What Will the Chevy Volt Sound Like?

59 Responses to “What Will the Chevy Volt Sound Like?”

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   Dave G Says:
   September 25th, 2007 at 7:03 am

   Lyle – thanks again for a great site. This topic is right on target, and I like the picture!

   2 points:

   1) The indicators and instrumentation on the dash should be as normal as possible. One of the reasons we didn’t buy a Prius was because of all the techno-geek stuff on the dash. If some people want all sorts of extra controls and indicators, then add these to the optional navigation system.

   2) The car should be fairly quiet, but I see no reason to program the engine RPMs to follow the gas pedal. Volt buyers will be expecting the car to feel a little different. If it feels the same as any other car, people may be disappointed.  
   
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   omegaman66 Says:
   September 25th, 2007 at 7:16 am

   Sound with volume control and a mute button and what about OUTSIDE of the Car???

   I can see it now downloading custom ring tones… I mean car sounds for you PHEV… all sorts of sounds! You need to know the car is running from a safety aspect maybe. How about that beep, beep sound that forklifts make when they are backing up. A whole new business. I guess I better start working on a website to sell these custom sounds.  
   
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   omegaman66 Says:
   September 25th, 2007 at 7:18 am

   Hey, cool how about a Volt that sounds like a helicopter to someone on the sidewalk as you drive by?  
   
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   Dave B Says:
   September 25th, 2007 at 7:20 am

   I agree with Dave G. Keep this car as conventional as possible to attract the masses…any strange looks or sounds may turn everyone else off, EV or not.  
   
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   Luke Says:
   September 25th, 2007 at 7:30 am

   If they must choose a synthetic noise, I recommend the vehicle-sound from the Futurama hover-cars. It’s modulated enough to catch the attention of pedestrians and the neighborhood pets, but it would enough unlike a conventional car to make the Volt unique and un-annoying. Plus, Futurama fans, who are probably in the target demographic for this car, would *have* to buy one.

   On the other hand, my inner engineer wants the car to sound like what it is — if it’s nature as an electric car makes it nearly silent, then it should be silent.

   If the the piston-powered generator is annoying or weird (I don’t see how it would be — the generator is what it is), then I’d consider replacing it with a used surplus turbine-powered APU from a helicopter or something. I’d love to be able to run off of (bio)diesel and/or Jet-A — and having a machine that sounds like a baby-Batmobile while it’s waiting at a stoplight wouldn’t be half bad.   
   
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   Tom Says:
   September 25th, 2007 at 7:55 am

   I drove an electric car for about a year (CityCar) It wasn’t much of an auto but loads of fun to drive. The part that I noticed most was setting at a stop light in complete silence, other than that it was good little car for in town driving.My office had an outside plug-in so it was great to have a full charge for my return trip home. I am looking forward to the VOLT and wish it was here now.  
   
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   OhmExcited Says:
   September 25th, 2007 at 8:11 am

   I disagree on avoiding “techno-geek” aspects, unless you just want to attract the typical Buick customer. That could be the most appealing thing to a new generation of car buyers. I stress again (and Bob has said this) be leaders in design and technology. Sub the controls and interfaces out to Apple if you have to.  
   
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   Rashiid Amul Says:
   September 25th, 2007 at 8:18 am

   I have an idea. Let’s do it like the robot on Lost in Space. The car could be shouting, “Warning, Warning, Chevy Volt approaching”, as it goes down the street. Think how much fun that would be. NOT! My vote, I agree with Luke. Keep it natural. For me, the quieter the better. Build it like the concept and without the stupid stuff. If I had to change one thing on the looks, I would prefer not to have a see-through roof.  
   
