Hi,
Quote:
Originally Posted by tjts1
The Volt interior looks tiny, especially the back seat head room.
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Yes, and the seats are old-school-FAT!
Despite assurances from people like Chelsea Sexton, I'm very concerned that the very conservative execution of the Volt will be it's undoing. It uses an engine that is at least 2X too big for the job it is needed for -- it is exactly the same engine that will be used in the ICE-only Cruze; which is a nearly identically sized car.
Doing this almost completely negates the efficiency that is gained by being a serial hybrid!
The (much) heavier 1.4L engine has to be dragged around all the time by the electric drive motor, and so reduces the battery's range, and the battery has to be bigger than it otherwise would be -- so it's own weight is increased, which in turn decreases the range...
Almost nothing in the basic chassis stands out as helping the car be more efficient: they are using bog-standard steel with no innovation to increase strength while saving weight, as far as I know. Add to this the "FAT" seats, etc., and you get a fairly big and heavy car that has a small interior.
They have taken a decently aerodynamic car, removed the transmission -- and replaced it with a large battery and an electric motor. So, they end up with a slightly more efficient car that is a lot heavier. The cost and weight savings of the transmission is swamped by the increased cost and weight of the battery and electric motor and all the control systems...