The Nissan Leaf and GM Chevy Volt will be less than successful because of this and the high price.
While Bloom Energy (fuel cells), GM (Chevy Volt) and other large, well-financed efforts attract attention for alternative energy work, smaller businesses are also accelerating innovative approaches.
GM's Chevrolet Volt, an electric car with a combustion engine range extender, could be another beneficiary.
Likewise, there have been other expensive flops that far exceed what GM is losing on Volt.
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GM's Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, which begins production this fall, is also on display.
From its zero waste goals to eco-friendly vehicles like the Chevy Volt, GM is keeping its eye on eco-friendly innovation.
It vied for a contract with General Motors when GM was engineering the Chevy Volt, an electric-gasoline hybrid.
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Its batteries were also being considered for the Volt, but GM eventually picked ones made by LG Chem, a South Korean firm.
Add to that new remarks by former GM CEO Ed Whitacre about Chevrolet Volt.
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And with such a high-profile car, GM is likely to stick with Volt for years to come.
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Chris Wallace: Well, I see that GM has halted production of its Volt.
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General Motors is also introducing the Cadillac ELR, similar to the extended-range plug-in Chevy Volt, that GM describes as guilt-free motoring in a high-performance luxury car.
Rob Peterson and Britta Gross of GM, both integral to the Volt program, dare me to guess when the car switches from battery-only to using the gas engine as a generator, and I totally miss it.
Since the government was a majority stakeholder in GM at the time, the Chevy Volt became a model to be emulated.
The cynic in me thinks that GM was very leery of introducing the Volt in large numbers where it is cold.
Next week, GM will be halting production of the Volt for the second time this year at its Detroit-Hamtramck, Mich.
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Moreover, GM took steps to better protect the Volt battery pack following a fire that flared after a crash test in 2011.
Better Place has also struck a deal with GM Holden to allow owners of the Volt plug-in electric hybrid to use its network of fixed charging stations.
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But from the very launch of Volt three years ago, GM arguably has done a poor overall job of communicating that identity and has failed to mainstream the vehicle perceptually among American consumers so that Volt would have a shot at joining the mainstream of U.S. auto sales.
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Akerson, speaking on the sidelines of the Automotive News World Congress during the Detroit auto show, said he has been pleased with consumer response to the newly launched Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, so much so that GM now expects to sell more than 25, 000 Volts in 2011 and will add another Volt-like product, perhaps in the form of a small electric van, in 2012 or 2013.
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The Volt has delivered mixed results for GM since it launched this year.
It was brilliantly conceived, designed, built and distributed by AMERICANS. GM Just added over 200 jobs to the Volt plant in Detroit.
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Executives from the Seattle-based company focused in particular on their marketing partnership with General Motors-owned Chevrolet, specifically on a major cross-platform campaign that Microsoft and GM will be rolling out for their upcoming Volt electric automobile.
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In fact, the distribution map of Volt deliveries makes it seem like GM consulted with some long-range weather forecasters, many of whom, months ago, predicted that the upcoming winter in the eastern U.S. would be both cold and interminable.
As a short-term fix, GM announced it would provide free loaner cars for Chevy Volt owners.
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GM's plug-in electric hybrid, the Volt, won the coveted North American Car of the Year award, while Ford won the award for best truck.
At that rate, the Volt would be fully charged in about 15 hours, just as GM had predicted.
The Volt goes on sale before the end of the year, and GM expects to sell 40, 000 per year starting next year.
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