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   kent beuchert Says:
   September 25th, 2007 at 8:46 am

   I’m old enough to remmeber when it was the mark of a well made car if it was difficult to tell whether the engine was running. Personally, my brain is sharp enough to tell when I’m moving usuing visual cues – I don’t need the sound of an exhaust or engine roaring to tell me what’s happening.
   I want to hear my passenger or the radio, not a cacophony of mechanical sounds. If they install a sound generator, it definitely should contain a volume/on/off switch. If it doesn’t, I’ll build my own.
   As for people being surprised by a lack of noise when they accelerate – so what? They’ll be surprised for 10 seconds and then will accept the power of silence. The Lightning EV supposedly will have a user-selectable menu of engine sounds (presumably no VW diesel Beetle noices) to
   choose from, or none at all. CAn you imagine the confusion years from now when everything is all-electric, and some kid hears an old EV with simulated engine sounds and wonders 1) what in the world those sounds are and 2) after learning what they are, wonders why humans would be so stupid as to put fake sounds into a car that’s “supposed to be silent?” He’ll think
   (with good reason) that the older generation was totally nuts.  
   
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    AES Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 8:57 am

    Lyle-

    “GM might be planning to artificially program the RPMs of the ICE to give it a more natural interaction with the accelerator pedal.”

    If the ICE’s rpm were to change as you describe, this would almost certainly make it deviate out of its ideal efficiency range. This speed is probably going to be no more or less than ~3000 rpm. This makes a lot of sense if you consider that most cars on the road reach their best fuel efficiency at 55mph, which is ~3000 rpm in top gear for most cars. I don’t think the Volt should sacrifice efficiency for “feel”.

    As for the sound of the electric motor, you can look on Youtube for what the EV1 sounded like. Here is the best link I have found:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsdUfAEIEos

    In this video, you can tell that the most noticable noises were:

    1) A metallic whining sound. That likely comes from the gear reduction unit, and not the motor itself. I play around with both AC and DC motors, and neither make much sound at all unless they are part of a gearmotor.

    2) A “bong” sound, that plays in the car cabin while the car backs up, similar to a truck.

    Interesting note: if the Volt is given an artificial sound so people can hear it coming like a “normal” car, wouldn’t the sound experience a doppler effect just like a police or ambulance siren?  
    
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    Estero Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 9:03 am

    I vote for silence!

    Everyone expects noise from a car. A car that is silent sets itself apart from others by its mere silence.

    It is akin to pumping “white noise” into an office environment. A person becomes attuned to that noise. When it is turned off it catches everyones attention.  
    
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    AES Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 9:10 am

    Another problem with modulating the ICE speed to give a traditional sound and feel, is that if GM chooses to employ turbocharging with a very small engine – similar to how it used a turbo’d 3-cylinder in the concept, the exhaust pressure will rise and fall, and the amount of available “boost” will rise and fall as well, resulting in a lot of turbo lag and lost power/efficiency.

    This is going to be an especially big problem with a smaller engine, since these engines produce such low exhaust pressures to begin with. I say ditch the ways of the past, and keep the rpm and boost pressure completely constant, so you maximize the recharging ability.  
    
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    Estero Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 9:14 am

    OhmExcited said:

    I disagree on avoiding “techno-geek” aspects, unless you just want to attract the typical Buick customer. That could be the most appealing thing to a new generation of car buyers. I stress again (and Bob has said this) be leaders in design and technology. Sub the controls and interfaces out to Apple if you have to.

    I agree with OhmExcited. I like techno-geek stuff, including the digital dash. But, the dashboard of the Volt I saw recently was rather interesting, as a beginning.

    There is nothing any more boring that seeing the same old instrumentation that can be found on every other car on the market. Let’s get instrumentation that will set this car apart from all the others!  
    
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    Brian Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 9:22 am

    I think it would probably be illegal to have a car that is totally silent. Pedestrian deaths would rise dramatically.  
    
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    Estero Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 9:27 am

    A couple more points on instrumentation.

    Perhaps GM needs to consult with those who design instrumentation for jet fighters. They convey much information with absolute clarity, all with a fast glance at the instruments.

    Let’s do something so the driver can see the instrumentation without taking ones eyes off the road; redesign the steering wheel, move the instruments or something!

    The way things are now with all cars is the critical instruments are hidden behind the steering wheel. If the steering wheel is left in its neutral position, all is fine. But, once that steering wheel is moved into any other position, it becomes very difficult to see the speedometer, etc.  
    
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    Estero Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 9:32 am

    Brian said:

    I think it would probably be illegal to have a car that is totally silent. Pedestrian deaths would rise dramatically.

