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Spy Photos: Chevy Volt Mule on the Test Track

April 16th, 2008 | Posted in: Images

Spy photos have surfaced on the Internet of one of the Chevy Volt test mules making its way around the test track presumably at GM’s Milford proving grounds.

We know GM has been running these using 2005 Malibu skins for the past 6 months. Except for using a 1 to 2 mile range NiMh battery pack, these mules have all the specific Volt hardware including electric motor and on-board generator. We also know this month of April is when the first full 16 kWh lithium-ion packs go into the test cars.

I checked in with GM today and they have not confirmed whether a lithium mule has moved yet, so I suspect the above picture is a NiMh mule.

Source (Jalopnik ) and (Leftlanenews )

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Posted by: Lyle

42 Responses to “Spy Photos: Chevy Volt Mule on the Test Track”

AES Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 8:01 pm

Despite the humble appearance: AWESOME
AES Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 8:04 pm

Not sure what all the equipment on the exterior is, but it might be temperature monitors.
ksuhwail Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 8:33 pm

Whats up with the huge fender flares? I wonder if the volt will need a muffler like that?
o.jeff Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 8:48 pm

All very encouraging. The recent high gas prices only add to vital nature of the Volt project. I believe it will be a major leap for energy independence, a major leap for the environment, and a major leap for geopolitical security — and potentially a major leap for the economy and for GM itself.

I hope someone is writing a book like Tracy Kidder’s “The Soul of a New Machine” about the Volt project. Nobody will remember the Data General Eclipse computer profiled in that book, but I guarantee you everyone will remember the Chevy Volt. (Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine )
Arch Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 8:53 pm

Well lets hope this is for real. I just want to see some progress. I am tired of all the talk. Other sites are making fun of Lutz. They are going to have to give us something to chew on SOON. JMHO

Take Care
Arch
nasaman Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 8:53 pm

1, 2 AES….

AWESOME IS RIGHT!!!

Regarding the exterior equipment, I’m sure it includes accelerometers for each axis to accurately record how the car responds to the driver’s braking, steering and accelerator inputs. (Years ago I designed an automotive crash data recorder prototype that recorded virtually everything imaginable —e.g., accelerator pedal position, steering wheel position, brake pressure, 3-axis accelerometers, etc, against a precision time track that allowed an exact reconstruction of vehicle dynamics in the lab.) GM will be recording these kinds of parameters and more in the mules to study the drive train’s control, handling, smoothness, etc —as well as (probably) the vehicle’s responses to extreme braking, cornering & emergency manuevers.
Jason M. Hendler Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 9:03 pm

I am still pinching myself that GM could execute such a brilliant development effort so well. They have all their ducks lined up and they keep knocking them down.

More stunningly, no other automakers are making any announcements in response - they are all flat footed. Toyota is talking about adding more batteries to the Prius, switching to Li Ion and eeking out a few more mpg, but you gotta figure they are losing even more performance.

GM is going to grab market share for sure.
ThombDbhomb Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 9:30 pm

#7 Jason M. Hendler

I wouldn’t sell the competition short. Grabbing market share may be tough if you are offering a $40k fuel sipper and your competition is offering a $25k fuel sipper.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m rooting for the Volt.
Grizzly Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 9:34 pm

GM should have taped up this car like the 1/3 scale and we’d all be arguing whether it was the real Volt, and it’s distinguishing features, and GM could sit back and chuckle a little after all their hard work.

Folks, I think they mean business!
Nick Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 9:37 pm

I agree with 8… GM, you need to get the pricing to 29k.
Nick Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 9:45 pm

40,000 cars at $25,000 (invoice) is a billion dollars…
Kevin R Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 9:58 pm

I’m rooting for GM’s Volt to replace the model-T as the number one selling car in America and changing the entire paradigm.
Ziv Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 10:06 pm

How did they know it was a Volt mule? That is a heck of a muffler for a car that probably has about a 1kWh battery and a 1.0l engine.
Can’t wait for the first spy shot of the new volt tooling around a test track!
Paul-R Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 10:31 pm

I think it’s more important that the initial Volt be priced competitively, not just below some arbitrary dollar amount.

I suspect the 0-60 performance of the Volt could be greatly increased (for little extra cost) and it would still be just as efficient. That’s the nature of electric drive … there’s almost no price penalty for performance.

