Why someone ISN'T going to buy a Chevy Volt

[cfg83]

KITT222 -

Originally Posted by KITT222

...

The off-the-shelf 4-cylindar engines are 2.4, 2.2, and 2.0 liter variations, as of now at least from what I know. The one in the Volt is a 1.4. Not sure if it was purpose made for the Volt, but the turbo version is in the base Cruze. The Cruze will also have a 1.8, I think.

...

The 1.4 is off the shelf. The Ecotec 4-banger has been as low as 1.1 liters :

GM Family 1 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There were considering an Ecotec 1.0 3-banger from the Opel Corsa (you'll also see the 1.4 in the engine option list) :

Opel Corsa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

However, they claimed it was too "rough", aka noticeable to the driver when it engaged.

CarloSW2

[KITT222]

Originally Posted by cfg83

KITT222 -



The 1.4 is off the shelf. The Ecotec 4-banger has been as low as 1.1 liters :

GM Family 1 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There were considering an Ecotec 1.0 3-banger from the Opel Corsa (you'll also see the 1.4 in the engine option list) :

Opel Corsa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

However, they claimed it was too "rough", aka noticeable to the driver when it engaged.

CarloSW2

Didnt know that. Why havent smaller motors been in previous cars then? Something with being underpowered? Too 'noticeable'? Help me with that. I guess the Ecotec series is reliable enough, so why fix whats not broken?

[cfg83]

KITT222 -

Originally Posted by KITT222

Didnt know that. Why havent smaller motors been in previous cars then? Something with being underpowered? Too 'noticeable'? Help me with that. I guess the Ecotec series is reliable enough, so why fix whats not broken?

Go to European car websites and you will usually see maybe 5 engine options for one car. Here in the USA we have far fewer because of the lack of diesel options and the expectation that a car must have fast 0-60 times. We are about to get the Ford Fiesta, but there are even smaller cars in the EU like the Ford Ka. Microcars make more sense in the narrow streets of "Medieval" EU cities.

Regarding more noticeable, remember that the driver doesn't start the engine, the ECU/PCM decides when to start the engine. GM wanted this to be transparent to the driver. They determined that the 3-banger was too noticeable, especially when they added a turbo. Here is my source :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...der-12005.html

... why GM went with the 1.4 L non-turbo 4 cylinder engine and found out some other interesting things.
For one thing, per Nitz, "the 1.4L NA four has better brake-specific fuel consumption than the 1.0L turbo when used in steady state mode, as it will be in the Volt application."
Also Nitz claims the four cylinder engine will provide for a smoother transition from EV to range extension saying "the objective is to keep the engine off and when the engine comes on, you don’t want to know it’s on. You want it really smooth and four cylinder is smoother than a three."
Nitz also noted that the four cylinder has a lower cost and that when the turbocharging architecture is added to the 3-cylinder engine, the non-turbo four cylinder engine setup is actually lighter.

CarloSW2

[MetroMPG]

Thread moved out of "fossil fuel free" and into the "hybrid" forum.

Despite GM's insistence, I'm not convinced that a vehicle carrying a gasoline engine (even if it doesn't directly drive the wheels) isn't a hybrid.

Certainly it's not "fossil fuel free"!

[gone-ot]

...maybe GM means the "Fossel" is free, but the "fuel" isn't?!?!

[KITT222]

Originally Posted by cfg83

KITT222 -



Go to European car websites and you will usually see maybe 5 engine options for one car. Here in the USA we have far fewer because of the lack of diesel options and the expectation that a car must have fast 0-60 times. We are about to get the Ford Fiesta, but there are even smaller cars in the EU like the Ford Ka. Microcars make more sense in the narrow streets of "Medieval" EU cities.

