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Is This Really an Opel Flextreme Prototype Spy Photo?

June 1st, 2008 | Posted in: Opel, Prototypes

The other day Leftlanenews posted this picture claiming it was the Opel Flextreme mule. It was a spyshot of a car out at GM’s Milford proving grounds, photographed by car spy firm Brenda Priddy.

It appears to be the shell of a late model Opel, but how do we know it is the Flextreme?

GreenCarCongresses Mike Milikin told me Rick Wagoner specifically explained to him that GM does indeed have an E-Flex Opel production program underway in Michigan (post). No one else at GM would confirm that to me, including E-Flex spokesperson David Darovitz, nor Hybrid Integration director Micky Bly.

They idea behind the Opel Flextreme of course, besides its design, is the presence of a diesel generator as opposed to the gas/E85 engine found in the Volt.

From the pictures, one can’t tell what type of engine is in this experimental developmental vehicle (EDV or pre-mule). I’ve emailed Leftlanenews author Drew Johnson as well as Brenda Priddy themselves how they can verify the statement, and so far, no response.

It seems to me though, the silhouette of the driver in this EDV (technician) looks like the same guy that has been seen driving the verified lithium-ion Volt mule.

Take it all as you will.

Source (Leftlanenews)

[UPDATE: I heard back from Brenda Priddy and she told me the following:

"Lyle - we didn't get close enough to even speculate what exactly was being tested (ride & handling? drivetrain? etc...) - all of our sources have told us this is a developmental test mule for the Chevrolet / Opel E-Flex platform cars. Basically - at this stage - this "test mule" could be on the track testing a wide variety of components. We don't want to speculate - and even though this is an Opel shell - we do know WHAT this is, a developmental test mule - but I have no additional firm information."

...Thanks Brenda!]

Posted by: Lyle

61 Responses to “Is This Really an Opel Flextreme Prototype Spy Photo?”

Dick G. Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 6:53 am

I have an idea ……Let,’s try to get about 43 new & old EV’s together at Bristol for about 50 laps !!!!….. What do you think ?

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nasaman Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 7:07 am

Fascinating topic, Lyle! …and if you can identify the driver in this mule you’re eyes are sharper than mine. However, the lightning bolt insignia is clearly Opel’s & the flat-topped box in the engine compartment is located where an E-REV’s electronics would be normally placed, so I think the likelihood of this being an Opel/Saturn Flextreme E-REV mule is very good.

I saw the gorgeous Flextreme concept in March at the NY Auto Show, located very prominently in Saturn’s area. I really hope GM is hard at work on the Flextreme –it’s an incredibly beautiful design!

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Joe Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 7:13 am

What difference does it make if it is or isn’t?

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nasaman Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 7:14 am

PS: Here’s a little more about the Flextreme.

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mmcc Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 7:15 am

I see orange cables in the engine compartment so it’s got high voltage whatever it is.

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Jason M. Hendler Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 8:11 am

GM is firing on all cylinders. They have embraced the multi-threaded development approach and moving the ball downfield faster than the 1999 St. Louis Rams. Their success is irrepressible – you will be assimilated.

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Statik Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 8:11 am

I can see them in the boardroom when they thought this car up.

“Hey Bob, whats all the things we have really screwed up on in the past?”
“Um, Electric….Diesel, turbo?”
“Sounds right”
“Let’s do all those things right now…in one car”
“Sweetness Wags! Can we put a Judge-Dredd quasi-futuristic shell on it too”
“Nice!”
“Of course cool cars all have two doors, with token backseats right?”
“Fo Sho dude!”
“What would be the pricetag on that? Could we sell those?”
“A billion-fafillion dollars? Who cares…I would look sweet driving that mule”
“So true! Can you imagine the press taking pictures of us at the show in one of those?”
“Sweet! It’s on like Donkey Kong!”

Electric+Diesel+Turbo from GM…in one car. The hat trick of past failures!

I’m being sarcastic (obviously), but if they could actually put those three together…add a couple doors…and produce a couple hundred thousand copies…it would be a winner.

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Statik Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 8:14 am

#6 Jason

It is fitting that we always seem to post right above/below each other…as we seem to be polar opposites, counterbalancing the forum from both ends and keep the equilibrium in place.

