"The Volt" May BE SCRAPPED!- NEVER BUILT!!

[dcb]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Oh, darn :-( Does that mean I'm going to have to return my BS in math & physics, and my MS in computer engineering?

Yeast is here asking me if that is an option

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Guess you never worked at a place where you had to climb about 800 vertical feet of around 8-10% grade first thing in the morning. Even the lowest gear on my street bike didn't allow moderate pedalling.

Sounds tough, but made tougher if you want to waste your energy by ditching the chain in favor of a less efficient pedal generator -> motor setup. A lower gear is always possible too, the energy to climb the hill has to come from somewhere, don't waste it.

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Sure would have been nice to be able to store all that energy in a battery, and use it on the climb the next day :-)

Absolutely, not a series vs parallel issue per-se, but your pedal contributions will be greater for the same physical effort with a parallel setup and proper gearing. We are about efficiency, no? Ignoring the battery, because both series and parallel systems can use it, and it is not a relevant variable for efficiency measurements,

what do you suppose the losses are, realistically, of powering a generator powering a motor strong enough to power you up a hill and take you 20mph, are? I assume both this system and the chain involve the same mechanical losses, though there are probably more on the goofy (series) one. Maybe a %25 loss of efficiency all told? You might as well drag a few cinder blocks behind you everywhere you go

Originally Posted by jamesqf

...Then add a battery pack, and watch yourself zoom...

Originally Posted by jamesqf

...would have the sense to refer back to its previous (and quoted) post, and see that batteries were never mentioned....

uh, hmm... well... not sure how to tell you this...

[roflwaffle]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Oh, darn :-( Does that mean I'm going to have to return my BS in math & physics, and my MS in computer engineering?

Chill vato!

Jeez, just move to Hawaii and get married already you two!

Edit- Someone's gotta thank me for this!

[SentraSE-R]

Where Chevys go down is reliability and resale value. Cost per mile isn't as important as total cost of ownereship. According to Intellichoice, a $20k Chevy Malbu will cost its owner $40k over 5 yrs v. a $27k Toyota Camry costing $30k over 5 yrs.

[tjts1]

How much will GM's forthcoming electric car, the Volt, cost?

"The price is still to be determined. I have a policy of pricing the vehicle when I get close to the market. I know the cost is close to 40 [thousand]."

washingtonpost.com

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by dcb

Sounds tough, but made tougher if you want to waste your energy by ditching the chain in favor of a less efficient pedal generator -> motor setup.

I don't suppose you recognize your assumption there? That the generator/motor is necessarily less efficient? Sure, at one end of the scale you could certainly have a very inefficient system. At the other? Well, chains & gears have friction losses, you know. Can you find a M/G set that's more efficient?

A lower gear is always possible too, the energy to climb the hill has to come from somewhere, don't waste it.

Yeah, store the energy from coming down last night in a battery, and use that. Or if you're really lazy, plug it in overnight :-)

[tjts1]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Well, chains & gears have friction losses, you know. Can you find a M/G set that's more efficient?

Electric generators and motors have frictional losses too, not to mention heat generated by both components. A chain is also a hell of a lot lighter and more efficient than the electrical components.

[dcb]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

I don't suppose you recognize your assumption there?

That you care about efficiency?

Originally Posted by jamesqf

That the generator/motor is necessarily less efficient?

Oh, absolutely it is less efficient,
a bike chain and sprockets has been clocked at %98.6 efficient
Bicycle chain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You are lucky to get %80 out of pedalling a generator to turn a motor, if you assume all the voltages and rpms and load are right to get 90% out of the motor times %90 out of the generator. Usually much less.

Steve's correspondence college called, says they want their degrees back

[rgathright]

I just got a link back to this thread and wanted to open the discussion up again, considering all that has happened with the Chevy Volt in 2010.

I have been working with a large Chevrolet dealer in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Our discussions have been stalling on the point that he will have to:
1) Train his personnel for a car that he thinks will not sell in this oil friendly town.
2) He must keep a floor model and not sell it which will cost him dearly.
3) They do not like the idea of selling an all electric (no engine) Chevy Volt to me.

Does anyone else have any new thoughts about the prospects of seeing the Chevy Volt on car lots this year?

Thanks!

[Old Mechanic]

All electric?

regards
Mech

[rgathright]

Originally Posted by Old Mechanic

All electric?

regards
Mech

Amongst the flurry of news releases, GM revealed plans for an all electric Volt. Recently, they quietly released this:

GM experimenting with electric-only Volt - Sep. 20, 2010