Breaking news! Chevy volt technically driven by gas engine! - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

rgathright · 10-11-2010, 04:26 PM

The Great Chevy Volt Hybrid Mishap Explained
The Great Chevy Volt Hybrid Mishap Explained - KickingTires

As many of you already know, I was excited about owning the first Chevrolet Volt in my hometown. I built a solar power plant at my house and was prepared to pay the estimated $45,000 price tag because I had the belief that owning an electric car was the right thing to do. Fundamentally, electric cars have fewer parts which equates to less maintenance and lower cost of ownership per mile.

My mood changed today after reading the referenced article above. Specifically, it points out that the gasoline engine is an integral part of the Chevrolet Volt design. As we can all assume, that means GM's announcements about an all electric Volt were false. Worse this means we will have to contend with many moving parts and maintenance will be a nightmare.

Why did we bailout GM? One of the reasons, is at the time, many people thought they were going to produce an electric car to solve the acute gas crisis.

Thanks for reading and pass this on to anyone you know that was interested in an ALL AMERICAN electric car. Turns out it was just a marketing scam similar to Enron.

Frank Lee · 10-11-2010, 05:07 PM

Yay to GM for doing it right, and boo to you for not getting it.

Perhaps re-reading the link you provided would help?

http://www.hybridcenter.org/hybrid-c...he-hood-2.html

Daox · 10-11-2010, 05:19 PM

Yeah, Darin told me about this earlier today. Its very disappointing to see the combined rating only in the 35-40 mpg range. Still, EV mode will allow a fair amount of gas free driving.

rgathright · 10-11-2010, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Yay to GM for doing it right, and boo to you for not getting it.

Perhaps re-reading the link you provided would help?

The reason why the Volt was supposed to be so impressive (and warrant its price tag) was that it was a series hybrid, unlike any other vehicle to date.

In the original design it was:

Motor -->AC Motor<--> Inverter <--> Battery
..............|
..............|
..............V
.......Transmission
..............|
..............|
..............V
...........Wheels

With these changes, that were not revealed until now, it is:
Motor --> Transmission <--> AC Motor <--> Inverter <--> Battery
.................. |
...................|
...................V
.............. Wheels

tjts1 · 10-11-2010, 05:27 PM

LOL all that fanfare, all that BS over the last 3 years and the volt can't even match a prius for FE. Good job GM. Snatched yet another defeat from the jaws of victory.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. A series hybrid will never be able to match the efficiency and compact lightweight of a parallel hybrid. Looks like GM gets it too. They just tried to mislead people.

theycallmeebryan · 10-11-2010, 05:39 PM

I've said it before and i'll say it again.

GM is going to be gnawing their fingers off when they see how successful the Nissan Leaf and full EV Prius are. The GM bailout was useless.

Frank Lee · 10-11-2010, 05:44 PM

Don't forget, it's all electric (infinity mpg) for the bulk of short hops- if you can keep it under 70 mph- just don't forget to plug it in when you get home. The others don't do that stock... yet...

ecofreak · 10-11-2010, 05:46 PM

Why would they do this? I mean, GM already makes questionable quality cars and has since the Corvair, but why must they keep going?

rgathright · 10-11-2010, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tjts1

LOL all that fanfare, all that BS over the last 3 years and the volt can't even match a prius for FE. Good job GM. Snatched yet another defeat from the jaws of victory.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. A series hybrid will never be able to match the efficiency and compact lightweight of a parallel hybrid. Looks like GM gets it too. They just tried to mislead people.

I remember when this all began... many people, like me, thought it would be Chevy EV2 with the option to have a gas engine on-board.

brucey · 10-11-2010, 06:05 PM

I don't see this as a big deal. If you're going 70 mph the electric motor simply isn't as efficient and turning on the gas motor makes since. Since if you're going 70 you're probably leaving town anyway. Who exceeds 70 mph on short trips?

The 35-40 MPG EPA is amazing though. All that work and they can't best themselves with a base model car costing 1/4 the price. Are those the official figures? I can't find anything definitive yet.