Quote:
Originally Posted by ProDigit
That's how the volt operates. It's engine always charges the battery, while the battery powers the electric motors.
On the volt you don't have the choice to drive the gasoline engine directly.
And I think that's the question of this thread,
How much does driving the gasoline engine give on MPG.
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To my knowledge, this isn't accurate. The Volt has an orbital transmission just like a Prius. The engine is fully capable of driving the wheels directly. The first gen's engine was clutched behind one electric motor but still mechanically drove the wheels. It was clutched so it could be disconnected, but that's not even true of the 2nd gen - it's geared directly.
For comparison, here is the Prius's layout. The only major difference is that the Prius's engine is connected to a planet gear rather than the ring gear, and the wheels are connected to the ring gear rather than to the planet gear.