People will pay for performance. That’s why Tesla started with a performance model.
Eric Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 10:38 pm

Is it me, or does the front end of the vehicle seem extremely compressed and low to the ground? I wonder if this has to do with the electric motor, battery, and generator being heavier than the standard Malibu equipment?

I guess I would’ve expected lighter rather than heavier, especially with such a small NiMH pack, if that’s what the prototype pictured is using.
George K Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 10:55 pm

Cool!!!
jscott1000 Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 11:19 pm

I don’t understand all the muffler comments…a 1.0 l engine needs to exhale just like any other internal combustion engine. If I get one I want dual exhaust with chrome tips.

Exciting to see the mules on the road. It will be even more exciting when the Li-Po mules hit the test track.
Jeff M Says:
April 16th, 2008 at 11:23 pm

These are test mules… ie. they are the frame and skin of one of GM’s other vehicles with the drivetrain that will be in the Volt… so I don’t think we can go by the looks of the mule.

In any case, has anyone seen the relatively biased (toward Prius) article comparing the paypack period of buying a Volt over the 2009/2010 Prius? See http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/the-great-hybrid-showdown-chevrolet-volt-vs-toyota-prius/ … seems to be a hundred comments there already so I actually left mine at http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=18013
ThombDbhomb Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 12:49 am

#18 Jeff M

As JimI said a couple of posts ago, the article has been discussed, and is being discussed, in the forum under:

http://www.gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=248
OhmExcited Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 2:10 am

Can anyone explain that “spy photos” are not actually from spies, but intentionally leaked from insiders with approval from the top?

As an aside, if GM made an e-flex Malibu for the same price of a Malibu, the Camry would become a thing of the past.
Joe Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 5:55 am

The high price to begin with for the Volt is to be expected. That is the way marketing works. We all know that! When the HD tv first came out they were high price. Well, the same will apply with the Volt. In time it will probably get cheaper than a regular car because it will have less mechanicals and more electrical.
mmcc Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 5:58 am

Off topic alert…
FYI - On April 22, NOVA will air “Car of the Future” hosted by Tom and Ray Magliozzi of NPR’s “Car Talk”. I’m sure the Volt will be mentioned.
Ziv Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 6:49 am

Thanks Ohm, I always thought spy shots were taken by auto-papparazi with very long lenses.
Ahhh… The illusions of youth meet the cold light of day…
BillR Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 6:54 am

Although we can see the Malibu mule, this is essentially nothing new. We learned a few weeks ago when Lyle was in MI that they have been driving these mules for 6 months now.

In addition, Chevy has released a number of fuel cell Equinox’s for public use, and these vehicles use the same basic electric drivetrain as the Volt. This would suggest to me that a great deal of testing has already been completed on this drive system (only without Li-Ion batteries).

With other carryover items from the EV-1 such as a heat-pump heating/AC system, electro-hydraulic braking, a center tunnel mounted battery pack, etc., it would seem that the Volt development is well underway.

The one item that seems to be getting little attention in the press is the ICE. As far as I know, this engine doesn’t exist, at least not in a form that GM would use. It will be interesting to see if it comes with direct gas injection and what the other parameters will be like compression ratio, turbo boost pressure, etc. The efficiency of this engine will have a direct bearing on the non-electric MPG for this car.

But to me, their progress is stellar, and we are just 15 months beyond its original introduction at the Detroit Auto Show!
Jim I Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 7:03 am

This is all really great news!

I just hope that these tests are up to spec, and the Li-Ion mules work as designed. Because then the next giant step for GM will be to formally annonce that the Volt IS a production vehicle and to schedule ACTUAL production numbers and dates!!!

Go GM, Go!!!
Jeff Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 7:06 am

Nice sunny weather at the test track…wonder if any laps heve been completed in the snow and ice.
Brad Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 7:07 am

I wouldn’t doubt GM throws the volts internal stuff into an actual malibu shortly after the volt goes into production and offers a cheaper alternative to the volt and compete better with the cheaper rivals like the prius.
TOM M Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 7:21 am

At seventy two, I believe I am witnessing history in the making. I know we had electric’s back in 1894 but not of this caliber. I know GM is taking a lot of heat from Toyota and others but if we had this mind set back in the 19th century, we still be reading by candle light !
My best wishes and prayers are with you GM, GO VOLT !!!!