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Donan Iacovone Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 8:20 am

If any of you read the latest Motor Trend, then you would have noticed the picture of the upcoming “Malibu” which looked suspiciously like a modified production Volt body. I definitely thought that Malibu was the production Volt. Definitely looks more like the Volt than the Flextreme does. This is an exciting time. I wouldn’t be surprised if GM pulls off a little bit earlier introduction of the Volt due to so much publicity, and pressure from Nissan and Mitsubishi for full electric vehicles.

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Jason M. Hendler Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 8:59 am

Statik,

While GM is wise to place their high tech engines in e-flex platform vehicles, as they do offer benefits over their existing engines, GM must seek out other powerplants, now that performance doesn’t come from these engines, but from the batteries.

I recommend that they investigate the compound rotary engine by Moller, to compete with the efficiency of Toyota’s Atkinson cycle engine.

http://www.moller.com/rp.htm

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MarkinWI Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 9:05 am

Re Nasaman’s link at #4: OK the flextreme concept looks really cool. I reminds me alot of the Honda hydrogen. 34-mile range is probably enough for me, so if I can’t get a Volt in my area until 2011, and the Saturn is out or due out shortly, I will have a CHOICE without any wait, which would be great. But dear Lord, please tell that the two Segway electric scooters in the cargo area are an OPTION, because I will have NO use for them, ever.

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Statik Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 9:10 am

#10 Jason

I don’t disagree with you on this in anyway. We just go about posting in different ways. Hehe.

I confess to not knowing much about ‘the freedom engine’ but I do remember something about it being insane for high power/small space…but not so good for low power applications?

And something about it’s design made it necessary for additonal cooling, which lead to more waste/emissions? Which might be tricky to get it out there in a ever more stringent environment…or costly?

I’m not sure…I might be talking out my ‘patoot’ I have to take the family out for some ‘quality time’…I’ll read up on your link and maybe make a more informed post later.

/nice days rule

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Jason M. Hendler Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 9:16 am

#12, Statik,

No, the Freedom Motor compound rotary engine is notible for its low temperature exhaust from a rotary configuration. It is also notable for its efficiency, and no requirement for oil cooling.

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Nelson Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 9:40 am

GM will probably not use the exact Flextreme design. They’ll put it in a wind tunnel and find something wrong with it, like they did with the original Volt. I guess they just wont give the YOUNG designer credit for a great looking car.

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Statik Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 10:18 am

#13 Jason

/we still haven’t left yet, sigh.

Ah ok, then I am thinking of something else then.
Sounds interesting, I’ll have a read ’soonish’

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N Riley Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 10:36 am

I would not be surprised to see the Flextreme design changed a good bit. I really like the concept Volt and the Flextreme’s design. I also liked the v3.0 design of the Toyota Prius. I just want the electric vehicles to stand out from the gas burners on the road.

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AES Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 10:51 am

The Opel Vectra (also sold as the Saturn Aura) vehicle pictured is based on the same epsilon platform as the malibu. In many respects they’re mechanical twins. This could just be one of the Volt mules, except with a different badge on it.

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N Riley Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 11:09 am

AES #17

I agree. The car pictured is a mule only. They will change the Flextreme design before production, but it won’t change that much from the concept. They need to make the Flextreme and the Volt unique looking. Not like peas in a pod with the gas burners.

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Vincent Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 11:16 am

Jason, we all have to forget the internal combustion process for now.

Amazingly enough you can walk into Target and buy a Estes model rocket that uses Hydrogen you make at home. Yeah, at Home. Here are the small basics

FEATURES: Patented hydrogen fuel technology…hydrogen fuel is generated
from tap water to launch this rocket! And regenerates hydrogen
for unlimited launches!
The hydrogen fuel generator makes clean burning, environmentally
safe and energy efficient fuel from an 8 ounce mixture of
water and generating crystals.
Blast the foam-tipped rocket 250 feet into the sky!
Rocket bounces when it hits the ground.
Detailed instructions

We all know the technology is there. Oil & Government suck.

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N Riley Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 11:17 am

What I meant when I said it won’t change that much from the concept was that it will not look like the car pictured. It will probably be modified from the concept but not drastic enough to make it look like today’s gas burners. At least, I hope not. They should keep it and the Volt as close to the concepts as possible. Make the necessary changes to keep miles per charge up, but keep them looking like a new era in automobiles.

