Car is Heavier Than Chief Engineer Would Like, but There's Time to Slim Down Video of Volt battery pack crush test shows just one of the scores of indignities the packs have been subjected to in an effort to find any flaws before they go into production cars. By John O'Dell, Senior Editor With a year to go before production begins on the 2012 Chevrolet Volt, General Motors has 80 prototypes running around the country to test the critical battery and power electronics systems and program managers say they're happy with what they re seeing – except, perhaps, around the car's waistline. There have been problems – mostly small ones that have been resolved – Volt's new chief engineer, Andrew Farah, said in a media briefing this afternoon. One ongoing concern is weight – the battery pack still weighs in at more than 400 pounds, and the car is heavier than Farah would like. Although not critical to the launch, it's an important issue as every pound of weight eats into fuel economy and battery range. Farah (left, with pre-production Volt model) wouldn't say what the actual or target weights are for the car, GM's first extended-range, plug-in hybrid. He did say that efforts to …
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Chevy Volt On Track and Meeting Goals As Vigorous Testing Proceeds, Says GM
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