Just rode in a VOLT!

[cfg83]

NHRABill -

Originally Posted by NHRABill

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Just another Side Note on how normal driving 127mpg can easily be obtained.
Guys at motor trend did a nice article here:

127 MPG: This Volt Story Must Be Told - Motor Trend Blog

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The above article had this interesting URL in the comment area :

Electric Car Mileage for Chevy Volt from Equivalent Carbon Dioxide Pollution

CarloSW2

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by NHRABill

127 MPG: This Volt Story Must Be Told - Motor Trend Blog

So they went 299 miles, with the battery going out at 36.3 (less than the claimed 40 miles) but they went on to do 262.7 miles on 2.359 gallons .

It'd mean that they either got 111 mpg over these 263 miles, or they recharged the battery but the article doesn't mention it.
Based on the published results of earlier test drives, I'd have a very hard time believing a 111 mpg claim from a Volt in gas-mode.


As it turns out, the 299 miles were made over multiple days with recharging inbetween.
Motor Trend Claims Volt Gets 127 MPG, Not Quite True – Gas 2.0

Mileage on gas : 35.9 mpg.

[cfg83]

euromodder -

Originally Posted by euromodder

So they went 299 miles, with the battery going out at 36.3 (less than the claimed 40 miles) but they went on to do 262.7 miles on 2.359 gallons .

It'd mean that they either got 111 mpg over these 263 miles, or they recharged the battery but the article doesn't mention it.
Based on the published results of earlier test drives, I'd have a very hard time believing a 111 mpg claim from a Volt in gas-mode.


As it turns out, the 299 miles were made over multiple days with recharging inbetween.
Motor Trend Claims Volt Gets 127 MPG, Not Quite True – Gas 2.0

Mileage on gas : 35.9 mpg.

Calcars makes basically the same claim as the article :

California Cars Initiative for Plug-In Hybrids

CalCars is a non-profit startup of entrepreneurs, engineers, environmentalists and consumers. Since 2002, we've promoted plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) with large batteries. Local miles are powered partly or fully by electricity from standard plugs, and liquid fuel provides infinite range. PHEVs tackle energy security, jobs and global warming -- all at once.
We built the world's first plug-in Prius using today's technologies and infrastructure. We helped spark a successful campaign to bring PHEVs to market and gain incentives. In 2009, we declared victory as mass production of PHEVs starts with the Chevy Volt.

They promote the "plug-in Prius" kits, which I like to think of as a predecessor to the plug-in Volt. The kits cost $8K to $10K, which makes the total cost similar to the Volt. Here are a few of the kits :

Hymotion - $10.5K
Plug-In Home - $13.5K
Plug-In Supply - $9K to $12K

In fact, I was expecting Toyota to adopt the plug-in option as a way to maintain their crowing rights in the eco-car realm.

CarloSW2

[RobertSmalls]

@Euromodder: GM no longer claim 40mi for the Volt. It's now "25 to 50mi".

[NHRABill]

Originally Posted by bennelson

hey NHRABill,

I am also surprised at how divisive the VOLT has been.

Ecomodder is usually a very positive place, but I think that we have a lot of folks that are also very economical-minded, and range from driving as little as possible to save cash to driving the most gas-sipping car because they drive a zillion miles!

NHRABill, do you know Peter Crisitello? He's out in Jersey and is a member of the local EAA there. (He's also a Citicar guy.) He wrote a great blog entry on why he wouldn't buy a Chevy Volt. He's one of the first guys that I know personally who got to drive a Volt.

Overall, he liked a lot of things about the Volt, but felt really disconnected from the road, and didn't care for the interfaces between the driver and the car. Keep in mind that also collects Studebakers.


Euromodder: besides EV's having been around a long time, HYBRIDs have also been around since prior to 1900. But it isn't a matter of how long a technology has been around, it matter's how mainstream it is in terms of economy of scale for manufacturing.

We have been cranking out gasoline cars for the last hundred years, but have barely dabbled in EVs.

I do think that the price gap between the Volt and the Leaf is enough that I think a lot of people would choose the Leaf and the savings.

