Chevy Volt will only achieve 20 miles of juice?
Get outta here!Earlier today I checked out a thread on MotorTrend titled Toyota laughs while Chevy Volt battery power ripped in half.
The article references a 20 mile Volt, versus the intended 40 mile Volt - 40 miles of pure electricity that is. This 20 mile Volt idea has been floated around by GM, at least in theory, for some time. It's called consumer options, folks. A 20 mile Volt is NOT a sign of Volt failure.
In fact, there are many Volt variants, such as a fuel cell Volt. Actually, there aren't just many Volt variants that are being conceptualized, there are also many E Flex variants - the electric drive of the Volt - that are being conceived. The Chevy Volt is just the beginning.
Nonetheless, the first E Flex vehicle, the Chevy Volt, WILL achieve 40 miles of electricity. That word was confirmed to me by GM's Tony Posawatz, an engineer on the Volt team. For more, check out Tony's quote at http://www.gm-volt.com/, easily the best Volt-dedicated blog. Make sure to say high to Lyle for me if you check it out.
posted by Dahcredyns at
12:35 PM
8 Comments:
40 miles under what kind of driving conditions? in some conditions, maybe the Volt will achieve 40 miles, in others, it might fail miserably.
I'll believe it, when I see it, and not out of one car, but tens of thousands of them.
why is 40 miles hard to believe? i just don't get that.
the ev1 achieved more than that. 40 miles isn't hard to achieve for gm, but 40 miles + unlimited liquid fuel range, in a car tha can transport 5 people in sporty and classy fashion, cost-effectively, isn't the simplest combination.
EV1 was a 2 seater. If Volt were to have 4 doors and seats 4, there will be less space for the battery pack.
EV1 didn't have a spare tire so will Volt?
I think there will be electric range trade-off with the passenger and cargo space.
actually, the Volt battery pack is smaller than the EV1 pack, and it's unique t-shape design, which is essentially spread out under the car, was designed to have a very limited impact on both interior space and trunk space. if i recall correctly, the back end of the battery is fully under the back seat, so it doesn't even extend into the trunk.
It sounds like the other variants (20 mile, fuel cell, ... maybe a volt scooter ;) are near misses that they hope to find a market for. Kinda looks like they still might not have a mass-producible real thing.
How much longer can hope hold off the bankers? I sure hope they can deliver. GM's economic impact on this country is huge. They are crack for America's consumer. Their ads pay for tv time. Their stock was what made many pensions float. I hope they've got more than Volt snake oil in time to save them.
these aren't near misses. they've been part of GM's plans ever since the E Flex Drive became a focal point for gm.
about a year ago gm invited me to take a drive in their equinox fuel cell vehicle. at that time i was told that the next generation fuel cell vehicle was going to be built on the e flex drive.
thus, just as with toyota's prius and, more specifically, the hybrid synergy drive, the prius could evolve from its current status, into a plug-in hybrid and even into a fuel cell prius.
a fuel cell volt is is the end of the same kind of adaptable idea. actually, more specific, the e flex drive is the same idea, as the volt is just the first e flex vehicle.
on the other hand, a 20 mile Volt would be cheaper than a 40 mile volt, that's why such a vehicle could be considered. likewise a 60 mile volt is also a possibility.
the e flex drive was designed to be flexible, so that it can evolve, or adapt, to whatever technologies are the most cost-effective and desired by the consumer.
to me, that's a smart idea. the flexibility of the hydrid synergy drive and of the e flex drive - if lithium proves to be technologically and financially effective - is exactly the path automakers should be taking.
10 years ago they should have been plotting this. 5 years ago they should have at least had some similar scope product (albeit with poorer technology) on the market. Today they are shuckin' whatever they can before someone peeks behind the curtain.
Hope you've got ruby slippers ;)
i don't necessarily disagree with that. 10 years ago, they did start coming up with such a plan with the help of the government, developing hybrid technology and ev technology, but they didn't move ahead. with gas so cheap, and hugely profitable gas-guzzlers selling so well, they couldn't see the point.
in hindsight, it was obvious that was a mistake, a mistake toyota didn't make. toyota and honda, to a large extent, were driven to hybrids because of these american developments.
again, however, cheap gas retarded our auto industry.
when i defend or advocate for the e flex drive and the volt, i'm not defending gm's auto business of today or yesterday. i'm just focusing on the potential of e flex.
and, just to be fair, gm is ahead of the rest of the big 3. and what gm should have been doing 10 years ago, wasn't really done by any other automaker in the world either, except, maybe, toyota.
Post a Comment
<< Home