mode expressed in traditional energy consumption units, rating the Volt at . Production cost and sales price In 2009, the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry said that "GM is at least one generation behind Toyota on advanced, "green" powertrain development. In an attempt to leapfrog Toyota, GM has devoted significant resources to the Chevy Volt" and that "while the Chevy Volt holds promise, it is currently projected to be much more expensive than its gasoline-fueled peers and will likely need substantial reductions in manufacturing cost in order to become commercially viable." A 2009 Carnegie Mellon University study found that a PHEV-40 will be less cost effective than a HEV or a PHEV-7 in all of the scenarios considered, due to the cost and weight of the battery. Jon Lauckner, a vice president at General Motors, responded that the study did not consider the inconvenience of a electric range and that the study's cost estimate of per for the Volt's battery pack was "many hundreds of dollars per kilowatt hour higher than what it costs to make today." In early 2010, it was reported that General Motors would lose money on the Volt for at least the first couple of generations, but it hoped the car would create a green image that could rival the Prius. After the Volt's sales price was announced in July 2010, there was concern expressed of the launch price of the Volt and its affordability and resulting popularity, especially when the federal subsidies of were taken into account in the development of the car. General Motors CEO Edward Whitacre Jr. rejected as "ridiculous" criticism that the Volt's price is too expensive. He said that "I think it's a very fair price. It's the only car that will go coast to coast on electricity without plugging it in, and nobody else can come close." Despite the federal government being the major GM shareholder due to the 2009 government-led bankruptcy of the automaker, during a press briefing at the White House a Treasury official clarified that the federal government did not have any input on the pricing of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. There have also been complaints regarding price markups due to the initial limited availability in 2010 of between to above the recommended price, and at least in one case a mark up in California. Even though the carmaker cannot dictate vehicle pricing to its