsense and hatred? What is the point?

[j_flood]

Until the electric vehicles get "de-bugged" and standardized - buy a diesel. Buy less fuel and pollute less too. And the engine will last more than 8 years if cared for properly.

[rightbehind]

LOL! When was the last time you changed the oil in your washing machine? Electric motors are highly efficient. If they are rated at 100 horse power they have it at a dead stop or moving 200 miles per hour so long as you have the voltage to feed them. They offer considerable performance way beyond a piston engine with only (1) moving part. They would walk off and leave any comparable HP piston engine in the dust. Hardly any vibration and little noise. No exhaust system except for except for hybrids.

[rightbehind]

It would take twelve 140 watt or ten 180 watt solar panels to pull this car off the grid based on maximum charge. Driving pleasure provided by the sun.

[sjc_1]

2 kW of solar panels could power this car 40 miles on sun alone.

[MrOpinionated]

Do the have deposits? I doubt it. A real business wouldn't increase production unless they have confidence in the money coming in.

[rightbehind]

They're taking orders now. Once people realise just how nice these electric cars are they will be demanding them.

[MrOpinionated]

Another dictator in the past created another car called the "peoples car".

[rightbehind]

People love them to.

[skeeterandbucky]

The less wasteful we are the less wasteful drilling we'll need.

[skeeterandbucky]

The less we wasteful we are the less wasteful drilling we'll need.

[Lifeson2112]

You still have to plug it in and drain power from a fossil fuel plant. What's the difference?

[sjc_1]

The difference is the energy is made here and not held hostage by OPEC.

[luadda22]

Yes, most of it from coal. I'll bet that drives you environmental whackos nuts.