    The Volt would never be absolutely silent. There is always road noise, etc. All some of us are suggesting is to NOT introduce artifical noise into the car interior or exterior. Let it be as silent as is possible!  
    
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    Estero Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 9:43 am

    Other points on silence/noise.

    Noise pollution is a serious issue in some areas. How many cities do you know where DOT has built noise barriers along interstate or other highways to insulate neighborhoods from noise? I can think of quite a few in my area and other areas where I frequently travel!

    There is a side benefit for making the Volt and other EV’s as silent as possible. It opens up the possibility years down the road that fewer noise barriers, which are generally ugly as sin and require high maintenance, will need to be built!

    That might be somewhat of a stretch, but who knows!  
    
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    Mark Bartosik Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 9:57 am

    I bought my first new car in 2000, before that all my prior cars were from 1980’s (like 1981).

    When I started the old cars they were noisy and vibrated. So it was real clear that the engine was running. I was quite used to the engine not starting first time in my old cars, so if I didn’t feel anything, I would turn the ignition key again.

    When I got a brand new 2000 model in 2000, one “problem” that I had was knowing that the engine had started after the first turn of the key.

    NO PROBLEM, with a few days, I got used to looking at the rev counter rather then listening for the noise or feeling the vibrations.

    Point:
    It is real nice to have a quite car, certainly from the inside. I soon got used to an almost silent interior (at stand still at least), and adapted to visual prompts.

    On the outside, I do see safety as an issue. For this we probably need some national standards. A national standard would also move some liability away from GM.

    If there is an artificial noise, please have a mute button.  
    
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    Steven B Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 10:27 am

    Would it really be that difficult not to run over pedestrians? I have a hybrid Civic and it’s very quiet and low speeds, even on the outside, and if you’re not listening for it, you won’t hear it, sometimes even when you turn the car on. I just drive around pedestrians to not run them over. Never had a problem with it, though it has only been a year and half. I’d imagine it wouldn’t be totally different with an EV. And for my opinion on the matter, I prefer the sounds to be completely natural. No sound with the range-extender off, except for the sound of the tires on the ground and the chassis turning (I think that makes a sound), and have no sound that isn’t naturally there when the range-extender is on. People will get used to whatever the car does after at most a week. That’s just my opinion, though.  
    
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    Vman Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 10:46 am

    at highway speeds, most of the noise is wind and tires on the pavement. Low speeds will certainly be cool.  
    
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    Jim Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 11:22 am

    Do not artificially create noise. Do not vary the speed of the engine just to make someone think the engine is powering the car. Run it at the most efficient RPM for generation. Do you expect that for the first 40 miles of travel the driver is going to be saying, “Wow, the engine is off and the car is moving! It must be magic!” It’s not like the engine is going to start with a scary bang. If you’re really worried about it, at the most you can give the driver some sort of warning a few seconds before a start or stop.  
    
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    Jim Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 11:42 am

    He says, “the car could advise that if you lower your speed by so many miles an hour, or turn the radio off or turn up the temp on the air conditioning or do all of those that you can make the 20 miles needed to get home.”

    Without the ICE kicking in? Who’s he kidding? That is half of the all electric range! Even if you did all of those things at the beginning of your trip, how much could you extend the all-electric range – maybe 4 miles? (10%) Then I would be getting that warning every time I started my car. Bad idea and waste of effort.  
    
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    Dave G Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 12:43 pm

    Brian Says:
    “I think it would probably be illegal to have a car that is totally silent. Pedestrian deaths would rise dramatically.”

    The Prius already runs near silent at low speeds. At higher speeds, tires make noise as they roll along the road. Not to worry.

    Keep it quiet – don’t add any noise artificially. Make the gas engine run as needed to keep the battery at 30% SOC, don’t artificially make it follow the gas pedal. The only thing artificial I would do for sound is ramp the engine RPMs up and down slowly so as not to startle anyone.  
    
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    Tom Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 12:51 pm

    Instrumentation should be pretty easy. Have a battery gauge next to the gas gauge. When the battery is empty, the engine starts. It won’t be a big mystery to people.