Regarding more noticeable, remember that the driver doesn't start the engine, the ECU/PCM decides when to start the engine. GM wanted this to be transparent to the driver. They determined that the 3-banger was too noticeable, especially when they added a turbo. Here is my source :

http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...der-12005.html


CarloSW2

I did notice the several engine options the several times I type .co.uk into the search bar. The Cruze alone has i think 8 variations (auto transmission options were included as a variation) and here in America there's i think 6 for the Cobalt, auto tranny option included as a variation.Only thing is that a few of the Cruze engines dont have an auto option. They have like 4 diesels. Thats why they have more motor options than we do. Wow. Who'd thought that a larger engine was lighter, cheaper, and easier to manage. I know about those micro 'city cars' I call them. The Matiz gets excellent fuel economy, but its for those in the city because of its size. Problem is, we arent an urban country, we have freeways. Lots and lots of freeways. People want to get to point B faster and faster. Cars would be faster and more economical if they stayed smaller. The Cobalt is my example. Its larger, and more efficient than its predecessor, the Cavalier. Just imagine how great the fuel economy would be if they just re-did the car in the same size as the Cavi? The 'car bloat' leads each car to be bigger and bigger, yet more efficient than the last. If they were to stay small, imagine how great fuel economy would be!

[The Atomic Ass]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I HATE scrolling through digital temp, blower, and vent settings!

My mother had an '83 Buick Riviera with a similar, push button kind of setup. It sucked hard. (especially after the buttons started dying)

[cfg83]

KITT222 -

Originally Posted by KITT222

I did notice the several engine options the several times I type .co.uk into the search bar. The Cruze alone has i think 8 variations (auto transmission options were included as a variation) and here in America there's i think 6 for the Cobalt, auto tranny option included as a variation.Only thing is that a few of the Cruze engines dont have an auto option. They have like 4 diesels. Thats why they have more motor options than we do. Wow. Who'd thought that a larger engine was lighter, cheaper, and easier to manage. I know about those micro 'city cars' I call them. The Matiz gets excellent fuel economy, but its for those in the city because of its size. Problem is, we arent an urban country, we have freeways. Lots and lots of freeways. People want to get to point B faster and faster. Cars would be faster and more economical if they stayed smaller. The Cobalt is my example. Its larger, and more efficient than its predecessor, the Cavalier. Just imagine how great the fuel economy would be if they just re-did the car in the same size as the Cavi? The 'car bloat' leads each car to be bigger and bigger, yet more efficient than the last. If they were to stay small, imagine how great fuel economy would be!

I think this is a good example of the USA Ford Focus :



Two engines, same displacement, 2 trannys, leaving 4 configurations. Now here's the UK Focus :



8 different engine displacements, 7 gas configurations and 6 diesel configurations for 13 total configurations.

And here's the Opel Astra :

[EDIT: I swapped the picture out because I mixed up the Volt and Cruze engine. Modified image below. Sorry!!!!]


5 engine displacements, 7 gas configurations and 5 diesel configurations for 12 total configurations.

CarloSW2

[orange4boy]

In defence of some high tech vehicles, they have their own appeal but need to be modded to bring out the best. I don't think it's the high tech that's the problem.

I don't know about the Volt, but the Prius is very high tech automatic hybrid vehicle and an enjoyable one to drive. It handles well. You can still control the transition between EV and gas somewhat which has it's own unique pleasure. The engineering is still a thing of beauty and the drive train is pleasingly simple. There is no way to avoid a certain drive by potentiometer feel in an electric car though. I have to say I don't miss the power band lag of a standard ICE configuration.

The gen1 Prius has the three knob HVAC (Still the best config. like Franks f150) with climate control but like Peter I wish it had a full range of gauges. I had a Graham scanner for a while that gave me a choice of 50 sensors to watch, of which 4 could be selected for viewing at any given time. Geek heaven.

I think the manufacturers are missing the geek factor in these cars although they seem to give the muscle car crowd their fix of old school gauges. They know damn well that the early adopters will be eco-nerds so why the lack of gauges?

[talldudenumber5]

what about the nissan leaf add a solar panel to that and drive without gas