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Ask GM's Exec. Chief Engineer For Electric Vehicles Pam Fletcher a Question
Pam Fletcher was propulsion system chief engineer on the first Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and is now executive chief engineer for electrified vehicles at GM. A racing enthusiast, Pam developed racing engines for GM , McLaren, and NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Sr.. Her current role has her running a multi-national department overseeing electrified vehicles company-wide. Fletcher has agreed to take a moment out of her busy day to answer any questions you might have. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one per post.
Marketing Literature - Top Gear writeup
Asking because it seems they've used electric motors in a more direct capacity to allow them to ditch a traditional gearbox altogether, and since electric vehicles and supercars are both points of experience for you, you're in a unique position to share insight on where this kind of technology might end up.
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the GM "skateboard" platform design was the most innovative system I have ever seen from GM, why are we not seeing the engineering that was put into that used for new car designs?
I understand the siren song of just putting electrics in a standard ICE car, but all the advances from the Skateboard would put GM ahead of Tesla if they were put into use.
Why has GM ignored the platform they spent so much money researching?
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Elon Musk sounded less than impressed by the electric cars from other companies like Toyota, Mercedes and GM.
What do you think of the Tesla as a competitor? Do you feel like you are playing catch-up? What things can GM bring to the table that Tesla cannot?
What about batteries? Have you considered that you may end up needing to source batteries from Tesla themselves in the future? Are there plans for gaining access to suppliers in this field as there will likely be a persistent shortage of good batteries for cars in the future?
Fuel cells are awful.
End of story.
Hydrogen is a volatile gas that is EXTREMELY difficult to store and transport, making it very impractical.
Fuel cells aren't terribly efficient.
They're equally bulky and weighty as modern batteries, considering the hydrogen storage.
They have to be replaced more often (because hydrogen is very hard on materials).
Not a fan..
Whatever happened to that rockin' skateboard concept which had a swappable body. The Volt has been a bit of a disappointment in terms of design aesthetics and forward thinking, compared to GM's early electric/hydrogen concept. Do you think the skateboard idea will ever see the light of day, perhaps as a Ni-Cd battery car?
Pardon the Seinfeld title... The Spark seems like a good candidate for an electric car. Small, lightweight, city car. Indeed there is an electric version! But only for sale in CA and OR... What's up with that? I am in the market for a tiny city car and I am already considering a Spark. I would totally get the EV version if it was for sale in GA. There are electric cars coming out the wazoo in the area I am in, but no Spark EV for me? Seems like a missed opportunity especially considering the marketing potential of the Sparky Spark.
Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
GM has tried a decent hybrid system on their 1500 Silverados.
Where a hybrid system would be very usable, would be on the heavier duty pickups like the 3/4 and one ton models:
First, electric motors provide their best torque at near 0 RPM, which is quite useful.
Second, on a rural jobsite, if a PSW inverter is available, this would allow the truck to completely replace a generator in the field. Just plug the welder, saw, or other tools into that and use the onboard battery for that, perhaps running the IC engine to keep everything topped off.
Third, for farms, it might be economical to have the trucks charge and run on batteries, as it saves on fuel.
My question: Would we see this technology being used on the heavier duty series of pickups?
I've been intrigued by the Spark EV since it hit Car and Drivers list of best cars under $30k, but It seems only available in very select markets. How can I get one in the southeast US?
Ms. Fletcher,
Does GM have any plans to leverage ultracapacitors for primary energy storage in place of batteries?
Thank you!
Nobody expects The Spanish Inquisition!
How is the upcoming Chevy Bolt going to get 200 miles per charge with a base price of $30,000? I ask because one of the biggest costs of the car is the batteries and not even Tesla will be able to reach that price point until they have their GigaPlant up and running?