    As for making artificial noise and varying RPMs to increase “car feel”–this is BS. Does GM have any evidence that people won’t “accept” the car without these features? They are solving a problem that they can’t possibly know exists and I suspect doesn’t exist.  
    
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    Tim Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 3:11 pm

    There will be PLENTY of noise from just the tires rolling down the road.

    Let there be peace & quiet!  
    
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    Steven B Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 3:43 pm

    Slightly unrelated question: How many RPM’s would the engine have to run for the turbocharger to work? I’ve never owned a car with a turbocharger so I don’t have any experience with it. But as I understand, it needs to be in some mid-range for it to operate. Answers?  
    
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    Pete K Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 3:45 pm

    I have been driving an EV for nearly 2 years now (Citroen Berlingo 500E). One of the great pleasures of driving is the complete silence when stationary and the near silence of light tyre rumble and airflow noise when in motion. If GM add artificial noise then I’ll wait to buy a quiet Japanese or European replacement instead of the Flextreme here in the UK. That would be a shame because I’m otherwise very excited by all that I’ve gleaned about the Volt. On which subject thanks Lyle for this excellent website – it is the first place I go every time I sit down at my PC!  
    
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    ROMI Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 4:31 pm

    I have seen the noise issue with EV come up before. The hearing impaired have already voiced concern over silent cars. If one of them was hit and or killed by a Volt or any other EV, there would be huge legal issues. If people can get away with spilling hot coffee on themselves, GM would not have a chance defending the silence of their cars.

    Also, most pedestrian accidents occur at lower speeds when you would not hear tire and wind noise coming from an EV anyway.

    If you ever get the chance, and you drive a manual, try going down the street at 30 mph, roll the windows down, throw it in neutral and shut the car off, there is a big noise difference. No one would hear you coming.

    Now, I do not agree the vehicle should be made to act like a normal gas vehicle, but something needs to be added so pedestrians can hear something at lower speeds.  
    
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    mark haynes Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 4:49 pm

    One of the most telltale signs of something wrong with your car is a strange noise. In that respect a silent car would be perfect.I to say silent is the right path !  
    
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    Tom Crowley Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 4:55 pm

    Ok
    I think GM should treat the engine noise like a ring tone.
    Each one of us can have there own noise for there Volt.
    On the way to work a small motor noise.
    Friday & Saturday night BIG V* engine noise
    Keep the dash clean
    just the basic gages.  
    
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    pstoller78 Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 5:48 pm

    I have seen the noise issue with EV come up before. The hearing impaired have already voiced concern over silent cars. If one of them was hit and or killed by a Volt or any other EV, there would be huge legal issues. If people can get away with spilling hot coffee on themselves, GM would not have a chance defending the silence of their cars.

    Is the car going to be invisible as well, otherwise I think it is reasonable to ask that people watch were their going.  
    
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    Rashiid Amul Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 5:55 pm

    I don’t know. How many of you have run over a pedestrian? None? One? Is this really an issue or a made up problem? Mothers should have taught their children to look both ways before they cross the street. For the blind though, that could be a sincere problem. Really, how silent is an EV going 30 mph? Can a person with normal hearing hear them coming? I have never been close to one, never mind driven one. Is there a whine from the electric motor that is loud enough?  
    
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    noel park Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 6:32 pm

    Brilliant comments, as usual.

    I agree on the sound. Keep it natural. Listen to a Prius. The tires and aero drag make plenty of noise.

    I agree with Rashiid, 8:18 AM. Please, no glass roof panel. Or make it optional. It will only increase the AC load. Also, my older eyes hate the glare. I hate those @#$%^ things!

    Keep the engine at its optimum rpm. That’s the whole object of the exercise.  
    
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    David Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 7:01 pm

    I think people will adjust to driving without the sound of an engine, at least a lot easier then people will adapt to the results of global warming.

    This has to be about the least important factor to consider in designing an EV, unless their are social concerns that people may have to fill the quiet with… conversation? Dread!  
    
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    Spencer Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 7:27 pm

    With this strike, the Volt might literally make no noise at all…I hope that they can work things out soon.  
    
