Motors Updated: The Chevy Volt - clever, and it looks like they've hit the spot!

http://www.dailytech.com/GM+Provide...s+Intent+to+Purchase+Vehicle/article12669.htm

Ok, so this is GM's electric car, much has been made about this, 40 miles on batteries, and then a 1.4 normally aspirated engine once that has been passed.

Now, is it just me or have GM missed a trick here? This car is going to weigh a lot with, it's pretty big, had a lot of batteries, and is being powered by a normally aspirated 1.4 engine, I hope thats a 4cyl engine. I'm surprised this isn't a turbo.

What are everyone else's thoughts?

I think it should be a good car, and hopefully quite popular, but I think they should have put a blown engine in there, or even something like VW's wonderful 1.4 TFSI (turbo and supercharger - small engine - big power (relative of course) - great economy)

 

40 miles on batteries is more than enough most of time, i'd rarely use the engine at all. But i think your right when the battery runs dry you'd have a rather rubbish car. I think even with the price of Diesel being what it is it would still be worth putting in a VW style high torque oil burner.

 

That 1.4's not really big enough for a car that will inevitably be big and heavy. They should've tried to source one of the many european turbos for better grunt.

Not the VW twincharged one, that truly is an awful engine to try and get smoothness from...

 

None of the reviews have said that Krikkit, I'd like to give it a go soon actually, just to try it out. Especially if it has a DSG box.

I think their best bet would have been something like the 1.5cdci the Quasqai uses, plenty of torque to get a big lump moving at a comfortable cruise (70mph) and very frugal.

Although filling up with diesel in the states is a pain in the ass from what I've heard, most of the pumps are big bore for truck tanks and don't fit cars, SO something like a 1.6 turbo perhaps? or even a normal 1.6, like the one used in the Astra....which is available to GM.

 

An ugly milkfloat.

But seriously, 40miles on battery power? That's just plain pointless for many people. I just can't see the point in this sort of thing unless they can come very close to replicating the sort of performance a modest petrol/diesel car can deliver.

 

I had a drive about in one for a few hours, and it was incredibly tricky to try and coach some smoothness out of it - alright, it's not a long-term test, but I got the feeling it'd be difficult. That was in a manual, and if any gearbox can, the VAG DSG will be able to tame it. Bloody awesome 'boxes.

 

The way I read that, is that it uses the petrol engine to charge itself. IE its petrol-electric, which would make a lot more sense.

See points 2+3: http://gm-volt.com/chevy-volt-faqs/

 

I think its a PEV not a hybrid.

@mookboy, out of interest how many miles do you drive a day? I drive nothing like 40 a week unless i'm making a longer trip. So day to day 40m would be plenty and on longer journeys i'd be inclined to take a proper hydrocarbon car but short of that this would do.

Edit:

Out of interest could we have a poll?
Uk weekly mileage: <200 >200
US weekly mileage: <200 >200
other: <200 >200

i'd be interested to see what kind of mileage people do

 

I do around 30 a day, so theoretically I could drive to and from work, every day, just on the batteries......if it wasn't raining and requiring the heater or hot and needing air con I imagine.

If it is PEV then the little engine makes a lot of sense, use that to charge the batteries to use the electric motors to give you a good drive, makes perfect sense.

I think you are right, this is marketed as an electric car not a hybrid, which explains the 1.4, the provides plenty of juice to charge on the fly.

 

I live rurally so nothing is within 10miles of me, including petrol stations. My girlfriend drives approximately 70miles per day (she does approx 400miles a week) for work, I do around 25miles (end up around 300miles per week). It would mean I couldn't even go to work and do the weekly shopping without recharging - or put up with the weedy engine in between.

Even when I've lived in a big city, 40miles would be a day a half of driving, if that.

 

I don't 'need' to drive anywhere, but my friends, etc. are usually 10 miles away exactly, so I'll end up cycling 100 miles or more a week.

 

I wonder what the efficiency is like after the first 40m. I suppose the weedy motor is fine if the electric motor is up to the job since its only ever used as a mobile generator.

edit:
just read the rest of the faq, 50mpg isn't bad but its not great. Although if you can get by on the 40m then the relativity cheap plug in charge would be worth it.

 

You'd likely get the full electric power when the petrol engine is powering it, as the petrol engine would be operating at its peak until the battery was fully charged, so unless you went flat out the whole time, it would have time to charge while you cruised at a steady speed.

 

It's Battery+ICE, not Battery -> ICE. It has well beyond a 40 mile range. I'll have to check with my GM "source", but I should be able to get you guys the real range for normal usage.

UPDATE: Over the phone I managed to get that it's not a 1.4 petrol, rather a hydrogen fuel cell. I should have the official documents in my hand in about 30 min. My source should dropping them off with me soon.

UPDATE2: The platform is flexible, allowing various markets to adopt a fuel cell+battery or a 1.4l petrol ICE+battery. Battery only will be 65km range - Battery+ICE will be 490km range. Est. 35km per liter. Btw, the ICE isn't connected to the drive train in any way. So it's JUST there to charge the battery. It takes about 6 hours to charge from a wall socket. All this @ 161 Bhp/236 ft/lbs of tourqe, which isn't supercar stuff, but is ok for a daily drive.

There is a next gen model already planned called the Cadillac Provoq, which is a fuel cell variant with a smaller Li-ion battery. GM market surveys show that 50% of Americans drive 40 miles a day. That's out of 400 million, so 200 million drive 40 miles or less a day. So it's not just a random number, it's actually quite well thought out. If you drive less then that daily during the week, and charge over night; then you might only have need of the ICE on the weekends.

Ok lads, the "source" has had her dinner and now wants a hot bath. So I'll volunteer. One for the team and all. I'll think of the queen.

 

It'll take a while to catch on in the UK, as we currently only have 2 hydrogen filling stations for the whole country (London & Birmingham).

Sort of related:-

In Richard Hammond's column in todays Mirror (UK), he mentions that the upcoming Mk6 VW Golf* will have a hybrid option.
Fossil fuel front wheel drive plus electric motors in the rear wheel hubs.

*(VW Rabbit for those on the left bank of the pond)

 

There are not 400 million Americans.

 

lmao

well played sir, well played

I wish I had sources too !

 

The ICE system would work well over here though just put a diesel in it instead of petrol and we'll all buy one, all of us.

bet we wouldn't have cash breaks though lol

 

I drive right about 400 miles every two weeks, so 200 a week. Most of that is back and forth to work, and a few trips to town.

It strikes me as a rather poor implementation of available tech, but then I would expect nothing less from Chevy. Here's a hint, people. Never, ever buy an American car

 

Isn't the Volt supposed to be built on GM's new flat platform frame thing they have been working on for a couple years. Supposedly the platform would be usable for front, rear, or 4WD. Let me see if I can dig up an old link to the frame platform technology.
John