Volt potentially mechanically driven

[FenwickHockey65]

It would appear as though the author's brother works for Nissan.

Who produces the Leaf.

Hmmmmmm.

[Brokinarrow]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

It would appear as though the author's brother works for Nissan.

Who produces the Leaf.

Hmmmmmm.

Really wish journalists would be held accountable for the crap they put out.

[DGthe3]

I never considered it an EV in the first place. Calling it an EV when there is a gas engine is dubious at best. Calling it an EV when the gas engine can drive the wheels is an outright lie. It is a HYBRID, an excellent hybrid that crushes the Pious and every other hybrid out there, but still a hybrid. Take pride in the fact that its the greatest hybrid implementation out there. But don't lie and call it an EV.

[The_Blur]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

It would appear as though the author's brother works for Nissan.

Who produces the Leaf.

Hmmmmmm.

That is a conflict of interest and violates journalistic ethics.

Originally Posted by Brokinarrow

Really wish journalists would be held accountable for the crap they put out.

Do I dare to call it slander? :seesaw:

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by The_Blur

That is a conflict of interest and violates journalistic ethics.



Do I dare to call it slander? :seesaw:

If its true, its true.

For years GM has been saying that the Volt will be only electrically driven, that the sole purpose of the gas engine is to generate electricity. Lately, they've taken to calling it a electric vehicle. So unless they've changed a fundamental part of the design in the last few days ... GM has been lying.

[aet08]

he never stated his source.

[syr74]

What DG3 said. Whether you love or hate GM they said that the engine was used to recharge the batteries and that as such the Volt is an EV. The car they are now describing is in fact, under certain circumstances, driven directly by the engine itself and that means that this is not an electric vehicle.

Call a spade a spade. This is a really, really stupid way to get a lot of bad press.

[syr74]

Originally Posted by aet08

he never stated his source.

If you mean the source for the fact that this car can be driven by the ICE, Motor Trend reports that in their initial test and stated....

However of particular interest, when going above 70 mph in charge sustaining mode, and the generator gets coupled to the drivetrain, the gas engine participates in the motive force. GM says the engine never drives the wheels all by itself, but will participate in this particular situation in the name of efficiency, which is improved by 10 to 15 percent.

[snakekiller]

Jalopnik
http://jalopnik.com/5661051/how-gm-l...e-electric-car

AutoBlog
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/11/p...hevrolet-volt/

MT
http://www.motortrend.com/features/e...cks/index.html

[Number 3]

Originally Posted by syr74

What DG3 said. Whether you love or hate GM they said that the engine was used to recharge the batteries and that as such the Volt is an EV. The car they are now describing is in fact, under certain circumstances, driven directly by the engine itself and that means that this is not an electric vehicle.

Call a spade a spade. This is a really, really stupid way to get a lot of bad press.

Actually GM never said the engine recharges the battery either. The ICE turns a generator which maintains the battery stete of charge at it's minimum level. Using the engine to charge the battery is possible, it's just not how it is currently set up to operate.

The Volt is really difficult to classify. Is it a Hybrid? an EV? Not sure I care. I know GM would prefer it be called an EV to differentiate it from the Prius. But with the Leaf out and others to follow, perhaps something else is more appropriate. I don't care.

What is important is what the Volt does. No one is asking what does a leaf do at 70 mph on the worst grade in North America? Can it maintain 70 mph like the Volt can? I don't know but am now interested to find out. As I understand it, the Volt has Mountain Mode which is what enables the Volt to maintain 70 mph on these severe grades. But if you don't select it, you just get degraded performance. So it's an EV unless you select "don't be an EV just now" mode.

To say GM "lied" to me really shows the negativity around the company right now. If Toyota did this it would spun as a product enhancement.

Is it bad to have eliminate not only Range Anxiety, but performance anxiety as well? For those living in Colorado this could be very important to that customer.

But I'm backing out of this as you guys already know where I come from and where I work. I actually got to work on the Volt several years ago when it was being bubbled up. This car is an invention and was being invented the entire way. The final solution wasn't known at the start of the program, of that I can assure you. So did it end up different than when they started? Yes. Does it do things better than when they started? Absolutely. So because they figured out how to make the car work better and be more efficient along the way does that make it a lie? You tell me, but I vote no. I've worked with all the players, sat in meetings with them. None of them are liars and I don't think this is any grand deception. It's just to maximize performance for more customers, the car makes use of inherint possibilities in the design.

No Hybrid can do what the Volt can do. Period. No EV can do what the Volt can do. Period. Marvel at the technology and don't get sucked into this GM bashing.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by Number 3

Actually GM never said the engine recharges the battery either. The ICE turns a generator which maintains the battery stete of charge at it's minimum level. Using the engine to charge the battery is possible, it's just not how it is currently set up to operate.

The Volt is really difficult to classify. Is it a Hybrid? an EV? Not sure I care. I know GM would prefer it be called an EV to differentiate it from the Prius. But with the Leaf out and others to follow, perhaps something else is more appropriate. I don't care.

What is important is what the Volt does. No one is asking what does a leaf do at 70 mph on the worst grade in North America? Can it maintain 70 mph like the Volt can? I don't know but am now interested to find out. As I understand it, the Volt has Mountain Mode which is what enables the Volt to maintain 70 mph on these severe grades. But if you don't select it, you just get degraded performance. So it's an EV unless you select "don't be an EV just now" mode.

To say GM "lied" to me really shows the negativity around the company right now. If Toyota did this it would spun as a product enhancement.

Is it bad to have eliminate not only Range Anxiety, but performance anxiety as well? For those living in Colorado this could be very important to that customer.