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    Luke Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 7:57 pm

    Steven B,

    Short answer: The turbo in my car stars being noticable to the driver at about 1500, and seems to be doing its job fully at around 2000 RPMs.

    I drive a Jetta TDI, which has a turbocharged diesel engine. It’s a little different than the turbos that people fit on gasoline engines, but it’s probably more like the type of turbo you’d expect on a fixed-RPM generator, since the turbo on my TDI is an integral part of the engine. I expect that, were the turbo to be removed, that the engine in my TDI would barely run.

    If I have my windows open and I’m listening carefully, I can hear the turbo spinning as soon as I start the car. (This isn’t surprising since the only thing that impedes the spinning of the thing is the blades on the compressor-side). Anyway, I’ve noticed that my engine has a surprising amount of power-gain between 1500RPM and 2000RPM, and the turbo also starts making it’s characteristic whine at those RPMs.

    However, I imagine that if you match the turbo to the airflow through the engine, you could make the turbo go to its full potential anywhere between 100 RPMs or at 10000 RPMs — it’s all about matching the exhaust flow to the blades, AND about making sure that it can turn the compressor. I think it gets interesting when the turbo is supposed to be effective over a wide range of engine-speeds and power-outputs — then you get wastegates, variable geometry turbos, and related coolness.

    (Disclaimer: As you can tell, I’m not a combustion engineer, but I occasionally drink beer with them and/or fix their computers.)  
    
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    Drake Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 10:02 pm

    I could see GM adding a low-cost, low-voltage device that adds a slight, constant sound to the Volt when it drives. This would not only make the car safer (we have 100 years of stored up knowledge that cars are noisy) but also make the Volt more accepted by the average consumer that would otherwise become confused and afraid of a silent car (/sarcasm).

    Concerning the Volt’s dash board, I hope it includes a larger screen than is currently in the Prius and include even more technical information about the car’s engine, battery, mpg, etc. Also, I would love to see statistics like a lifetime charge total, lifetime mpg, and lifetime total electricity usage. A less detailed version of the interface should probably come as default, however.  
    
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    Keith Rogers Says:
    September 25th, 2007 at 10:18 pm

    It’s the responsibility of DRIVERS to watch out for and yield to pedestrians. This is a “visual” task of the driver – so sound is irrelevant. Make it QUIET!

    FYI: It’s NOT illegal to have a quiet car, how silly!  
    
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    omegaman66 Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 12:17 am

    Kids and adults are killed everyday when the driver is NOT at fault. A little sound for a warning would save a few lives. Sound inside and out should be optional and customizable, just like a ringtone. Easy option. Can’t believe so many people are getting all worked up over this extremely unimportant aspect of the car.  
    
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    Rashiid Amul Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 5:50 am

    Keith says, “FYI: It’s NOT illegal to have a quiet car, how silly!”

    Keith, with the lawyers and lawsuits we have today, it really wouldn’t surprise me. Yes it does sound very silly, but plenty of States have silly laws on the books. Some are trying to regulate pants size now.

    Drake, great idea about life time stats. Also, daily, weekly, monthly would be nice. These could be looked at or simply ignored depending on the driver. I drive 101 miles a day and would have to plug-in twice a day. The stats would really interest me.  
    
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    David Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 6:15 am

    The lawyers would have a better time filing lawsuits against iPod or Walkman for plugging kids ears up so they cannot hear approaching cars.

    I’m a believer in one taking responsibility for ones own actions; playing in the streets or walking our without looking is just plain stupid. Isn’t that just part of Darwin’s law of natural selection anyways?

    I would have to vote; make it run quietly.  
    
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    Dave G Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 6:49 am

    Guys, like I said before, the Prius already runs with the gas engine off frequently. Except for tire noise, it’s completely quiet. So if anyone is going to get sued, Toyota would be first, and that hasn’t happened.  
    
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    wattgehtab Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 7:17 am

    As if they would not have any other problems. To do an advantage artificially to a disadvantage: Noise is unhealthy.
    Make it quiet – don’t add any noise artificially!

