Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Coupes, Green, Chevrolet, GM
Detroit Auto Show: Chevrolet Volt Concept
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GM's much-rumored electric vehicle introduction for the North American International Auto Show has indeed been revealed to be the Chevrolet Volt. Built on a new platform referred to as E-flex, the cute coupe spins the front wheels via a 161 HP electric motor and a lithium-ion storage pack with 16 kWh of capacity (a piece of technology that, by GM's own admission, is not yet ready for prime time). An Ecotec-branded turbocharged 71 HP three-banger sits under the hood to spin a 53 kW generator, which provides one method by which to charge the pack; the other consists of a pair of plugs (one on either side) that facilitate charging via a standard 110V connection. Six hours or so of charge time at home is good for 40 miles of range, after which the IE kicks in at a steady 1800 RPM to feed the packs. GM calls it an EV with "range extending capability", but to our eyes, it sure looks like a series hybrid. It also has us asking why a small diesel wasn't employed, as such an engine can provide wonderful efficiency when used at a steady speed and load (as former GM division Electromotive has proven with its locomotives over the past several decades).
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Justin 12:21AM (1/07/2007)
So these should be re-acquired and crushed by 2010...
Cool car...I would like to see it actually mass marketed but the diesel will never be employed.
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AMcA 12:25AM (1/07/2007)
16 kWh capacity. For reference, a Prius has a 1.3 kWh capacity battery.
This is a whole different animal.
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kevin 12:28AM (1/07/2007)
wouldn't been something if this front end was on the new malibu sedan and this vehicle the malibu max!!!!
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Misaniovent 12:34AM (1/07/2007)
Yeah, this is actually a really attractive vehicle, alternate-fuel or not.
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far jr 12:39AM (1/07/2007)
Most current EMD locomotives in use do NOT use constant RPM diesels to charge a battery pack! They vary the speed of the engine to generate more power based on grade and load demands. Electricity is generated directly from the generator to the electric traction motors without any storage ( i.e. batteries). The constant RPM diesel with battery storage is just now becoming avaliable and will only work in lower demand situations.
The Volt seems to be more like an EV-1 with on board recharging ability. I also agree that a small diesel would be more efficient, but also more expensive.
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Chris 12:40AM (1/07/2007)
Problem is that the Prius actually exists AMcA, I don't think this car can exist with current technology, it's all theoretical. Don't Toyota own the company that does all the batteries for this stuff anyway? So it'll just be a normal hybrid by the time it possibly is released, nothing special.
Really looks like a cheapo-futuristic version of the next GT-R though, especially in the side profile like the Cobalt SS is a blantant R34 attempted copy from the rear.
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zetha 12:43AM (1/07/2007)
it's nice to see that the automotive industry is telling the oil companies FU, after the greedy oil companies keep raising their prices and screwing the car industry up
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XJ 1:07AM (1/07/2007)
So will this run on kitten farts?
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Unidentified creature 1:15AM (1/07/2007)
I'm not liking it. First minor complaint is that they're calling it an EV. It is most definitely a series hybred.
Second. If Tesla Motors, a small independant company, can get 250 miles in 2.5 hours of charging out of their straight EV using current technology, why can't multimillion dollar, multinational GM get better?
Sorry to seem like a grouch, but there really are better things out there. Still, I'd take it (Volt) over most other cars out there.
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far jr 1:26AM (1/07/2007)
Chris, GM has contracted with Johnson Controls and Cobasys to help with the lithium ion batteries... Please stop with the" Toyota owns Fuji and Fuji is the only hybrid battery supplier in the world" junk you must have heard from a Prius owner somewhere. The Prius is great but this is better. Toyota may still beat GM with a plug-in, but it's nice to know GM actually has a plan
http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?page=news&newsid=13811
Oh and the electric motors appear to be the same used on the Chevy Equinox fuel cell vehicle (per autoblog green). The Equinox fuel cell IS a 2008 model production vehicle (albeit limited scale) but the motors are production ready.
http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/adv_tech/100_news/fc_fleet_launch_091806.html
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justawatcher 1:30AM (1/07/2007)
The difference between this car and the Telsa is that this is meant to be a high-volume vehicle. The Telsa isn't and it's price reflects it. GM is probably very capable of producing a vehicle of well over 250 mpg. Toyota as well. But they wouldn't make a lot of money on it and would probably be phased out because it would be too expensive.
It's the same with Hydrogen fuel cell tech. The technology is ready to be produced: the only problem is that it's still to expensive to be sold at high volumes and there is almost no infrastructure in place to allow refueling.
This is a big step whether you like it or not.
