Lets start out by pointing out the differences. The Leaf is an entirely electric car with a stated range of 100 miles while the Volt is a plugin hybrid that has a range of 40 miles on battery power and then it can turn on a gas engine to power it for another 300 miles. The Leaf costs about $10 thousand less than the Volt. They both qualify for the $7,500 federal rebate, but the Leaf also qualifies for a $2,500 rebate in California (bringing total price close to $20 thousand) – the Volt does not.

Both can be leased for the same amount, $350 per month. The Volt requires an extra $500 down ($2500 compared to $2000) to get that lease payment and GM is subsidizing the rest.

So which one should you buy? It depends (doesn’t it always?). As an owner of the Leaf you would still need another car to drive for those trips where you travel further than 100 miles. The Leaf would essentially be a commuter car (assuming your round trip commute is less than 100 miles). The Chevy Volt is a car you can use to replace your current car. After those 40 miles are up you are just using gas that you can get at any gas station around.

I suppose it comes down to finances, can you afford to spend $20 thousand on an extra car when another 10 would allow you to replace your car entirely.

production-volt-overview

Now I know most of you out there are saying that price is pretty high for a 4 seater that isn’t a sports car. But the price range of the Volt puts it in the same class as other high end cars of equal size. Sure it will lack performance, but the interior is on par with it’s luxury car counterparts (it will surpass them in many areas where technology is concerned). And the ‘cool’ factor and MPG should make up for any lack of performance for the buyer of this car.

That price does not count the current tax rebate you get when buying an electric car. When you add the tax rebate of $7,500 the total price comes down to $33,500 making the Volt available to many buyers. In addition GM is going to offer leases on the Volt for $350 per month with the option to buy at the end of the lease.

To put it in perspective, when the Prius came out about 10 years ago it had an initial price tag in the mid thirties. The Volt (without) the rebate is priced about the same when you adjust for inflation. Today a Prius starts at $23 thousand, over time the Volt will come down in cost as well. Any time a new technology is released early adopters pay a premium to be the first on the block with it. But given 5 to 10 years the Volt will be competing with the Prius on price.

It’s the next step for the Volt, a car the company says can run 40 miles on a charge from a standard home power outlet. After the battery wears down, a 1.4-liter four-cylinder internal combustion engine takes over and generates electricity to power the car.

It’s due to go on sale this fall at a cost of about $40,000, before tax credits.

Lutz would not say exactly when the pure-electric version would make it into showrooms, but said it would be “technologically trivial” to switch out the internal combustion engine.

Lutz told reporters at the Detroit auto show that GM could quickly expand the Volt’s battery pack and take out the engine to build a fully electric car similar to Nissan’s Leaf.

The Leaf, also to go on sale in the U.S. late this year, can get up to 100 miles on an electric charge but must be recharged or have a new battery installed to go any further. More

The company is one of four battery makers approved for generous state tax incentives this summer  as Michigan bids to become the nation’s battery-making center.

At least three other battery groups, from Germany, South Korea and the U.S., also have expressed interest n locating plants in Michigan, state officials say.

LG plans to make batteries for a variety of applications and customers, but is linked closely with General Motors because a subsidiary, Compact Power, earlier this year won separate contracts from GM to build the lithium ion battery packs for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt extended-range plug-in hybrid and an as-yet-unnamed 2011 Buick plug-in hybrid.

The LG plant is to be located in Holland, Mich., about 180 miles due west of Detroit. More

The OnStar EV Lab, housed in GM’s downtown Detroit corporate headquarters, is now using the OnStar communications system to gather data on 19 Chevy Volt vehicles for engineering purposes. The same technology will give consumers the ability to tap online services and perform tasks specific to a plug-in electric vehicle, company executives said.

When GM releases the Volt at the end of next year, consumers will be able to program when to charge the vehicle much like they operate home heating and cooling system, said Tony Posawatz, the vehicle line director for the Chevy Volt. GM is considering more advanced features as well, such as demand response where car charging slows down during peak times in exchange for lower rates from the utility.

“The car will have to talk to the grid and be able to pull very sensitive (utility) data,” Posawatz said. “Electric vehicle customers want to manage their energy–they’re very into data. OnStar is an enabling tool for us.”

The OnStar system could broker communications with the utility so that consumers can charge at off-peak times, such as the middle of the night, and potentially take advantage of lower rates. “Smart charging,” or charging at off-peak times, is important to manage so that plug-in electric vehicles don’t add to peak-time electricity demand. In the near term, utility executives say the biggest concern is that many cars in one local area will tax one particular electricity distribution point. More

Suzuki Swift EREV

Every time I start to read about cars there’s a new hybrid announced.  Suzuki is the latest auto maker to announce a plugin hybrid, this one is made from their Suzuki Swift model.

The Swift is already sold in Japan and Europe and comes with a little 1.3-liter diesel engine.  The concept uses a 660 cc engine that charges lithium batteries that in turn power a small 54 kw electric motor.  The battery stack sits between the two front seats, and likely travels into the rear as well.

Reminds me of the Chevy Volt.

Here’s an excerpt:

I recently had the chance to ask him about the cost of lithium-ion batteries.  As some sources suggest cost could be as high as $1000 kwh, I asked him what the actual cost is in today’s market.  My question with his explanation follows:

What is the cost of lithium ion automotive batteries?
Is its risky or dangerous to quote direct numbers.

At the cell level, in consumer applications, 100% of the nominal capacity at the beginning of life is somewhere on the order of $350 per kwh.

Read the rest here

Kruse’s resignation, effective end of September, comes at a crucial time for General Motors Co., which is banking on the Volt to change public perceptions of the company and also help meet stringent new fuel rules.

Kruse, 50, executive director of global vehicle engineering for hybrids, electric vehicles and batteries since early 2008, left to start his own consulting company, E V Consulting LLC. He will provide automotive and vehicle electrification expertise for companies looking to seize a piece of more than $1.3 billion in federal grants available to Detroit’s Big Three automakers and the state.

“My departure from General Motors has nothing to do with my view of the future success for the Volt,” Kruse said on Tuesday. “I’ve left on very good terms. I have a lot of respect for the leadership of General Motors.”

But, he added: “I’m not going to lie. Are they happy about my departure? Probably not.”

GM said the extended range electric Volt remains on target for production in November 2010 and stressed that Volt battery testing was under way when Kruse was promoted. The team is largely responsible for designing and testing the Volt’s lithium-ion battery. Kruse’s team also focused on integrating the battery into the vehicle, and he developed GM’s battery and electric vehicle strategy beyond the Volt.

The company will soon have 80 pre-production Volt vehicles on the roads.

“There’s no good time to lose good people,” GM spokesman Rob Peterson said. “But that said, the Volt team goes way beyond one person.”

Kruse’s move is understandable given the amount of federal money available, cuts imposed on white-collar workers and retirees by GM and government restrictions on executive pay, said analyst Joe Phillippi of Auto Trends Consulting Inc. in Short Hills, N.J. More

The plant is retooling right now to make the Cruze. The segment for smaller, more affordable cars is growing, the Cobalt is seeing a surge in sales. The Cruze should fair well in the market for affordable cars.

The Cruze will be available with remote start, bluetooth connectivity, onstar w/ GPS and a bevy of other options.

With many of the automakers producing (and hyping) their hybrid cars do the rest of the fuel efficient cars linger on the lots?