GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

There seem to be two major concerns our there about this vehicle’s safety. One is the fact that the battery could overheat and explode. Remember the Sony Li-ion battery recall? This is usually a rare event and there should be safeguard probes within the batteries that cut over current when heat begins to rise too high. But what could happen in an impact? Do we feel that is an issue.

The second item of concern I have heard about is EMFs. EMFs generally refer to magnetic fields which are generated around a flowing current. We have no evidence that magnetic fields are harmful to the body.

The Volt is designed to use new lithium-ion battery packs, which hold a charge longer than the nickel metal hydride batteries currently in use. One problem is that these are known to overheat and catch fire. They are however lighter and already in widespread use in consumer electronics such as laptops and cell phones.

There is much talk on the blog circuit about the battery required for the Volt not being available.  Apparently an issue is the durability of Li-ion batteries, how long will they last? and cost, can a battery pack of this magnitude be manufactured fro a price that will be affordable.  Certainly the rapid advancement of technology and the commensurate price point drops that occur along with it will definitely make this happen, the question is when?

It seems that the General Motor VPs are speaking about a near release of this vehicle. Bob Lutz VP of Global Development for GM states that if “this car was released 10 years from now I would be severely disappointed.”

Lets hope less than 5!

The whole interview can be seen from YouTube here.

Courtesy of cars.com this is a youtube video of cars.com editor interviewing Tony Posawatz from GM about the Volt. He answers the cost question by reporting the electric cost of recharging the battery is ~1/5 the cost of gasoline to traverse the same distance. Thats cool (for now).

See video here:

The Volt is powered totally by an electric engine..thats right its not an internal combustion engine. The system is an electric drive unit consisting of a 120 kW electric motor that turns the drivetrain with 161 hp. This can generate decent speed, with a 0 to 60 of 8.5 seconds, current Prius is 9.8 seconds.

The electric engine is powered directly from 16 kwH Lithium ion battery.

We see from multiple sources that the car could travel up to 40 miles at “normal driving speeds” before a fully charged battery is emptied. The battery itself will have two methods of recharging; an on-the-fly method which is supplied by a 1.0L 3 cylinder on board combustion engine whose only job in the vehicle is to refill the battery. This engine alone give 71HP and can tool the car along from 50 up to 150 mpg depending on the length of the trip. The second method for charging the battery is by plugging it into a 110 volt outlet and draining from the power grid.

Questions for thought?

1) what does this car sound like driving

2) what is the electric cost of a daily 2-way 40 mile commute from typical utility power rates

On January 7th, General Motors introduced the Volt concept car to the world. This is the first vehicle of a new generations of hybrid car with promises for gas-free driving up to 40 miles, and fuel economies up to 150 mpg for longer drives.

Now that were coming close to peak oil and global warming is accelerating, the time has finally come for us to do something about it.

On this site we will keep you informed minute to minute on the developments with this vehicle up to a beyond the day of the first commercial purchase.

Please check back often, register, and join in the discussion!