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Will the Chevy Volt Succeed?

545 messages,  Last post on Dec 02, 2009 at 12:57 PM

You are in the Chevrolet Volt Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Volt, Automotive News, Hybrid Cars, Coupe, Hatchback, Truck, Sedan, SUV


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#490 of 545
Re: Semantics [pf_flyer] by dmathews3
Jul 26, 2009 (9:21 am)
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Replying to: pf_flyer (Jul 26, 2009 7:12 am)

When I use my table saw the motor on it if cutting thick wood heats up quite a bit. I bet the electric motor no the Volt running all the time puts out quite a bit of heat. I wonder if they figured out a way to capture it for the heating system? Also don't the L-ion batteries also produce heat? Maybe that is 2nd generation thinking.
#491 of 545
Cloaking by gorpzorp
Aug 01, 2009 (12:46 pm)
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GM seems to be dodging the AC effecting range question.
 
Nick explains that the test cycles include “a standard set of accessory loads,” but that “air conditioning is not included.” He says the testing “also assumes a 60 F to 65 F degree
 
I would think it would be very easy to figure it in. Makes me think it might be a pretty good drain.
 
http://gm-volt.com/2009/04/24/the-chevy-volts-electric-range-is-40-miles-in-both- -highway-and-city-driving/
#492 of 545
Re: Cloaking [gorpzorp] by pf_flyer HOST
Aug 01, 2009 (5:00 pm)
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Replying to: gorpzorp (Aug 01, 2009 12:46 pm)

Just look at how much variance there is in mileage of cars of all kinds because of how people drive and the terrain and road conditions they face.
 
It's one thing to try and report numbers based on "average" conditions. It's a little different when you give numbers "under ideal conditions"
#493 of 545
Re: Cloaking [pf_flyer] by gorpzorp
Aug 02, 2009 (5:44 pm)
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Replying to: pf_flyer (Aug 01, 2009 5:00 pm)

I dunno. They used the standard gov't mpg tests apparently, so 40 is 40. People report doing better and those in say Los Angeles commute traffic do worse.
 
I am not really sure if the comparison to a standard car works for AC affecting mpg. For the Insight I was reading on a blog that the AC really harms mileage...a lot more so than the standard car. AC uses a similar amount of power, but in a car built for ultra efficiency the relative loss could be much more. I don't use AC that much so it wouldn't be a huge deal in any case. I tend to think if it was a good number they would have released it already.
 
The car could be brought up (or down) to temperature on the grid before heading out, if it was adapted to do so. I doubt the first model will have this feature. Some enterprising person could come up with something to handle it as a add-on.
#494 of 545
230 MPG ???? by larsb
Aug 11, 2009 (6:28 am)
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Say what?
 
GM Says New Electric Car Gets 230 Miles Per Gallon

General Motors announced today that its forthcoming electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt, will achieve city fuel economy of 230 miles per gallon, under testing that used draft federal fuel economy methodology standards for plug-in cars.
 
The Volt will become the first mass-produced vehicle to obtain a triple-digit MPG rating, the company said.
 
"The Volt is becoming very real, very fast," chief executive Fritz Henderson said. "The price of oil is going to go up."
 
The announcement of the mileage breakthrough comes after the government-rescued automaker received some strong criticism for failing to have more fuel-efficient cars.
#495 of 545
Can I be a Tester? by sebring95
Aug 11, 2009 (7:13 am)
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I'm driving 33 miles each way through a lot of hills. If anyone at GM wants some real world testing done....I'll be glad to help. Company I'm working for will gladly give me a plug so I'm running a full charge each direction.
#496 of 545
Re: 230 MPG ???? [larsb] by stovebolter
Aug 11, 2009 (4:43 pm)
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Replying to: larsb (Aug 11, 2009 6:28 am)

This is the type of claim that I find particularly annoying. It will not get 230 mpg, and I think that should be quite clear - if you unplug it, then drive 230 miles, even in ideal conditions, you will use more than one gallon of gasoline. Even then, the "fuel economy" will be skewed if it ignores the energy from the grid that's put into the car.
 
I suppose if they can claim such mileage, I should claim that my old truck gets 50 mpg because if I start at the top of a large hill and drive 5 miles to the bottom, I will use roughly 1/10 gallon of gas. Extrapolate out, and I can clearly show I got 50 miles per gallon.
#497 of 545
Re: 230 MPG ???? [stovebolter] by pf_flyer HOST
Aug 12, 2009 (2:54 am)
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Replying to: stovebolter (Aug 11, 2009 4:43 pm)

I agree, it's a bogus claim. Can the Volt travel 230 miles and use one gallon of gas? Not with a battery-only range of 40 miles before the "generator" kicks in. And don't forget, the electricity you're going to run the Volt on isn't free. NOBODY seems to want to talk much about that. The few Volt enthusiasts I've run into think it's going to cost them less than $1 to "fill up" with a charge. Boy, are they in for a rude awakening when the electric bill comes.
 
COULD the Volt travel 230 miles and use one gallon of gas? Perhaps, but you'd have roughly 5 or 6 stops in the trip to recharge the battery. If I even want to only make a 60 mile trip, this mileage claim is going right out the window.
 
Informal survey: Would your every day driving requirements hypothetically allow you to run a Volt on basically battery only and get 230 MPG?
 
No way for me. I used to work exclusively out of my house. Round trip to the grocery store is 16 miles for me. Being that it was that far, I tend to combine trips and go to all the places I might need to go in one trip to save gas. That usually meant 50-60 miles in a day. The wife drives 38 miles one way to work. That's not even counting things like "having a life"
 
I've had my 2007 Versa for 30 months now. It has over 59,000 miles on it. That's about 65 miles per day on average. That Volt ICE would be running.
 
They've jumped the shark with this mileage claim.
#499 of 545
Re: 230 MPG ???? [pf_flyer] by sebring95
Aug 12, 2009 (5:14 am)
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Replying to: pf_flyer (Aug 12, 2009 2:54 am)

Your mileage is well above average and the folks most benefited by electric/hybrid drivetrains (city drivers) do not typically put that many miles on their car a day. I would be able to use the Volt completely on battery assuming the 40 mile range is accurate. My commute is around 33 miles door-to-door. I would also be able to recharge while at work to make the return trip. So even my well above average commute (16,000 miles JUST commuting) would be within the Volts capacity of running on battery power. So for me, assuming the $.80/recharge (we’re cheaper/kwh but I’ll stick with national avg.)...I would have $1.60 a day give or take. A typical car getting 30mpg (a 4cyl Accord does this on my commute) would cost me somewhere around $5.00 at todays gas prices. Now how do you put that in a true comparable format to mpg? I think it’s clear that you can’t equate the mpg rating on an electric (or hybrid in many cases) the same as you do a gas car: i.e. I can drive 230 miles on one gallon. They did state that was the city number which will be far and away higher than highway driving.
 
Someone just driving around town will likely do significantly better than my situation above. A cold start in city driving with a gas engine burns gobs of fuel which the electric/hybrids mitigate drastically. I don’t think these are cars for everyone, but I think they could have a lot of benefit to users that understand basics of the benefits and pitfalls. Back when I was commuting 30k miles a year, I ran a VW Jetta TDI which I’ll be the first to say is not the perfect car for everyone. However, I was able to make it the perfect car for me and benefit greatly from it. I’m not sure where I am on the Volt but I think it has a lot more potential then anything I’ve seen yet. The prior electrics have either been too compromised or not near enough range to give me the comfort level I would need to buy one. I still don’t think I could own one as my only vehicle but I’m sure there are many that could.

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