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jbfalaska Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 11:22 am

The race is on for the electrification of the automotive industry. I think at this point, there is no turning back by all the major auto companies. If they do, unlike the past, the venture capitalist money will take the prize and get us there.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_car

I want my car now. Waiting is getting tougher all the time.

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N Riley Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 11:23 am

Vincent #19

Does it use just the water and crystals or does it take electricity, also? Still, hydrogen will limit our use of vehicles until it becomes as readily available across the country as gasoline is today. The thing I do not like about hydrogen is it keeps you locked to service stations for your fuel source. I know you still use gasoline with the Volt, but not much. I am just not ready to admit hydrogen is the fuel of the future. It generally costs more in electrical cost to generate a tank of hydrogen than it would to charge batteries from electricity and top off the tank with gas.

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N Riley Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 11:27 am

The hydrogen fueled toy rocket Vincent spoke of reminds me of using carbide and water to create propulsion. This mixture creates very good thrust. Maybe we should investigate powering our cars using carbide and water. Just kidding. That mixture, just like hydrogen, can be VERY explosive. I used to blow tin cans 10 or 15 feet into the air when I was a kid using carbide and water in the right combination.

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Vincent Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 11:31 am

It uses a touch of lemon juice and a small battery voltage “Hydrolysis”…splitting the H from water. So simple and it’s on the shelves at local retailers.

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N Riley Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 11:35 am

Hydrogen tanks and lines to feed an engine would be pretty expensive. The tank would be large and heavy. The whole systems seems overly complex and would require many trips to the dealer to keep it maintained and working properly and safe. Refueling a tank with hydrogen is dangerous if not done with all of the safety steps and using the correct connectors.

The concept of keeping you coming back to the dealers for maintenance is one of the primary reasons auto companies keep mentioning and testing hydrogen vehicles. Of course, they want the dealers to be successful and one way to do that is maintenance departments. They really rack up profits on maintenance and parts. All these reasons are only part of the reason the auto companies want hydrogen fueled vehicles. I think they believe it is the fuel of the future. It may be. I don’t know. I just want as much freedom as possible from the dealerships, the service stations and anything else as possible. I really like the idea of charging my car or truck at home and getting most of my miles strictly on electricity. Isn’t this what makes us so interested in the Volt and Flextreme?

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N Riley Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 11:39 am

Vincent #23

I see what you mean. But that does not directly apply to automotive fuel capabilities. My reasoning is stated in my last few post on hydrogen. I am just not convinced that hydrogen is the way to go at this time. Too complex, too expensive and too dangerous. Hydrogen fueled vehicles would be like driving a bomb down the highways. Just think of all the “dumb” (and I use this term loosely) people you know. How do you think they could handle all the complexities, etc of hydrogen fuel?

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N Riley Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 11:43 am

Twenty years ago I thought hydrogen was the fuel of the future. Just make it from water and no pollution. Endless access to water in the worlds oceans. Cheap and easy to get to. But, now I do not think the same way. I just don’t know. I was convinced 20 years ago, but no longer.

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N Riley Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 11:58 am

I am happy to see GM working on the Flextreme along with the Volt. It does mean they are serious about putting the Volt technology into their other vehicle lines. This means the Volt will not be a distant cousin at the family dinner table. It will get the attention and the support it deserves from GM now and in the future.

GO GM. GO VOLT. GO FLEXTREME.

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Vinayababu Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 12:00 pm

#10 Jason , slightly off the issue but

The Moller rotary engine is a sligtly modified Wankel engine of the sixties which was a sort of sensation in the automobile field,as many thought it would replace the piston engines. Even GM had a lengthy arguement in their board over deciding to take up the Wankel engine development for the Cars, but finally they decided to not to take it up, though Mazda and a few others had taken a bold decision to go ahead with it . But unfortunately with all the initial success/enthusiasm it had a not so happy ending with every one selling the patent right after owning it. To the best of my information the Engine was abandoned as it’s thermal efficieny was poor.
If Moller could improve this there is no reason why it is still waiting to be acceted.

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jbfalaska Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 12:04 pm

Pricing points are coming along from all the electric cars. $30K – $40K, small to mid-size cars seems the norm.

CHEVY VOLT: American-made, American-FUELED.

