Chevy VOLT-am I missing something?
 

With all the push these days to alternative energy sources, I heard a ad today for the new Chevy VOLT, a new electric car GM is bringing out in 2009. It stated that this car can travel 40 miles on one charge. 40 miles. Is this some kind of joke or what? I thought the new VOLT would be a world beater, but how can they sell many if all it does is go 40 miles on ONE charge? For many commuters, this would'nt get them to the office and back, or just to the office. Am I missing something?:confused:

pffft

Chevrolet could go that far with an electric car 42 years ago.
http://www.corvaircorsa.com/monzapr7.html

Actually it makes perfect sense. Countrywide most commuters travel less than 40 miles per day. The DOE set that threshold as a target for it's own purposes and GM adopted the standard. It's intended to be the best bang for the buck in order to maximize efficiency and minimize battery costs and weight. For LA, Atlanta, DC and such it may not be enough but for everybody else it will be.

There will never be a good electric car if they dont start somewhere. This thing is a joke though. I could get to the airport and back, if I found a spot in the garage right away.

The electric truck I am building will have a 120 mile range and it takes a LOT of batteries to do this because the battery technology is stagnant.

Toyota came out with the EV Rav4 it had a 120 mile range (perfect in my book) and Chevron bought the battery technology and shut it down.

We need to stop the big oil companies and big 3 from blocking the new technology and we might just get somewhere....


Has anyone seen my tin foil hat?????????

It does/will have a gasoline engine as well. Its supposed to drive a generator which charges the batteries and does not drive the wheels - est. 360 mile range. 50mpg if fully discharged and 150 when charged.

There may be a Tesla in my future. If they prove to be reliable, and have the promised 200 mile range, I will probably get one.

right the 40 mile rane is for pure elec. usage - no gas motor boost & no plugin recharge

meanwhile.... Toyota is said to be working on a Gen II hybrid with Li-ion batteries and some other tricks.

They'll be just in time to be three generations behind the Japanese and two behind the Europeans.

VW's 1L is due out in late 2009 and will get 200+ MPG. Going to production. Gen-III hybrid/electric vehicles from Toyota are due out soon. Gen-III hybrid/electric vehicles from Honda are due out soon. Fuel-cell prototype vehicles can be bought from Toyota today (probably be in production in about 2-3 years).

While everyone else was planning for the death of big, dumb, stupid SUVs knowing full well that the easy money from them wouldn't last forever, GM was (predictably) lounging around asleep at the switch thinking that they could last forever on 6,000-pound pickup trucks and truck chassis with different sheet metal and cupholders slapped on 'em.

I guess showing up in the 3rd or 4th quarter is better than not showing up at all. I guess. Maybe.

Neither was a building a nation-wide network of gas stations and highways to support the automobile. Or tracks for a nation-wide rail system. Or the electric power grid we have today. It will take time and money, but it will get done.

Electric cars will typically be plugged in during off-peak hours (e.g. after owner comes home from work) which is when you have less AC load.

And electric car adoption will be gradual, like everything else. I'd be impressed/surprised if 10% of CA's cars were electric (including plug-in hybrid) in 10 years from now.

But how is the electricity being produced?

Solar panel roofing is looking good to go with a car like this.

You mean like the upcoming version of Prius? :D

AS I understand ti they are incinerating dead Hummingbirds and running a steam gererator.

Throw in a neighbourhood cat or dog and it may keep up the mix for a while.

"Electric cars will typically be plugged in during off-peak hours (e.g. after owner comes home from work) which is when you have less AC load"


I saw a special about the electric grid in CA called the 'most stressful job in America' and they mentioned that when people get home from work, they all crank up the a/c at about the same time and that is the biggest load of the day. Electric cars plugged in at the same time should make it much worse.

The downside I saw to the Volt was the cost. GM expects pricing to be as high as 40 grand - too much for the average Joe. A cheap electric car will sell well.

ok, i listened to NPR. they had some woman involved with the project. they are really diving into this and working with the utilities for a long term solution. apparently it is already happening. they are at 70% capacity, if we should all get a volt. they system is smart. it only charges up late at night when demand is low. it could work, but not for me. for me, i would run out of juice on the bay bridge.

