Chevy Bolt's aero is a 'disaster,'

[Frank Lee]

Typos.

Reminds me of a young man who thought cars would rotate and lift off from aero lift because of a misplaced decimal in a Ricer mag.

[Fingie]

kach22i I meant about the relation about good CD and safety that the designers make the cars exterior, and then the engineers have to make it as safe as possible while maintaining the main design cues, while staying in the budget and not compromising weight. It has to be a bit expensive.

[NeilBlanchard]

According to our EcoModder Cd list, the 2006-2008 Honda Fit has a Cd of 0.35. Here's an image of the latest Honda Fit shaded profile overlaid on the Bolt EV:



I think the Chevy Bolt EV will be successful because it will get ~120MPGe and have a 200+ mile range. It will make the prices of all EV's with shorter ranges lower.

We will hopefully see EV's from Nissan and VW with much lower Cd's.

[freebeard]

Please feel free to further explore the relationship of aerodynamics to safety.

I'm interested in this angle or line of thought.

Cars are made big and hard to maneuver so that when the accident happens the result is mitigated.

If the car is nimble and presents a small attack surface, the likelihood of an accident is reduced.

'You pays your money and you makes your choice.'

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Cars are made big and hard to maneuver so that when the accident happens the result is mitigated.

If the car is nimble and presents a small attack surface, the likelihood of an accident is reduced.

'You pays your money and you makes your choice.'

My brother had an "incident" at a roundabout/traffic circle lately.

Cop showed up and said they have five fender benders a day at this location (the ground was littered with small plastic parts).

Before the traffic circle there used to be fatalities, not many but they did happen. Cars ended up in trees hundreds of feet from the intersection because of the speeds.

So yes, I have no doubt that somewhere someplace somebody is doing the calculus for our own good and playing God to some degree.

Slowing us down to have more often but less deadly traffic accidents is merely a single example.

I'd like to see a study on the high side belt-lines and high hood levels.

The obstructed vision these cause along with high trunk lines has got to be balanced out with the higher crash safety of such features.

The hood line is a European pedestrian impact thing, belt-line I think US safety standard.............the high trunk perhaps styling or down-force aerodynamics.

[freebeard]

So yes, I have no doubt that somewhere someplace somebody is doing the calculus for our own good and playing God to some degree.

Wasn't that what drove the guy over the edge in Fight Club?

[Fat Charlie]

No, it was insomnia. Institutional insanity had nothing to do with it. Now go on enjoying your single serving life.

[paconassa]

0.32 is, indeed, a disaster.

#1 problem with EVs is highway range, so that Cd does not help at all.

With a proper, 21st century, drag coefficient of ~0.20, the Bolt would have a ~30% longer range on highway.

[NeilBlanchard]

If it had a Cd of 0.20, it would be a grand slam! I was hoping for at least ~0.27 or so.

I wonder if GM has looked at video side mirrors? That could lower the Cd significantly and reduce the frontal area, too. They are using a optional rear view video mirror, so they have the chops.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by kach22i

Slowing us down to have more often but less deadly traffic accidents is merely a single example.

But properly designed traffic circles usually slow you down much less than the stop signs/lights they replace. Except of course when you're stuck behind someone who sees an imaginary stop sign at the entrance/exit :-(