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Tagamet Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 12:15 pm

Statik and Jason M,
I guess that makes me the fulcrum……
I’ve speculated forEVER that GM will pop the Volt out earlier than they currently (pun inthended) admit. Icoming out with ANOTHER EREV at, or near the same time would be SOOO over the top!
Let’s get ALL the GM EREV wheels on the road!

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Jason M. Hendler Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 12:27 pm

#19, Vincent,

There is a science store near me that sells all kinds of neat kits, and I bought the English language version of this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Fuel-Cell-Car-Experiment-Kit/dp/B00006YYOG

It is essentially a solar powered electric car, where the electricity from the solar panels can be rewired to dissociate water into hydrogen and oxygen, which then powers a single fuel cell to drive the motor. It has dozens of experiments that you can conduct, with the theory well explained in the very thick workbook. One thing I learned is that fuel cells have built in regenerative braking – when the wheels are turned by hand, the motor generates electricity, which causes the fuel cell to dissociate water molecules – this fueled water is then converter back into electricity by the fuel cell. I had no idea. The kit I bought cost $160+ retail, but it was a great value, given all the configurations you can wire up, and all the experiments that you can run.

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Tagamet Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 12:33 pm

Has GM mentioned a possible price for the Opal?

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Jason M. Hendler Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 12:34 pm

#28, Vin,

The problem with the Wankel engine is the amount of unburnt fuel that remains due to the high surface area / volume ratio of the combustion chamber, which also contributes to emissions problems, as well as a lot of fuel burned in a catalytic converter.

Moller solves all these problems with:

1) the incorporation of a “compression” rotor, to improve volumetric efficiency, as well as extract more energy from the combustion, which results in a cooler exhaust

2) the coating of the combustion chamber wall with a material that eliminates the quenching of the fuel air mixture ignition, leading also to the elimination of the need for oil cooling

The result is an engine that is more efficient, quieter, has extremely low emissions and has much lower exhaust temperatures.

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Joe Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 1:12 pm

Did anyone ever think about this? By using a light compact car with the A123 battery and using the two mode transmission technology with a small ICE that with such a combination, the car would become a parallel hybrid like the Prius. The electric motors inside the transmission could be powerful enough to power the car in stop and go traffic and cruise on the highway. To me this makes so much sense that I think GM is already working on this. The problem now is cost and in time, cost will go down.

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Speedy Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 2:16 pm

“Opel Sedan ” with a “New 1.4 liter Ecotec Four cylinder engine “, Direct Injection Fuel System, HCCI System, Full Variable Vale Timing, New Six Speed Automatic Transmission, BAS Plus (Belt Alternator Mild Hybrid System), Litium Ion Battery. I belive thats what it is.

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Guy Incognito Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 2:32 pm

#28 Vinayababu & # 33 Jason M. Hendler-
If Moller really has overcome the various technical difficulties with the Wankel (rotary) engine, why won’t he provide the patent #’s?

If I was going to build a flying car, I certainly would’nt use a rotary engines to drive the fans; I’d use turbines.

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fred Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 3:33 pm

Chevy Volt, Aliner pop-up camper, retired, Traveling across the country 30 miles a day. Ahhhh!, The good life. When can i get my Volt?.

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Grizzly Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 3:57 pm

Another problem with the Wankel rotary engine is that it consumed too much oil. I knew a couple of people who had Rx-7’s a few years back and they had to check the oil level just about every other fuel stop, and it got worse with age.

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nasaman Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 4:13 pm

34 Joe….
You asked, “Did anyone ever think about this? By using a light compact car with the A123 battery and using the two mode transmission technology with a small ICE that with such a combination, the car would become a parallel hybrid like the Prius. The electric motors inside the transmission could be powerful enough to power the car in stop and go traffic and cruise on the highway.”

The answer is, YES! GM thought about it a few years ago and announced it as a concept in 2006, even before the Volt was announced. The current Saturn Vue chassis, V-6 engine & 2 mode transmission are being modfied to include a large A123 Li-Ion battery. The Plug-in Vue’s long-range version is expected to give this compact/crossover SUV an EV-only range that’s only slightly less than the Volt’s and its two 55Kwh (74HP) will give it a total of 148HP (electric-only), more than enough to, as you said, “power the car in stop and go traffic and cruise on the highway” in EV mode.