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Michael Karesh 1:46AM (1/07/2007)
I believe they're calling it an EV because the batteries are good for about 40 miles. So if your commute is under 20 miles each way, and most are, then you would rarely need to run the engine. Just recharge every night.
Of course, the most challenging part of the vehicle is the part that isn't close to ready yet, the battery pack.
Finally, is there a functional reason for the long hood, or is that just for aesthetics?
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Casey 2:06AM (1/07/2007)
This is not a feasible concept. According to other posts I've read, and the NYT article, the batteries that power the Volt aren't even remotely ready for mass-production.
Nice, but pie-in-the-sky. I'll take a Prius, please.
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Matt 2:23AM (1/07/2007)
Yes, Chris, because GM is out to get Nissan, oh my gawd! Not.
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Daniel 2:25AM (1/07/2007)
Great idea - screems out for a small BioDiesel APU.
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Michael 2:38AM (1/07/2007)
Casey, this is perfectly feasible... in fact this very concept is fully functional and large li-ion batteries already exist. What will take 2-3 years is bringing down the cost of the batteries, mass-producing them, and ensuring their durability. But they do seem to have a head start with the engineering, architecture, motors, etc.
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Talis 2:47AM (1/07/2007)
So I take it most of you who post here do not own a dictionary, and do not know what the word "concept" means. This is a HUGE step for anybody. I don’t care if you are a GM Ford Toyota Honda or whatever fan, this CONCEPT is a major step in the DEVELOPMENT of technology.
Get a grip on reality people! If every CONCEPT was 99% ready for production like the Solstice and the Camaro, then GM's R&D (that’s Research and Development for those of you who still comment even though you are still too young to drive) department would be the laughing stock of the industry due to high costs and low execution numbers.
Think of this--here's that word again--CONCEPT as a simple retail transaction. Jon Smith walks into a store to buy a new widget (again, for the morons out there, a widget is any random product used for sake of argument). Jon knows how much he wants to spend on his new widget but when he finds it on the shelf, he finds it costs too much for him.
At this point, Jon has a choice to make. He can either:
A) Pay more than he wanted, causing him to not be able to buy widget accessories.
B) Try a different store and maybe end up paying the same cost (or more if you factor the cost of traveling to a different location)
C) Bargain with the store clerk to see if he can pay the price he wants.
D) Go back home with out his widget and forget the whole trip to the store ever happened.
There is no real right or wrong answer to this little scenario. For the problem GM faces with their EV's the ill fated EV-1 program was more like (A). GM spent a lot to develop a true to the core EV and it ended up costing more than it was worth in R&D costs.
This is more like (C). GM is going to try to haggle a little here—a sort of trade off between a series hybrid and a true EV. The point was made that most people who this vehicle is targeted to would not travel outside of the 40 mile range of the battery's charge.
If for some reason you do travel outside of said range, then a small engine that appeals to most of the current American infrastructure takes over the charging the batteries.
The CONCEPT is still an EV in that the power that turns the wheels only comes from the electric motor and at no point is the car actually being powered by the gas engine alone. I will restate that the gas engine only RECHARGES the batteries via a generator and does not at any point actually drive the wheels.
It has been said by GM and their partners that this technology is no where near production ready. That is the point of making CONCEPT cars. This way if there is a negative reaction to the car or if there is a problem getting the systems to work, the R&D costs can then be allocated to a different project.
Please. If you are too stupid to read the writing on the wall, do not post. Most people just skip over your stupid comments anyway. GM made a CONCEPT to show to the people that they are actively thinking about the many different possibilities out there after the gas engine has gone away.
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JasonSK 2:56AM (1/07/2007)
^ finally somebody on this site with brains.
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Michael 3:20AM (1/07/2007)
And let's not forget that GM will still make "conventional" full hybrids, but with dual-mode gears to boot. But since they missed the first bandwagon, it's only logical they up the ante with plug-ins. The Prius and Insight were once concepts, too...
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AfterGasoline 3:28AM (1/07/2007)
Talis, I agree with you 100%! People spend too much time on here criticizing products due to brand loyalty, and many of the people have never even driven the vehicle they're criticizing.
This is a truly significant advancement, especially as fuel becomes less available. Just imagine how this technology will evolve over the next 20 years....the diesel engine could one day be applied, and with biodiesel use increasing, this would make a minimal impact on the environment, while providing jobs for many Americans to produce the fuel. With our vast quantities of land, the US could possibly even be a major exporter of biodiesel, boosting our economy.
I wonder if this is the system I read about some time ago that was a joint venture between GM and BMW? I read that they were working together to develop a long-distance, ultra low fuel-consuming vehicle.
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