PS: Seniors are on the priority list for delivery of the first VOLTS !!
jabroni Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 7:45 am

Ya gotta love the use of duct tape on the rear!
David Rall Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 8:29 am

When I saw the duct taped sensor cables I knew this was a real track test - not some silly marketing “secret” photo-op.
JPhillips Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 8:43 am

#24 BiilR

An engine running at 1 or 2 set RPM’s will definitley in my mind get 50mpg, if not more. Once the human factor is removed from the combustion engine, they can actually be quite efficient. I think a better comparison for the 1.0L engine would be one off of a generator, that also runs at a set RPM.

Am i the only one who thinks we may see way better MPG than 50 on the ICE?
BillR Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 9:27 am

#31 JPhillips

The final MPG under gas only operation will depend upon the ICE efficiency, the drag on the final design, and of course factors like is the AC running, outside air temperature, etc.

I posted the following under the “New Tank Range” post.

A gallon of gasoline has the equivalent energy of about 36.6 kWh. GM has indicated that the Volt will require 0.200 kWh per mile of energy (the EV-1 tested at 0.168 kWh per mile at 60 mph). At 50 miles per hour, the Volt will need an estimated 10 kW of power. If the system efficiency (electric motor, power electronics, generator efficiency, etc.) is 10/36.6 or 27%, the Volt will indeed get 50 mpg at 50 mph.
MikeG Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 9:28 am

#31 JPhillips

The Volt’s ICE does not run at a constant RPM. When the Battery gets to 30%, the ICE kicks in and keeps the battery at 30% and provides the variable amount of power that the vehicle needs for operation.

I am with you in that, I think that it SHOULD have been designed to run a a specific RPM and excess would charge the battery up to some point above 30%, but more people were concerned with charging from 30% back up to full at an electric outlet.
Rashiid Amul Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 9:40 am

mmcc #22, Thanks for the reminder. I will program my VCR to record it. Yes, I still have a VCR.
Rashiid Amul Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 9:41 am

ThombDbhomb #8. I agree. The Volt will not be competition to the Prius of GM doesn’t make the price similar to it.
Rashiid Amul Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 9:46 am

Joe #21, When the Prius was introduced in the USA in 2001, the published retail price of the car was US$19,995.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prius#2001-2003_Prius_.28model_NHW11.29

I agree that it is usual for new items to be priced higher, however I think the Volt has to do the opposite to gain a foothold with the masses.
Otherwise people will continue to buy other brands.
Grizzly Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 9:48 am

mmcc #22

I caught that by accident a week ago while doing a DVR search on Nova after the outstanding episode on space craft Cassini/Hugens. I was surprised to find this, and if it’s half as good as the last few NOVA episodes I’ve seen you probably won’t want to miss it.
George K Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 10:27 am

Jeff M #18

Thanks for the assist. Thats me right above you.
omegaman66 Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 11:25 am

#31 and #32

Glad ot se this part of the vehicle finally mentioned on here. So much is being made over the batteries that the electric drive system keeps getting left out although it is a HUGE leap in the right direction.

We all cheer for the volt and other tech advance such as li ion batteries but the thing that make me step back and go “you stupid so in so’s” (meaning ALL of the car manufactures) is that they volt without the battery could have been built many many years ago. Which means we could have been driving a car very similar to the volt at least 15 years ago if not 50!

Also this would have set the stage such that battery tech would have been put on the front burner much sooner than it was.
Guy Incognito Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 7:40 pm

#24 Bill R
The Volt’s ICE does exist.
Heres the forum link where its discussed:
http://gm-volt.com/volt-discussion/?forum=1&topic=213&page=1&tp=5
Guy Incognito Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 7:41 pm

Heres a pic of the Volt’s ICE (very large image):
http://media.gm-powertrain.at/powertrain-media/media/images/200308200001_01.jpg
Tagamet Says:
April 17th, 2008 at 10:23 pm

Got NOVA set to TIVO. At least here in Penna, that episode is airing 4 times (including some in the weeee hours). Thanks for the heads-up!

Oh, and Bill, I too am waiting (and wondering) when we get the official “It’s a production vehicle” notice!

Spy Photos: Chevy Volt Mule on the Test Track

42 Responses to “Spy Photos: Chevy Volt Mule on the Test Track”

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