With Chevrolet Volt, GM Builds a True, But Pricey, 'Green Car'

http://somd.com/news/headlines/2010/11767.shtml

Posted on April 21, 2010

By BRADY HOLT



The anatomy of the new Chevy Volt electric car. (Photo: General Motors)


COLLEGE PARK (April 21, 2010) -- The strong-selling Toyota Prius made it clear, and tougher federal gas mileage standards made it even clearer: environmentally friendly cars can't be just "a hobby" for General Motors.

GM has dabbled in green technologies for years, building a handful of two-seat electrics in the 1990s, experimenting with hydrogen fuel cell technology and using gas-electric hybrid drivetrains to add one or two miles per gallon to some of its existing products.

Speaking Wednesday to an audience of University Maryland students, Keith Cole, GM's legislative and regulatory affairs director, promised that the automaker's latest effort will be different.

Cole described the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Volt, a four-door, four-passenger compact hatchback, as the perfect mix between an all-electric car and existing gas-electrics like the Prius.

The Volt -- which is scheduled to begin appearing on dealer lots in the Washington area, Detroit and California this fall -- is powered by electric batteries with an estimated range of 40 emissions-free miles.

But unlike an all-electric car -- in which the driver would need to track down an electrical outlet to charge the car's depleted battery -- the Volt also includes a gasoline engine that serves as a generator to recharge the battery, even as the battery continues to power the vehicle.

Drivers who typically travel less than 40 miles a day would therefore use no gas -- plugging their cars in overnight to charge between commutes. The gasoline "range extender" kicks in for longer trips or unexpected detours.

FULL story at link.

Capital News Service contributed to this report.

RELATED INFORMATION:

GM Volt Website
http://www.chevrolet.com/pages/open/default/future/volt.do

GM Volt Fan Website
http://gm-volt.com/

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of using a battery bank to power the motors that moves the vehicle with a constant speed ICE recharging the batteries when you go farther than the battery capacity allows. Running an ICE at a constant speed sure can go a long ways towards improving the mpg that car will ultimately get. its a great idea and I can't wait until Ford adopts the same concept. Me being a ford man and all :-)
Theres a lot of trade offs in efficiency made with designing a variable speed internal combustion engine. GM is right on this approach and the Volt will be a success if GM doesn't sabotage it somehow. Visions of the EV1 floating around in that big cranial vacuum of mine somewhere.

...as opposed to the power-split and drive assists in the Toyota/Ford/Honda models which
are different flavors of "parallel hybrid."

The Volt's not the best design, and like the OP says, rather pricey, but at least it is an
honest offering and not just a greenwash.

If it's still on the market when I need a new car I'll definitely be considering it.

Knock on wood GM will have a success on their hands and it will lead to better designs down the road --
wheel-well motors, please. Ditch that metal power train.

A single Volt chasis could be made with
a) ICE engine
b) diesel engine
c) natural gas turbine
d) fuel cell
e) no range extending engine & more batteries

Series hybrid has the potential to decouple automobiles from gasoline.
Parallel hybrid was a good start because it was easy and cheap but it is a dead end.

With parallel hybrid there is a limit to economical plug-in range, the gasoline engine is still low efficiency variable speed engine. It is a conventional gasoline car with a helper electric motor which improves efficiency.

The Volt is an electric vehicle. If you remove spark plugs from the engine it will works perfectly as an EV the only "limit" is it will run out of energy in 40 miles. It will have same acceleration and top speed with or without gasoline engine. You get all the efficiency improvements of an electric vehicle.


I just worry GM doesn't have the capability nor drive to execute this properly. As much as like the Volt concept I would rather have seen it emerge from Ford or Honda.