Remember the first camcorders? Remember how frustratingly expensive, clunky, and limited they were? Of course you do. Today, you get better video footage from cell phones that fit in your pocket with room to spare, while also being able to take stills and feature enough battery life to survive a full day’s hike in Samariá Gorge. This type of technology growth isn’t relative, it’s present all around us. And for electric vehicles, the next leap in evolution might be just around the corner, according to GM CEO Dan Akerson.
“I think we’ve got better than a 50-50 chance to develop a car that will go to 200 miles on a charge (within a few years)”, Akerson told NBC. “That would be a game changer.”
What’s the catalyst? As it turns out, GM Ventures invested $7 million in startup Envia Systems at the beginning of this year, which has developed breakthrough technology involving the lithium-ion battery. Better still, the batteries are expected to be much more affordable than ones featured in today’s EVs, including the Chevy Volt. And if all goes according to plan, we could see the first 100-plus-mile-range electric vehicles from General Motors within 2-4 years. We’ll say 2015, to be on the safe side.
Will this technology make it into the next-generation Chevrolet Volt in time? Only time will tell.
Comments
Don’t forget that they also said the Volt would get 230 MPG. Not a hater. Love the Volt for what it is, however, we have heard their predictions before.
I think when that claim was made it was before the EPA changed/created the MPGe rating. And a small 3cyl turbo engine was suppose to go in the Volt at one point.
My electric car already gets over 200 miles on a charge. The reason the Volt and the Leaf do not is they put a tiny battery in them. Both could go 200 miles right now with a reasonable size battery.
The battery in the Volt is a decent size as is http://cdn.cnet.com.au/story_media/339306988/chevy-volt-battery-sim-600.jpg
More battery=less space, more weight=decrease in range and therefore decrease in MPGe. The Volt is a happy medium that has the ability to go as far as you need it to.
Also, what electric car go you have?
Wait how come they never think about putting atkinson cycle on the engine?
Vincent, exactly what electric car do you have… Let’s look at cost 4 a minute, it is all relative at the end of the day…
the timing will be sooner and volt will benefit from the break throughs being made along with all e assist cars and trucks the electrification will continue anlong with the mass reduction you will see with the recent anouncements about light weight steel. lots of programs are being effected by breakthroughs being made.
Tesla Roadster, which is about the same cost as many other supercars.
The Model S would be a better comparison to a Volt. The Model S actually has far more interior room than a Volt despite the 250 mile range battery*, and it has better performance. But at the end of 10 years, the total cost of car, gas, oil, tuneups and so on is most likely quite close. The initial cost is more, but the lifetime cost will be comparable.
And yes I am thinking of getting a Model S.
* Tesla says 300 mile range, but that’s constant speed driving. EPS gives it around 250.
Since you own the car why state what Telsa and the EPA, their figures dont really translate to real world. Your numbers would though. 200-220mile range is more accurate and more likely. Not to mention the degenerative life span of the battery. Plus it’s a sports car, you don’t see many people hyper-miling Ferraris, Corvettes, or Porsches, so if you drive it like a sports car I’d bet a range of 150miles, I bet if you wanted you could knock it down below 100miles. A Corvette gets what, 26mpg hwy, but you can definitely rip through the 20gallon tank in short order.
My sister-in-law’s parents live beside a guy with a Roadster, he told me 300km (190miles) was the furthest he went between charges and was clenching pretty hard.
With that range I can’t even drive to my cottage, I can’t really tour anywhere actually.
OK, but a real game changer would be if Akerson had spent a half billion dollars on new battery technology and 7 million dollars on manchester united advertisements…
It wasn’t Akerson that dumped $600mil on ManU, it was recently fired Joel Ewanick. $7mil wouldn’t even get the letter ‘C’ on a ManU jersey, let alone ‘Chevrolet’
The Tesla is beautiful, but no gas generator…200 mile range or not, i need the security to have power when my electric runs out. I want to be able to drive cross-country without having to worry about where I can stop to charge. I don’t care if it has a 500-mile range. Until the charging gets faster & more prevalent along roads/highways, I wouldn’t get an EV car without the gas generator. That’s why the Volt is a win-win for me.