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Hybrid Vehicles Chevrolet Volt Will the Chevy Volt Succeed?
544 messages, Last post on Oct 28, 2009 at 1:11 PM
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Replying to: reddroverr (Oct 02, 2008 9:04 am) Not necessarily, if you look at other articles of golf twin drive, it has 82 hp electric motor that can move the car at highway speeds. If the trip is more than 30 miles, the ICE steps in around 30 mph (within the optimum efficiency range of ICE) to mazimize range. However, it is ideal to use all the battery juice before the next recharge to the grid where the energy source is cheapest. That is why the integrated navigation comes into play to calculate to deplete the battery just in time for next recharge. With battery depleted and the ICE being the sole motive force, the VW will likely beat the Volt in fuel efficinecy by a significant margin. However, a current prius with Hymotion add-on lithium battery which is already in the market can run on pure EV up to 30 miles range of up to 52 mph. A more aggressive right foot will quickly summon the ICE for additional power. This thing is already in the market and a number of people (actual owners, not R&D staff) are driving them. |
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Replying to: peralta (Oct 02, 2008 9:48 am) My understanding of that article is that the ICE will not be the sole motive force even after 30 miles. Acceleration up to 30 mph will still be provided by the electric motor. If the ICE is directly powering the electric motor up to this speed then that is no different from the Volt. Now once the speed get's past 30 then the ICE will be directly coupled to a one gear (high) transmission. I've driven small cars with small engines. If you shift them into high gear at 30 mph the acceleration is terrible and it's hard to believe it's all that efficient. Probably more electric motor assist going on here that eventually has to be returned by the ICE. In city driving I doubt this VW configuration will provide much, if any, better mileage than the Volt. After battery depletion. With this single gear transmission what do you expect the rpms to be at 30 mph? Let's say around 1500. That means at 80 mph the engine would be turning at 4,000 rpms. It's hard to believe that using a single gear throughout this wide range represents efficiency. If it did you wouldn't have seen the evolution of automatic transmissions and CVTs resulting in more speeds that produced higher mpg ratings.
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Replying to: tpe (Oct 02, 2008 10:58 am) Remember, the twin drive has a simple start-stop system that can act as generator for low speed driving (series hybrid like the volt). Regarding RPM 1500-4000, you're probably at the ballpark but that's with the use of 1 L turbo gas engine. I still stand by my assumption that once the battery is depleted, the VW will have a more fuel efficient arrangement. Just like the depleted Volt, both will keep the charge + - 30%, get some juice on acceleration and give it back on steady speed or regenerative braking when slowing down. The VW has the adventage of having a mechanical drive for better transmission efficiency from ICE. The Volt has the advantage of having longer battery range by 10 miles. Both are not yet on the market, the big question is how much will be the purchase price? |
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Replying to: peralta (Oct 02, 2008 9:48 am) "The electric motor provides sufficient torque to get the car moving up to 30 mph, at which point the engine takes over with a single gear ratio roughly equivalent to top gear in a conventional car.." That was from your second link. I don't know if other articles dispute this point. If it can get 30 all electric and better petrol mileage by a decent amount than a Volt thereafter, it is a very close Volt competitor..
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Replying to: reddroverr (Oct 02, 2008 4:10 pm)
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Replying to: peralta (Oct 02, 2008 4:24 pm) This vehicle will probably weigh about the same as the Volt, which is estimated to be around 3200-3300 lbs. A vehicle this size with an 87 hp motor as it's sole source of power would have anemic performance. So I'm sure the ICE would have to supplement this power occasionally even during the first 30 miles, which would make it difficult to burn zero gas. I wonder how seamlessly this would work. Let's say your driving down the highway at 65 mph powered solely by the electric motor. Now you hit the accelerator to pass. The ICE, possibly cold, will have to start and get up to 3000+ rpms before it can provide additional power. There'd have to be a lag involved and I'm not to sure how good it would be for the ICEs longevity. |
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Replying to: peralta (Oct 02, 2008 4:24 pm) From the first link: "The Golf Twin Drive's electric-only range is targeted at 30 miles." So never mind. Though 30 EV does further limit the desirability...or where the bother (complexity and price) meets the utility. |
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Replying to: kdhspyder (Oct 02, 2008 4:55 am) There plenty of people in the Southeast who had a gas-free vehicle in recent days. Unfortunately they couldn't go anywhere! If I were in GM marketing, gas stations with "no gas" signs would certainly be part of my ads in that part of the country... |
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Replying to: edklein (Sep 17, 2008 3:25 pm) That is not correct. If the battery is low, the gasoline engine starts up and you can continue to drive the car -- you are just using expensive electricity generated by the gas engine, rather than cheap energy generated by the grid and then stored in the battery. If you can't recharge from the grid, the Volt just needs gasoline in the tank like any other car. |
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I go 11 miles to work each way 90% of the time. If GM gets this close and makes it affordable and fun, I want one. I'd rather it have all the bells and whistles and be called a Caddy. I will take my wife's minivan if we go on a trip. The volt may be more or less efficient than other cars, but the idea that I can avoid sending my money to Iran, Putan or Chavez makes all the difference in the world to me. Most USA electricity is created by Coal (not too clean, but from the USA), natural gas (USA, Canada and Mexico) or nuclear. Even if I don't save any money, those options sound better to me. And remember, most of us would recharge our cars at night, when the grid isn't being overtaxed. So, there is not likely going to be the need to upgrade the grid anymore than we have to already. Now, GM, how about building it really really well and not disappointing us who are willing to put our faith in you again? I'm game, if you are!
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