Thanks for the comments Ben, and no I do not know Peter Crisitello. I am new to his scene and learnign as I go Electronics are not my specialty just about everything else auto is. I will be sure to look him up and read up on his blog.

Moving on to ther comments I can understand that people like to things on the cheap and that sometimes goes hand in hand with being more efficient with your car. There are many other people who feel just as passionate about being "green" and evnvirometally responsible and even more that don't want to be crushed after being in a fender bender with a 6,000lbs car. People will continue to purchase New vehicles despite the reality that taking a scrap yard car and refurbishing it will cost tens of thousands less even installing a modern more efficient drivetrain.

I can spend many an hour throwing Jabs back at those who like to tear down what will be known as a game changing vehicle for the auto industry. People forget that the Insight was a FLOP and failure first time out and that Volkswagon rabbit diesels were rolling Death traps on the highways then and even now. They also don't understand that Hypermill driving is the reason I want to put a 500lbs. push bar on the front of my 6,000 pound truck so I can run them over when they lose 25 mph goinig uphill on the highway.

I am not the type of person who will be childish and say my side is right and you are wrong. I wrote a nice article with photos and video and posted it elsewhere of my thoughts. People enjoy my opinion seen as I have lived most of my life on the dragstrip spilling gas out and replacing it with nitromethane. I have never been an efficiencey guy I am cheap I like low buck buildups and do it yourself projects. So when asked about my opinion on the volt I came to this site and many others looking at all forms of emerging technology to formulate a unbiased opinion from a cheap average persons poiint of view.

The lifestyle that we live dictates if we are right or wrong. I am not going to tell someone who is managing 80mpg that their car is unsafe the same as I will not tell them that the caveman invvented the wheel so the caveman must have seen the car comming they should get the credit for the technology, that is just being childish and acting Juvenile. Look at the facts there are several Auto manufacturers who are now workign toward improving the car at a level we havent seen in decades, I applaud that. Getting it 100% on the first try is impossible.

Simple fact is we now have a NEW choice that uses a superior battery back than the Prius what does this mean? In a few short years it may be possible to get your hands on one for your own project? Maybe I guess that is good for all of us. The comment about aftermarket kits will come even more of a reality with the intrest people are now showing. Way to go GM keep up the good work and for those who think they can do better ... Get to work and submit your ideas patents and strike up a partenership with GM or Toyota and the like to showcase your improvements.

If all you want to do is tear down and discourage people from viewing a new technology I will take not of your name and not waste my time reading your biased criticism.

[MN Driver]

Considering that at least half(making a guess here, I actually figure quite a bit more) of the forum members here reading this may just be hypermilers, you might want to read this article.
http://gm-volt.com/2010/10/17/chevro...miles-average/

22 drivers of 23 getting better than 40 miles on a charge in a mileage competition.
The best finishing a 45.8 mile course with 12 miles indicated remaining miles. Not sure how it calculates things, if it figures a '40 mile range indefinitely' sort of calculation it could possibly be way more than the guess of 57.8 miles left.

This throws the 25-50 mile range out of the water in quite a few ways. I'm interested in how it would perform in the hands of a true electric hypermiler. Considering that the gas engine needs a good 75% load before it enters a decent efficient range, I'm curious what sort of driving brings about efficiency with an electric drivetrain of any sort (Leaf, Volt, Warp 9 garage conversion etc.).

I'm interested to see what the folks on the Volt forums say once they get their cars.
Granted I'm more or less stirring the pot but I think only the most careless driver will likely get 35 miles or less.

For those focused on fuel consumption after the initial electric range, this car isn't for you. To be frank, This car isn't for me. I buy cars in the four digit range on price and for the past two cars they have been in the bottom half of that four digit range.

There have also been some recent articles too about GM trying to make next years 2012 Volt qualify as a EAT-PZEV which would require a 10 year/150,000 mile warranty. If they actually release this warranty and these cars last I might be in the market for a 10 model year old Volt like I was with my current 2000 model year Insight that I stragically bought at the beginning of this year for its $10 sales tax in the state of Minnesota. We shall see how things pan out.

