EV “Moonshot”: Next GM EV Could be 200 Mile Range, Under $30,000

I’m working on an update to my video on Electric and Hybrid Vehicles – above – so I’ve been talking to folks in the electric drive industry.
A few days ago, a very well connected individual mentioned to me that what he is hearing from the EV skunkworks grapevine is news of surprising, and encouraging new performance breakthroughs for EV batteries.

Those kinds of technologies will have implications across the renewable, distributed energy space.

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On page four of a five-page BusinessWeek article entitled “The Inside Story of GM’s Comeback and Mary Barra’s Rise,” there’s a single paragraph that mentions General Motors CEO Dan Akerson hinting at “a next generation of electric vehicle…. [A] compact car that can go 200 miles on a charge and carry a generator, too.” The article says “it will be similar to the Volt,” however it notes that the candidate generators “could run on gas, diesel, or natural gas,” and the package is being mooted to sell for $30,000. With all that, you have the makings of a range-extended electric vehicle that could be similar to the current Volt or, just as likely, be very different from it.

None of that’s new, though – we heard the same talk and specs in September when Akerson was on a tear about beating Tesla, and GM exec Doug Parks let loose the numbers for this coming electric offering. But reportage at that time didn’t include Akerson’s hope that this future vehicle “be a moon shot so we can surprise the competition.”

That would be a great market segment for a moon shot, since we can’t see how GM plans to shock and awe the premium competition with its Cadillac ELR, and this new model would seemingly avoid fisticuffs with Tesla when their entry-level car is due in 2016. If GM can achieve its lunar target for the electric compact, in three years, consumers might have less humbug about the $25,000 price ceiling and be more willing to give it a chance.

13 thoughts on “EV “Moonshot”: Next GM EV Could be 200 Mile Range, Under $30,000”


    1. Yes, another disappointment, for sure. This sort of thing attracts a lot of people, and some are willing to cut corners for short term gain, and I hope that eventually others will deliver the goods.

      I do not think it only depends on some new and improved battery, though, to go 250+ miles. In fact, Tesla has already proven this.

      Reply

      1. It’s not just the range; weight & cost matter, too.

        The Model S is an awesome car but it’s HEAVY, despite having so much storage space, no transmission and a motor that fits inbetween the rear wheels.

        Reply

  3. Listen folks – we can have 200+ mile range EV’s today, with today’s batteries. It comes down to the efficiency of the car. The Illuminati Motor Works ‘7’ is a four seat EV with a ~33kWh battery pack and a 0-60mph time of about 6.2 seconds. It has a range of 220+ miles driven at 60-70mph, and it had about 10% charge left.

    I just saw ‘7’ a couple of weeks ago at the MIT Electric Vehicles Team garage, and it is written about in Jason Fagone’s excellent book Ingenious; along with other X-Prize competitors..

    The IMW ‘7’ has a plug-to-wheel efficiency of about 92%. It was tested by Chrysler in an EPA full test, and it was rated at 207MPGe, and that was with the original body and a higher loss transmission. It could go ~60MPH consuming ~153Wh/mile.

    Now, it can go the same speed and consume only ~129Wh/mile. Compare this to the Leaf at ~290Wh/mile.

    So if GM put a modern battery in an EV1 with a even more efficient drivetrain, and they could do 200+ miles range *right now* with today’s batteries. In fact, ‘7’ uses Thundersky/CALB batteries which are not all that energy dense.

    Reply

    1. You are right Neil. Spoken like a true EV expert. Things like Lit motors have even lower air drag. The best EVs at Xprize all had covered wheels and no mirrors. The best cars today, even model S don’t have these features. Here is a great reference.

      http://hpwizard.com/aerodynamics.html
      FYI, for a tech vehicle, the Volt is a flop aerodynamically. It’s also steel. Frankly, I am disappointed in the majors.

      Reply

  4. They would have to have some breakthrough with batteries to make this work.  If they do, it’s hard to see how they’ll keep Nissan, Tesla and even Ford and Toyota from catching up to them within 2 years, maybe 1.  Or it could turn out to be another EEStor.

    Reply

    1. Speaking of battery breakthroughs, I posted about UrbanElectricPower’s new cheap battery in another article.

      Don’t think this is suitable for EVs but it just might be the ticket for small-to-medium scale stationary storage.

      http://urbanelectricpower.com/

      Reply

          1. I had a “WTF?  Dry cell chemicals?!” moment reading that.

            Kudos to them if they can make it work.  If all it takes is a circulating liquid to prevent dendrite formation and the consequent shorts, it could work for a lot of things.


          2. When I 1st ran through the slideshow, I was thinking this had to be a hoax but they’re featured on energy.gov and Sanjoy Banerjee is no lightweight in the world of chemical engineering.

            http://energy.gov/articles/taking-battery-technology-lab-big-city

            http://www.cuny.edu/site/energy/faculty-research/sbanerjee.html

            At this point, I’ll have to assume that someone has asked the hard questions and while this may not pan out in real-life testing, at least it’s not going to be another EEstor or Envia.

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