    Greeting
    Markus  
    
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    Bill Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 8:13 am

    Why would the Volt need a turbocharger?

    The ICE is going to be running at a near constant RPM, maximized for efficiency.

    And a compressed natural gas (CNG) option should be available.

    CNG is the fuel to burn if you want to be green but still need an ICE, and there is plenty of infrastructure to support it (home refueling stations are avalable in CA & NY)  
    
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    AES Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 8:22 am

    “Why would the Volt need a turbocharger?”

    Turbocharging can improve overall efficiency in that you can get the required amount of power out of a smaller displacement engine. For example, the new Astra turbo has a 1.4 liter engine, but gets the same power as the 1.8. But since it’s smaller, it burns less fuel.  
    
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    Marty McFly Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 9:15 am

    Just add a pedestrian radar.

    When it senses a small object in the way, a loud speaker will shout “GET THE @#$% OUT OF THE WAY” !!!!!

    Simple ;>)  
    
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    Steven B Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 10:17 am

    For the sound, again, my opinion is keep it natural. For the instrumentation, keep a few measures (speed, charge, available fuel, rpms [both motor and engine], engine temp, oil, and a conventional GM odometer [with life miles drien, trip, etc.] and I’d also like to have an MP3 jack and a control that lets me download driving stats onto an iPod, Zune, or even cell phone) and do it in-dash, like conventional vehicles, behind the steering wheel, not in the center of the dash, and maybe two-tiered if that would work better. Also, do it in the most space-efficient and stylish way possible.

    And a reminder: previous news releases here have indicated that the range-extender will be VARIABLE rpm, not constant. The reason I asked about the turbocharger is because the lowest rpm that the turbocharger works at will probably function as the output floor. So even if the car is stopped, but is being charged, the engine wouldn’t go below that rpm.  
    
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    David Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 10:26 am

    I would like to keep the range extender engine kept as simple as possible, as long as it is efficient as well. Personally I would only need the range extender four times a year when I drive to Disney World.

    One major attraction I have towards a true EV is the potential for reduced maintenance costs. A generator to charge the batteries should be a lot simpler to replace (and cheaper too) if need be then to maintain a motor and everything needed to power the wheels in a typical gas vehicle.  
    
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    Luke Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 11:18 am

    Drake,

    Hopefully the dashboard/display will also provide an interactive tool for querying the check-engine light and other on-board diagnostic systems. I have a copy of VAG-COM for my VW Jetta, and it’s extremely valuable – I’m no longer guessing about what’s happening under the hood, and I’m no longer begging dealers to read the check-engine light $100 and hoping that they’ll fix whatever it happens to be. After using the more advanced tool, which allows me to query things like the ATF temperature and the MAF reading, the little handheld ODB-II scanner that I use on my Ford Ranger just doesn’t cut it. If amateur mechanics can interact with the car’s diagnstic system like an adult, then only good can come of it.

    If GM is concerned about fraud or people resetting the check-engine light when they shouldn’t, they can take a que from the computer-idustry and log every action that the diagnostic system sees to some sort of write-once-read-many memory. The key here is that I have the same abilities as the dealer to see what’s going on under my hood. Then, I can make informed decisions about the car maintenance. I’m much more likely to take the vehicle to a dealer or high-end repair-shop if I know that such-and-such a sesnor is giving me bogus readings — I’m not going to be talked into something that’s unnecessary, and if the cost is dramatically higher than I expected, I can see how, say, the crankshaft position sensor reading being bogus might mean that I need a new timing belt. On the other hand, if all I need is a MAF, then I can swap that in 5 minutes in my driveway – instead of just being resigned to loosing power on older cars.  
    
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    Luke Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 11:40 am

    One thing that bothers me about the discussion about whether the Volt’s generator-noise should vary with the speed, rather than with the electrical demand (or not at all), is the question of whether the Volt should try to be everything to everyone one. GM already tried that, and the result was the SUV. It can do anything, but it is optimized for nothing; I don’t want one. If someone wants a Buick, or traditional car/truck/SUV, then GM should try to sell them that. The Volt is a new class of machine.

