New Chevy Volt & Template....Verrrrrry Interesting
 

Higher Res Version Here

http://i60.tinypic.com/2vmght3.jpg

Saw this on Autoblog and thought it was worth posting.

Just sort of another vote in favor of the Aero Streamlining Template Version 2 having some credibility as I see it.

I don't know what the Cd is on this car. The template goes to 35% or so to the back of the lip on the car here.

They are claiming a ~35% increase in EV range, with a 8% increase in the battery pack capacity, and ~200-242 pound lower weight, so that point to a ~20-25% improvement in Cd?

They may be using more of the battery pack capacity too - they had large buffers to play with, based on data they're getting from the fleet.

Also reported: the electric drivetrain itself is supposedly more efficient.

I knew V2 would be better.

roofline
 

Let's see if the press attacks it.In the past they've really beat up on this roofline with respect to rear headroom and outward vision.
When GM did the first :)Citation concept car they eluded to internal criteria for outward visibilty as justification for the faster contour.This new roof would eclipse that thinking.
Interesting.Thanks!
PS,the Volt has an interesting sideview mirror.The stalk is more streamlined and the main body of the housing is moved well outboard,like Stingray.

Sorta like how rear-mounted jet engines are always spaced out/away from the airflow along the fuselage.

I'm very curious about this as well, but have not seen it mentioned in any article on the car so far. Unfortunately, I think if it was anywhere close to Tesla territory, GM would be trumpeting that fact in the press releases, which leads me to believe they haven't markedly improved it.

Here's a screen cap from their promotional video on the new Volt, with some smoke traces:

http://i1047.photobucket.com/albums/...psb45c472c.jpg

And here's the GM press release dealing with "aerodynamics and aesthetics," including this little nugget: "While a longer, tapered tail generally means better aero performance, it can hamper cargo room and look slightly out of proportion."

That, ladies and gentlemen, is why we can't have nice things.

Nice looking car!

It will be interesting to see how much Chevy improved the efficiency of the new Volt when running on gas. The previous car was a complete disappointment averaging only 37 mpgUS.