Story Of The Chevy Volt

September 24th, 2013 by Zachary Shahan

Have you ever wondered about the full story behind the Chevy Volt? If you have (or if you’re wondering about it now that I mention it), you can now find out the details thanks to a year of research conducted at General Motors by Presidio Graduate School Professor Dariush Rafinejad. Following his research at GM, Rafinejad has written a case study about the creation of the Volt.

Included in the case study are: “how Chevrolet analyzed product strategy, executed from concept car to mass production, designed for mass appeal, developed its pricing strategy, and launched its product into the market,” a press release about the research indicates.

“The case study emphasizes the challenge of developing of disruptive technology within a large company, whose internal stakeholders often protect the status quo.”

The full case study is here: Chevrolet VOLT: A Disruptive Innovation Bridge to Electrified Transportation [PDF].

The Chevy Volt may not excite as much as the Tesla Model S, but it has sold slightly better and is considered an excellent car by many in the industry and outside it. It reportedly has the “happiest drivers” (i.e., the highest satisfaction rating in Consumer Reports), with 92% of Chevy Volt owners saying they’d buy it again, and both Motor Trend and Automobile Magazine naming the Chevy Volt car of the year in 2010.

“I’m very grateful to the GM Executives who were very forthcoming and provided valuable input,” Dr. Rafinejad said. “It’s so important that we not just show business students how sustainability innovation is managed in a large company, but also how persistence through political and technical challenges is a key ingredient for success.”

He added, “This is one of the reasons we have a Cleantech Certificate Program at Presidio–to disseminate the lessons and challenges that companies face bringing disruptive technology to the market.”

The press release adds: “The case study will be taught in Presidio’s Sustainable Products & Services course, which Dr. Rafinejad teaches, and will be made available for any other programs to use as a teaching tool.”

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Tags: Chevy Volt, Dariush Rafinejad, GM, Presidio, Presidio Graduate School

About the Author

Zachary Shahan spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as the director/chief editor. Otherwise, he's probably enthusiastically fulfilling his duties as the director/editor of Solar Love, EV Obsession, Planetsave, or Bikocity. Zach is recognized globally as a solar energy, electric car, and wind energy expert. If you would like him to speak at a related conference or event, connect with him via social media. You can connect with Zach on any popular social networking site you like. Links to all of his main social media profiles are on ZacharyShahan.com.