"General Motors will unveil an electric concept car, the Chevrolet Volt, which has created the most buzz in advance of the show. G.M. says the Volt, a plug-in hybrid, could deliver the equivalent of 150 miles a gallon. The Volt thus promises — at least in theory, given that it could not be produced without a leap in battery technology — three times the mileage of a Toyota Prius."Judging from the discussion last night at a Sierra Club-sponsored viewing of Who Killed the Electric Car? in Oakland, CA, the Volt might actually be a GM car people would buy.
Saturday, January 6, 2007
It's Got a Name: Chevrolet "Volt" Plug-in Hybrid
With an Auto Show overview article dated tomorrow, Sunday, Jan 7, the New York Times becomes the first publication to name the much-anticipated GM plug-in hybrid vehicle.
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You say "hybrid." It's not a hybrid. It's a "gas-electric" vehicle, just like trains which are "diesel-electric." The diesel motor never powers the train, and the gas motor never powers the Volt. It just produces electricity, when the battery runs low, to recharge the battery that runs the vehicle.
According to many experts, you're talking about the difference between series and parallel hybrids. Not hybrids and gas electrics.
Porsche built what almost everyone considers the world's first hybrid before 1900. He went on to win races, set landspeed records and sell over 300 units in a 4,000 units market!
His hybrid still stands as the most efficient hybrids ever produced at 83%. How did it work? Petrol turbine that produced electricity store in an acculumator that powered electric motors in the wheels.
He probably filed the first hybrid patent, invented front wheel drive and won the first hybrid race.
The Volt is a hybrid just like many trains, ships, submarines, space ships and probably your clothes dryer.
GM is making a mistake in not
providing a larger batery pack, or better still, offering battery pack size options. 40 miles is simply not enough.
Now I see why their 16 kWhr battery pack only is good for 40 miles (it's actually good for around to 50) -
they kick in the generator when it falls below 30%. With the advanced li ion batteries from Altair, that wouldn't be necessary, and I'd assume that the batteries they end up with are highly likely to suffer no great lifespan recution by allowing DOD to approach 100%. They are thinking in terms of old timey batteries. Therefore I am estimating a final range closer to 70 miles for that 16 kWhr capacity battery pack.
This car will definitely happen and be great for us all.
Check out the dedicated enthusiasts site:
http://www.gm-volt.com
Frankly, I think the Volt and the energy savings it promises make for a revolutionary automobile. I have made a site dedicated to the volt here:
http://www.chevy-volt.net
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