Posted on 10/11/2010 12:10:12 PM PDT by dangerdoc
Interesting news from General Motors today that's resulted in some puzzled expressions at Engadget HQ. We've learned that the Volt, which Chevrolet has been making quite a fuss about calling an "extended range electric vehicle," is actually just a traditional hybrid with some... potentially misleading marketing behind it. Since the concept stage the company has been saying how the onboard internal combustion engine was just to charge the batteries, that only the electric motors (there are two) are actually connected to the drivetrain. Indeed that's what we were told in person when we test drove the thing back in March. We're now learning that is not the case, that the Volt's gasoline engine can directly provide power to the wheels in concert with the electric motors.
Is that a problem? In terms of efficiency the answer is "apparently not," as we're guessing the car would not have been designed this way if it weren't the most frugal way to go. So, why all the deception? Why insist this isn't just a hybrid when it apparently is? When the company went looking for a government bailout it was in part awarded one because of the innovation shown in the Volt. Now that we're learning the Volt is basically just a plug-in hybrid with a bigger than average battery pack (Popular Mechanics is finding 30-odd miles of purely electric range), we're left wondering: where's the innovation?
So the Nissan Leaf is the only real electric automobile from a major manufacturer?
Did I read that Tesla was being purchased by a major asian car manufacturer, if so, that might be two.
Gee, 10%, like 10% corn sqweezin's that's added?
Sounds like that program needs ending ASAP!
One less drain on our taxes(we pay for corn , lock, stock and barrel).
What a surprise - Government Motors being less than honest.
>>...we’re left wondering: where’s the innovation?<<
That’s easy. It’s in the marketing.
I’d rather ride a camel.
Just wait until you have to pay to get one of these cars repaired. They will become very expensive lawn ornaments.
Some plug-in hybrid...if you want to recharge your Volt at home, you can’t plug it into a standard outlet. You’ll need to rewire your garage with an outlet that can accomodate the car and its requirements. And good luck finding a charging station on the road—they don’t exist. So, Volt owners will be running their cars on good ol’ gasoline most of the time. What a surprise.
Here’s my question: with the huge battery array, the Volt has to weigh more than the Chevy Cruze, the platform it’s built on. The standard Cruze (gas engine only) delivers at least 35 MPG on the highway—better than the Volt on its gas engine, I’ll wager. And you can buy a Cruze for only $17,000, versus $40,000+ for the Volt.
I predict the Volt will last until the government sells its last share of GM stock.
Id rather take the bus into east L.A.
Q: How is the Chevy Volt different than today’s hybrids, like the Prius?
A: Today’s hybrids are called parallel hybrids. They use a small electric motor for low speed driving, but switch to a regular gas engine for acceleration and faster speed driving with the electric motor providing enhancement, hence both engines work side by side or in parallel. The Volt is a series vehicle meaning only the electric motor power the car at all times, the gas engine is just a generator, making electric to keep the batteries in a steady state of charge after 40 miles.
No only did they lie (and this is an outright lie), their result is pretty pathetic when we look at the recent mileages available with common-rail diesels out of VW in Europe - and these cars don’t have all the hybrid complexity. I’m talking of cars that get 45+ MPG on the highway - significantly more than the Volt.
Add the upcoming diesel hybrids in the European market with 80+ MPG... and the Volt looks like what I’ve said it was all along: another stupid distraction, brought to us by the mental masturbators who obsess over plugging in their cars.
I want a federal law passed at some point. Anyone who doesn’t have at least a BS in engineering and experience bringing products to market - they don’t get to tell us how to solve problems. They can say “We think X is a problem.” That’s OK. The public can tell engineers “We need problem X solved, please.”
But all the liberal arts majors must STFU when it comes time to decide HOW to solve the problem.
didn’t the US government give Tesla a quarter of a billion in the stimulus package?
I guess that made it attractive to foreign buyers?
I bet you are 100% correct
It's been reported that Akio Toyoda enjoyed his Tesla test drive.
Never.........
I remember a lot of heated arguments here on FR when the Volt came out. I argued that even if everything that GM was saying was true, the volt was not economically viable. You were thousands of dollars better off over the life of the car if you just bought a conventional car and used many of the claims from GM were just marketing hype. So now the Volt is neither economically viable, no technologically innovative. What a joy.
That diagram shows drive by an 85-hp gas engine and a 98-hp gas engine. I don’t get that.
The bottom line here is that I can purchase two Toyota Priuses for the price of one Chevy Volt.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.