But perfect for the self-righteous "smug" crowd.

You cannot put a price on "smug." :)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1216738525.jpg

Nuclear power is the answer, and it is safe. :)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA280_.jpg

Me too!
 

Me too!

Yes, you are missing something. 40 miles gets most people through their daily commutes, and beyond 40 the motor kicks in to generate charge. For some, they will virtually never need gas, but in general one could still expect a dramatic decrease in fuel consumption (85 mpg?)

It's also a series hybrid, meaning full time electric drive with fuel-fed motor generating electricity. Depending on production locale, could have different motors for different fuel sources, relatively easily (eg ethanol in Brazil, diesel in Europe, gas here).

I think it seems to be a very practical solution as a bridge from fossil fuels to what's next, be it hydrogen or something else.

Cost is the big issue. If indeed it's 40K, that's not going to work for the masses. But the latest word is it will be quite a bit less. Battery tech they claim to have largely in line.

I really hope GM can pull this off, and I for one would buy it as a commuter.

They have to make is considerably less fugly to get me interested in it.

You guys would seriously trust first-generation GM ANYTHING?

You're very brave. I salute your courage.

Fugly didn't stop the prius

Where's my Mr. Fusion, dammit???!!!!

http://journeyhomeburke.files.wordpr.../mr-fusion.jpg

Excellent point!

500 pounds more than the Prius, smaller inside (FAR less leg/head room), smaller OUTSIDE than the Prius, and lots of freaking money...all while being hideous.

Yeah, GM is gonna nail this one too!

Oh...and don't get a flat tire! I figure that the 195/55/21 tires are not going to be cheap...

at least GM is getting in the game again - that's progress (of some sort)

I hope the Honda fuel cells and Toyota adv. Gen 2 hybrids don't leave them too far in the dust...

Lets see:
- Aluminum block Vega (had to add steel sleeves to keep them together)
- Citation front wheel drive (had more problems than a wacko without a therapist)
- Cadillac 4-6-8 (had a class action lawsuit because the car would just shut down on the highway when the computer couldn't handle the info)
Any questions?

Fugly didn't stop the F-117 or the Diablo. Flat triangles are all the rage these days.

The ad didn't mention anything about it being a hybrid with a gas engine. At the high price, limited mileage on a charge, I cant see why the media and GM are banking on this car as a savior for them. OH well, time will tell.

The ad also didn't mention that it was actualy "for sale".
Watch "Who killed the electric car", and disregard the hype.

This is so freaking simple and many parts of the country are already doing it: lower offpeak electricity pricing. Once consumers realize it's much cheaper to wait until 7pm to plug in their cars, much of the load issues will be solved. Sure we'll need more power sources, but it's not like we'll have a million plug in cars on the road overnight. Besides, in Texas we actually build power plants when we need them so it won't be a problem here.

A year or two ago I would have said electric cars will not take off. I'm now convinced they will and here's why:

1) Fuel cost per mile is cheaper in an electric car.

2) The technology is the closest to being available now. Batteries are getting better and offpeak electric pricing is available now. Hydrogen is NOT.

3) Electric power plant emissions are continuously regulated, combustion engine car emissions are not (not that I'm a believer in CO2 emission being the problem, but if it helps the cause, why not.)

I had a first generation GM Buick Grand National. After a grand total of about $1k in bolt-ons it would annihilate most of the Porsches on this board in 0-60, 1/4 mile ET, or top end. And it looked great!

Wouldn't mind having a LOT of various 1st gen GM cars throughout history.

The Grand National was a good car, but. . .

The chassis it was based on (the Buick Regal) and even the engine (the 231 V6, albeit with stronger internals & turbocharger) had been around for several years prior to the retooling/combination to create the Grand National. This is a case of an ENTIRELY new (first generation) vehicle type for GM. Unless you count the EV1s, which they destroyed. And I don't. I suspect any useful data gleaned in the development & production of the EV1 has long since been forgotten about or lost.

I agree with you that the G.N. was a great looking car. Hell, even today I wouldn't mind having one. But I do think that buying a first-generation GM product is something best left for the truly masochistic or those who enjoy turning large piles of money into interesting stories.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b3...TtypeLeft2.jpg
I guess this post is useless without pictures. ;)