To be frank again, yes I agree it's overpriced, possibly they will come to their senses, maybe not but in the hands of the used car buyer, this, possibly along with the Leaf and many other electric cars might just be the ticket. Time will tell. In the end I'll be looking for the car that can fit my needs for the least price in 10 years, likely alongside my current Insight if it lasts or whatever Insight I replace it with. Who knows if it will be a Volt, Leaf, iMiEV, Wheego Whip Life, Focus electric. ...at this point I don't care but you bet I'll be all over the forums. It could likely be the first where the owners hack the car and find a suitable replacement pack option or cheapest OEM replacement too for the long haul. ...again with the time will tell thing. For now I'll chomp popcorn and watch this all unveil. The Leaf has already sold its full 20,000 quota for the 2011 Nissan Leaf. Probably helpful for the Volt market, hopefully Nissan can boost production to match because we need more electric on the road.

[bennelson]

It will be interesting to see what future aftermarket products become available for the Volt.

On the Prius, it went from the CalCars guys hacking one, to several companies commercially making plug-in kits, to Toyota finally making a Plug-in Prius themselves.

Maybe "Battery Pack Enlargements" will become a common aftermarket item?
Who knows!

(I'd hate to get spam for that though. "Impress her with your large battery pack! )

[cfg83]

bennelson -

Originally Posted by bennelson

It will be interesting to see what future aftermarket products become available for the Volt.

On the Prius, it went from the CalCars guys hacking one, to several companies commercially making plug-in kits, to Toyota finally making a Plug-in Prius themselves.

Maybe "Battery Pack Enlargements" will become a common aftermarket item?
Who knows!

(I'd hate to get spam for that though. "Impress her with your large battery pack! )

Toyota did make plug-in versions? I missed that. Ok. That means the cyber-hot-rodders did influence the Prius. Good for them. Here it is, also with a highway-mode issue :

2010 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid First Drive - December 14, 2009

The Power-to-Weight Conundrum
The 2010 Toyota Prius PHV is about 300 pounds heavier than a standard Prius, which would put its curb weight at about 3,360 pounds. It turns out that the PHV's heavier battery packs are an advantage on short trips, where they make possible extended EV motoring, but become a disadvantage on the highway. When you jump on the freeway quickly, the acceleration drains the battery packs of juice, forcing the Prius to run on engine power alone. At this point, the PHV system offers no advantage, only dead weight. It's as if you were driving a regular Prius, but with two people in the backseat.

The PHV's disadvantage on the highway is proportional to time you spend at cruising speeds. Once the stored battery power is used up, the PHV's average mileage will begin to decline. On a very long trip — say, a cross-country route largely on the interstate — the Prius PHV's fuel mileage could even be worse than the 48-mpg highway rating of the standard Prius. In short, the more you do long trips on the highway, the less appropriate the Prius PHV would be.
...
The Bottom Line
While the rest of the industry argues over pure battery electric or hybrid, Toyota has seized the initiative by launching a plug-in version of its best selling five-door hatchback hybrid. Or has it? Toyota is still distrustful of lithium ion, and is only releasing Plug-In Prius models for fleet trials next year. If all goes well, then the car hits the showrooms by 2012, long after the Chevy Volt will have carved a niche in this area. With prices rumored to start at around $48,000, the plug in Prius is not cheap, but with oil headed north of $80 a barrel and new legislation in the offing, perhaps that electric-only running might be an edge to urban driving that drivers can ill-afford to ignore.

CarloSW2

[Frank Lee]

Hey Bill, you can push me around in my car all you want!

Or maybe just giving me rides would be easier.

[NHRABill]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

Hey Bill, you can push me around in my car all you want!

Or maybe just giving me rides would be easier.

If I can keep a Hypermiller from practicing their craft on I-95 during rush hour by giving them a ride I am all in.


That is... only if you don't resemble your avatar LOL ( I admit I have read many of you hyper guys threads and have tried it a little in the Wifes SRX with nice results problem is I need a clear road and that is rare)



Looks like the conversation has started to take a turn towards the good that will come out of a new kid on the block investing billions of dollars into electric automobiles.

I hope that the aftermarket kicks up and creates a new modding industry on the level we saw over the past decade with the import tuner crowd. There was little to nothing for them and then when demand kicked up BOOM it was everywhere with new items every day.

I am looking forward to learning more about what works and what doesn't