General Motors Corp. is struggling to hold onto its title as the largest automaker worldwide. As such, the auto giant is poised to introduce cutting-edge technology to win over customers and to pull non-GM aficionados a bit closer. This is why GM is very meticulous with the Chevy Volt’s progress. And the person primarily responsible in the day-to-day activities with the Volt is Frank Weber.
Basically, the electrifying future of GM rests squarely on Weber’s shoulders. Whether or not the Volt would become an instant success or mess depends on his meticulousness and close attention to details.
"I like to create things," Weber said. "I don't like too much that somebody comes and gives the answer."
The Volt, a plug-in hybrid expected to be up for sale by 2010, was introduced by the automaker in several auto shows and was displayed before America’s top government officials. The introduction of the plug-in is in response to the clamor for slashed greenhouse gas emissions.
Shepherding the Volt and its E-Flex powertrain is no easy way. The technical challenges are tough and tight, far from the tests given to the Chevy Blazer. Moreover, only a skilled and exceptional engineer can combat such challenges. Weber, an independent thinker and tinkerer seems to be the right person to shoulder the burden.
"The work he and his team are doing is vital for the future. This is the tip of the spear heralding the paradigm shift away from 'Let's spend billions to use a bit less oil' to 'Let's spend hundreds of millions to use no oil at all,' " GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz said of Weber by e-mail.
"It's a program where the key technology is beyond GM's control and the deadline they're talking about is really tough to make," said Jim Hall, managing director of 2953 Analytics, a forecasting and consulting firm based in Birmingham. But the result could be overwhelming. Hall added, "E-Flex could be a powertrain breakthrough that's as significant as the hybrid."
It's uncharted territory for his team of more than 200 engineers and 45 designers, demanding breakthroughs in battery technology as well as important advances in dozens of other areas and high expectations for style and value, reported Detroit Free Press.
"Many of the things we are currently doing are very fundamental technical decisions that will guide this architecture for years and almost decades," Weber said.
Weber reports to GM Vice President of Global Program Management Jon Lauckner, who is in charge of the company’s vehicle-line executives, and to Group Vice President of Global Engineering Jim Queen, in charge of vehicle chief engineers.
"This program is really accelerated," said Bob Boniface, the director of global design for the exterior and interior of the plug-in hybrid, who estimates slashing 30 percent off the usual development time. "There's no time to drift. We go to meetings and make decisions on the spot."
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Anthony Fontanelle is a 35-year-old automotive buff who grew up in the Windy City. He does freelance work for an automotive magazine when he is not busy customizing cars in his shop.
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