But I'm backing out of this as you guys already know where I come from and where I work. I actually got to work on the Volt several years ago when it was being bubbled up. This car is an invention and was being invented the entire way. The final solution wasn't known at the start of the program, of that I can assure you. So did it end up different than when they started? Yes. Does it do things better than when they started? Absolutely. So because they figured out how to make the car work better and be more efficient along the way does that make it a lie? You tell me, but I vote no. I've worked with all the players, sat in meetings with them. None of them are liars and I don't think this is any grand deception. It's just to maximize performance for more customers, the car makes use of inherint possibilities in the design.

No Hybrid can do what the Volt can do. Period. No EV can do what the Volt can do. Period. Marvel at the technology and don't get sucked into this GM bashing.

I can rationalize a lot of the decisions that GM makes while disagreeing with them. But this is from GM's website (http://archives.media.gm.com/volt/eflex/works.html). I can forgive them on some of the details, such as electric only driving range because I can accept that that will vary for a number of reasons. But there are other things that are either untrue or extremely misleading

I've highlighted the important bits

• The Volt is an electric vehicle with extended-range capability.
• Electricity powers the Volt at all speeds.
• It operates in two modes: electric and extended-range.
• In electric mode, the power to drive the car comes from electricity stored in a lithium-ion battery. The battery can be re-charged safely by plugging into a household outlet. It takes less than 3 hours to recharge the battery on 240 volts or about 8 hrs on a standard 120-volt outlet.
• On a fully charged battery and a full tank of gas, you can drive more than 300 total miles. You can drive gas-and tailpipe emissions-free for up to the first 40 miles. Like gasoline driving, the range of gas-free driving will vary and depend mostly on your driving habits.
• Once the battery is depleted of energy, the Volt automatically switches to extended-range mode by seamlessly turning on the engine generator. The engine creates electricity to power the Volt for several hundred additional miles.
• This eliminates the worry of being stranded by a dead battery. As long as you stop to refuel with E-85 ethanol or gasoline, you can drive the Volt like a traditional car until you can stop to plug in and re-charge the battery.
• Electricity powers the Volt - and that power comes from the battery in electric mode or the generator when driving in extended-range. When peak performance is needed, like during high speed acceleration on steep inclines, the engine/generator and battery work together to deliver the ELECTRIC power required.
• The great thing about the Chevrolet Volt is that when you’re driving in EV mode, you’re using no fuel and your car is producing no tailpipe emissions. That means if you’re like most drivers who commute 40 miles or less a day, you’ll be able to travel gas free for most of your daily driving. And for most trips, you’ll eliminate stops at gas stations, filling up instead with inexpensive electricity in your own garage, at a cost of around a dollar per full charge. On a monthly basis, that’s less expensive than most cell phone plans.
• So go ahead - head out on the open road. The Volt’s ready when you are.
• With the Chevrolet Volt there are no compromises. You won’t have to adjust your life around the battery’s charge level because the Volt’s extended range mode offers peace of mind. You can drive independent from foreign oil. It’s better for the environment, cleaner and less expensive than gasoline.
• There it is. The Chevrolet Volt.
• A better electric vehicle.

It sure sounds like they're saying that its solely electrically driven and they definitely call it an EV. They also make it sound like the purpose of the engine is to generate electricity, in order to power the electric motors.

I still think the Volt is an amazing car. I don't fault the engineers one bit. They were trying to make the best car possible through the most appropriate means. Thats great. BUT the PR and media people need a swift kick in the arse about this one.

[Number 3]

That's because it is driven by electricity. The generator is turned by the ICE creating electricity. All that happens is if you are going up an extreme grade (and no not my driveway) the ICE can be used to provide direct propulsion. It is rare, as I understand it. In my opinion they are taking advantage of a feature in the propulsion system for an extreme event to remove even more anxiety from the customer of an EV.

That is what the Volt is about. Providing an EV with none of the fears. But that is my opinion.

I don't see anything misleading in what you highlighted. Everything stated there is true. There are just some extreme events or situations that might leave a customer wanting to be able to go the speed limit up a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains.

[Mr. Wyndham]

Originally Posted by Number 3

That's because it is driven by electricity. The generator is turned by the ICE creating electricity. All that happens is if you are going up an extreme grade (and no not my driveway) the ICE can be used to provide direct propulsion. It is rare, as I understand it. In my opinion they are taking advantage of a feature in the propulsion system for an extreme event to remove even more anxiety from the customer of an EV.

That is what the Volt is about. Providing an EV with none of the fears. But that is my opinion.

I don't see anything misleading in what you highlighted. Everything stated there is true. There are just some extreme events or situations that might leave a customer wanting to be able to go the speed limit up a mountain pass in the Rocky Mountains.

Then they didn't lie.

The Volt will always be driven by electricity until circumstances (very rare ones) dictate it necessary to use a direct mechanical linkage.

I'm beginning to see now that the Volt is neither a true EV, nor a true hybrid. But one of the first ever "masters of everything" in the car world. It is a car of abilities, and not limitations. This is an extra feature of the car, and not a defining characteristic.

Works for me. Shame on Edmund's for blowing this out of proportion.

[DGthe3]

Its misleading because it leads you to believe that there the engine never drives the wheels, that there is never any mechanical propulsion, that its an electric vehicle. That is what you are led to believe when reading through the GM provided material I quoted and highlighted. Pretty much anyone who knows about the Volt thinks its solely electrically driven, except when the 'range extender' kicks in to generate more electricity. So if thats not true all the time then they've at least been mislead and at worst, lied to.

Would you say this is an accurate (though in-precise) description of the operation of the Volt: Under certain conditions the Volt will drive only on electricity. The rest of the time it will be a combination of electric and mechanical power.