    The Volt should be optimized for what it is – an electric car suitable for commuting, grocery runs, and the occasional road-trip. No faking. No bloat. A daily-driver. With good engineering, that is accessible to the owner on many and all levels.

    If the Volt is that car, then my kind will be drawn to it like moths to a bug-zapper. And, yes, maybe I’ll own another vehicle (probably a compact pickup truck) that is optimized for other purposes.

    P.S. If you want to know what I mean by “accessible”, refer to the following:
    1. The guy who wants to download performance data to the ipod.
    2. My comments about interacting with the onboard diagnostic system.
    3. PriUPS backup household generator: http://www.priups.com/riddle/answer-1.htm
    4. Prius as a comfortable, efficient, air conditioned mobile HAM radio station:
    http://wa8lmf.net/mobile/prius/index.htm
    That guy can pull power from his drive battery all night for the Prius’s air conditioning, and to power his radio station — without draining his gas tank or wearing out his engine.  
    
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    noel park Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 11:47 am

    Why didn’t I think of it???

    Just do it LA style. Roll down the windows and play rap or nortenos as loud as the stereo will go.

    Actually, that gives me a great idea for a sure fire new option. Mount external speakers on the car so that we can annoy our neighbors and warn pedestrians without having to turn up the sound inside until the woofers rattle and buzz.

    Maybe they could do double duty and switch over to GET THE @#$%^& OUT OF THE WAY, per the brilliant suggestion of Marty McFly.  
    
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    AES Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 12:02 pm

    “Will the driver be shocked when the ICE kicks in?”

    I highly doubt it. The ICE will almost definitely not start using a conventional starter motor. Perhaps it will use the generator itself to start, similar to what GM already employs with its belt-alternator-starter (BAS) mild hybrids. That system allows for large ICE’s to start/stop very very smoothly, so I see no reason why there would be a significant shock when the system kicks in.

    In summary, based on this and the other points I’ve mentioned about maintaining efficiency, I think this whole thing is a non-issue.  
    
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    noel park Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 4:02 pm

    AES:

    I agree. It is a non-issue. Next case.

    Lyle:

    52 comments? You are doing great. That’s more that “Fastlane” gets on most posts – sorry Bob. And as to FYI, it speaks for itself.

    Well done!  
    
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    AES Says:
    September 26th, 2007 at 9:34 pm

    “And a reminder: previous news releases here have indicated that the range-extender will be VARIABLE rpm, not constant. The reason I asked about the turbocharger is because the lowest rpm that the turbocharger works at will probably function as the output floor. So even if the car is stopped, but is being charged, the engine wouldn’t go below that rpm.”

    The only situation in which I see the engine going below ~3000 rpm is during start/stop. Only situation I see it going above that nominal speed is if the driver is draining the battery so quickly the genset can’t keep up – e.g. if the car is being driven at 100mph down the highway.  
    
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    ug Says:
    September 27th, 2007 at 12:22 am

    “Now, I do not agree the vehicle should be made to act like a normal gas vehicle, but something needs to be added so pedestrians can hear something at lower speeds.”

    It’s called a HORN.

    You know people put bells on their bikes for a similar reason. Going round a blind curve? Beep your horn.  
    
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    LabRat Says:
    October 1st, 2007 at 8:54 pm

    Timely article. In fact the SAE HEV Technical Committee just started looking into minimum noise levels for vehicles. The National Federation of the Blind had a compelling pitch. We must face the fact that EVs may have to make noise. (As long as its more pleasing then the ‘bird chirps’ at intersections)

    http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7555520

    Noisier cars may save some injuries/lives in the long run.  
    
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    Jim Says:
    October 3rd, 2007 at 8:16 am

    Ok, I guess I have to take a step back from my previous post. Apparently, blind people really are having issues with the lack of noise from hybrids.

    http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/blind-people-hybrid-cars-pose-hazard/n20071003012309990002  
    
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    Rashiid Amul Says:
    October 5th, 2007 at 12:03 pm

    Why not just cure blindness and keep the cars quiet? This would be a better choice for everyone.  
    
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    Owners' Stories - Tesla Motors Club Forum Says:
    April 4th, 2009 at 11:50 pm

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