Comments on: Production Chevy Volt to Have a Kammback, Round Front, and Tapered Corners

By: Kevin

Kevin — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:18:57 +0000

“it out performed the pruis in the wind tunnel ” Now that ha sme worried i don’t want the volt to come out and it looks like crap . Ultimately functionality is what we are looking for in a car like this but with ugly styling buyers will not be running to gm’s doorstep . I just hope and pray that they come out with a nice sexy , sleek , modern , luxurious design as we have seen in the concept. I cant wait to see what it will actually look like . if i looks nice or bad i will still put my name on the gm volt reservation list i want car #67 ( my favorite number lol)

By: Kevin R

Kevin R — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:08:27 +0000

#121 Jason the Saj

What a great idea to use mini-cams instead of side mirrors. It would certainly eliminate drag. However, at what cost electrically? I know the new cams are super efficient, many running on the puny power coming out of a computer’s USB port.

By: Jason The Saj

Jason The Saj — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:02:03 +0000

I wonder how much affect side-view mirrors have?

And would it be worth it to install mini-cams and larger or multi-screen display in the dash. And get rid of the mirrors. Furthermore, this could allow for a far greater viewing area than side-view mirrors currently allow. Essentially eliminating the blindspot. And could be billed as a safety feature.

Perhaps this would be a feature found only in the more premium editions of the Volt.

By: chevy volt

chevy volt — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 21:40:07 +0000

[...] Production Chevy Volt to Have a Kammback, Round Front, and Tapered …We have known for a while that the initial Chevy Volt concept car did poorly in the wind tunnel. GM has advised us that in order to achieve a full 40 mile end of life EV range the car has to have an excellent aerodynamic profile. … Tags: Ameri, Automaker, Brethren, Chevrolet Volt, Chevy Car, chevy volt, Chicago Tribune, Couple Nights, Electric Car, Electric Vehicle, Glass Of Wine, Gm Spokesman, Jim Mateja, Keith Olbermann, Lithium Ion Batteries, Saturn Vue, Tax Break, Technology Markets, Voltan, Volume Sales [...]

By: andrew

andrew — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:53:16 +0000

If you take function over form, what the hell are you doing here? Go hang out waiting for the EV Prius.
I’ve never understood precisely why wanting to save the environment as well as your pocket book means you’d drive a blind accountant’s car which simply has to be the Prius’s core market.
The move from Gas to EV is such an EXTREME saving that 10% here or there between EV models is *practically nothing*… it’s not worth fighting over unless you live exactly “range”+1 mile away from work and I sure as hell don’t.

By: Kevin R

Kevin R — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 02:14:28 +0000

#59 Arch

Reading this article gave me the feeling of bias towards Japanese manufacturing. It seemed very, very slanted. No matter…I’m buying the Volt and putting my trust in A123 / CG and GM to come through.

By: N Riley

N Riley — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:16:04 +0000

I believe by the time the Volt hits the market or by the release of version 2 there will be quite a few advancements in power savings devices. All of these will help add miles to each charge. Go GM GO VOLT……………

By: koz

koz — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:08:10 +0000

Nasaman,

High power LED’s are early in commercial development. LED’s are no-brainers for dash backlighting, displays, signals, map lights and marker lights (break, daytime running, and reverse lights). They, like any new and developing technology, risk misapplication or premature application. LED’s can have great life, well directed light, good resistance to shock and vibration, no UV, little beam heat, monocromatic ability, very small size, and will have great efficacy some day. On the negative side; today they have poor color rendering, thermal issues at the junction, high cost, greatly varying efficacy with heat, and only directed light. It may not make sense to use them for the main cabin light unless they are similar in cost to traditional sources. HID headlights are better today and will probably still be a better option for the first generation Volt. The are car lifetime bulbs with high efficacy. I would imagine GM must have made this decision already since it has a large impact on frontal design.

By: wwskinn3

wwskinn3 — Sat, 31 May 2008 22:32:07 +0000

If I’m going to give up my V-8 then I want something cool. Something that everyone will recognize for what it is. Solar power recharging would be nice. Just park it in the sun while it recharges.

By: BillR

BillR — Sat, 31 May 2008 15:25:42 +0000

#112 nasaman
I’ll agree that LED seems the way to go. As we have learned, in an EV, energy is consumed in order of importance by the following:

Aerodynamic drag
Auxiliary loads (i.e AC, power steering, radio, lighting, etc.)
Weight
Rolling resistance

Therefore, since auxiliary load is number 2 on the list, it is very important to keep it at a minimum, and of course LED’s can help in this area. Not to mention, they looked pretty cool on the concept, especially at night.