Video: discussion of several GM Volt aero features

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by lunarhighway

so adding a small ridge just ahead of the trailing edge could be beneficial for FE...


what i don't get is why GM seems to be strugling wich the mucle car look and it's aerodynamics.

in europe trough opel GM has produced some examplary aerodynamic vehicles with cd's between 0.29 and 0.26, from the 80's untill now and with the upcomming opel insignia with a Cd of 0.27 they show they still got it.
and lets not forget the eco speedster... not suitable for the road but certainly a door aero exercice and that car's nose did look like the volt a bit.

there's people working at GM that can totally put together a working practical car with good even sporty looks and top of the line aerodynamics.
just let them do their job and put in an electric engine and slap on whatever badge they want... now remind me again but didn't GM already had some sort of electric engine somewhere they could put in....

I think the "small ridge" was a concession to the stylist.With the wind tunnel they can fine tune with clay,and with smoke wand or rake,and capacity to do real-time lift/drag measurement,they know exactly what's going on and if it's a winner.What a fabulous tool,that wind tunnel!!!!!!!!!----------------- Without such a "toolbag" it's a little tougher for us to do that kind of fine-tuning.--------------------- The upshot for you is that you will not have to please a committee or marketing director,and can be more "daring" and "adventuresome" with your mods.----------------------- I think Bicycle Bob has a very good handle on what GM is doing with the Volt,with respect to the "small ridge" and how it effects the wake.Perhaps with tufting or lamp-black and oil,etc. you could pull off a great functioning wing/spoiler with even higher "voltage".

[tjts1]

Production volt appears 30 seconds into the video.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/...tid=1759811968

BREAKING: Is this the production Chevy Volt in Transformers 2? - AutoblogGreen

[lunarhighway]

i must say that looks much better than the prototype. those topshots are nice to, often they tell more about a cars aero than the side profile.

the rear wheel arches make more sence as they're probably the result of some heavy boat tailing early on, which leaves the wheels outside the main body... stylists will like this as with some visual tricks they can make it appear as if the car has a wider track in the rear than the front.

the fornt half of the car reminds me a bit of the citroen C4 coupé

wich has a Cd of 0.29... not to bad for a rather tall hatchback

i suppose the stylists where not to happy to see the squared muscle car face go.

[donee]

Hi All,

Anybody notice the V's in the wheel design? Kinda like the arrow in FedEx logo.

[MetroMPG]

Added to post #1 up top: a pic of the rear quarter corner and quote from the designer about the function of what he calls a "vertical fin" element.

[cfg83]

donee -

Originally Posted by donee

Hi All,

Anybody notice the V's in the wheel design? Kinda like the arrow in FedEx logo.

I can't see the V's, but I can see something I do like :

Asymmetrical Wheels :


I doubt it will make it into the final version, but it's nice to see.

I also like the fins. Finally a form-follows-function excuse to incorporate fins (or at least finlets).

CarloSW2

[SuperTrooper]

I was just reading in Autoweek magazine that the Volt has an "active" grill with slots that open based on cooling needs. Otherwise, the grill is closed for aerodynamics. Cool.

[Bicycle Bob]

Rolls Royce did that on their earliest cars, and still retain the "Jalousie shutter" styling in their famous grille. Thermostats and water pumps that are designed to be blocked are slightly less efficient than a pump designed for full-flow, too.

[lunarhighway]

new bmw's have this feature too, quite a bit behind the grill there's a series of shutters that interlock when closed. I saw this once on a parked bmw 1 series and while i can't find much detailed information on the web but interestingly i came across i site which lists engine management error codes which has a couple of errors related to "grill shutter" malfunctions.

[MetroMPG]

Another video explaining Volt aero development.

Includes a good demonstration of why if you're going to do a partial grille block, it's better to block the upper than the lower.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMGZca0PpG4