The Plug-in Vue uses a different approach from the E-REV Volt & Flextreme architectures, one that is highly-viable and achieves an EV-only range (approx 35 mi) only slightly less than the Volt or Flextreme. However, the Plug-in Vue has the added advantage of a powerful 3.6L V-6 (very similar to that in the Caddy CTS) to allow it to tow heavy trailers or haul large loads although it is still able to achieve 3-digit equivalent mileage (~150mpg) for trips up to 35 mi.

So there are 3 E-FLEX vehicles in GM’s pipeline! Exciting, huh?

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Jason M. Hendler Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 4:16 pm

#36, Guy,

I answered your turbine statement before. Turbines are efficient, but they have a bad power to weight ratio. Turbines work great for jets, when their weight is small, relative to the weight of the rest of the plane, so that they are scaled for the application. An aircar is too small for a turbine whose power is sufficient to lift the vehicle and its own weight. These new Wankel engines have an amazing power to weight ratio – perfect for an extremely small craft, like a car.

I am looking forward to these engines being used for emergency vehicles like ambulances, which can respond faster and more economically, than helicopters.

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Jason M. Hendler Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 4:17 pm

#38, Grizz,

Go to the Freedom Motors link that I provided, or just read my posts – this new compound Wankel engine does not use oil – it is all air cooled.

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Wayne Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 4:51 pm

I really think vehicles like the Volt should have the the ability to use E85 (a semi zero carbon emission fuel). That is the 1..2.. punch we need to dump oil use in the country, and as a side benefit, be more earth conscious.

If 80% of the driving is in the 40 mile range, then the E85 use in this country goes way down as it used only on road trips.

The middle east must be getting scared.

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omegaman66 Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 4:51 pm

I doubt the early year model volts and opels will have anything other than proven technology for the ice since GM are wanting to prove to the public that the e-flex is dependable.

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Grizzly Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 5:08 pm

Wayne #41

The specs for the Volt show that the ICE can use E85/gas as fuel.

http://tinyurl.com/62kzpt

I agree it would be ridiculous for a car like this not to be able to use E85, especially considering GM’s push for it with their partner Coskata (sp?) Additionally, I think that adding direct injection could do wonders for some of E85’s shortcomings.

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Dave G Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 6:00 pm

I hope they make a gas/E85 version of the Flextreme for the U.S. I would never buy a diesel.

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Rashiid Amul Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 6:01 pm

Nasaman, I agree with you. The flextreme is gorgeous.

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N Riley Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 6:21 pm

Wayne #42

I am sorry to disappoint you, but the middle east is not scared of the Volt. They know it will be 25 – 35 years before the use of oil products decline enough to really cause them trouble. Even if the United States moves off oil for most cars and light trucks, there remains a tremendous amount of oil use in the rest of the world. It will take time and by the time oil use is down to the minimum they will own the utilities where we make our electricity or some other major portion of our lives. They have too much money to be scared or ignored. I wish is were not so.

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N Riley Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 6:23 pm

Should have been: I wish it were not so. Sorry.

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Arch Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 6:56 pm

Sure a lot of bad information here tonight.

Take Care
Arch

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Statik Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 9:16 pm

#43 Wayne

I’m going to agree with 48 Riley on this big time. Middle East is not scared of the Volt.

I’m Canadian, and we are similar to the middle east…in so much as we export a good chunk of oil and it is proportionally more every day…as a matter of fact we are the only exporter who are in (are capable of being) the ‘aggressively ramping’ phase right now (oil sands). So we have big ‘ole trade surpluses, budget surpluses, taxes are dropping, free medicare (not debt paid), our dollar is on fire, etc, etc all on the back of oil.

I myself, am not a proponent of oil. I get no special pride from the fact we are America’s feel good oil-pimp. I also accept all the benefits oil gives me…which kinda makes me a hypocrite, I realize that.

When the very last drop of oil is pulled from the ground, there will be someone there ready to buy it. Demand is off the charts and growing, and overall supply barely increasing now year over year. We need a 1,000 projects like the Volt to just tread water where we are now on the world’s oil consumption demands.

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koz Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 9:16 pm

Grizzly,

I believe you are correct about the oil and it was from leaky seals. This may be more readily overcome with a nearly steady load application like what the Volt requires from its ICE. Obviously this can’t be a gen 1 solution, but I do believe a rotating engine of some sort with eventually win the day. Perhaps it will be a micro-turbine of some sort or some variation of rotary combustion. Since the energy and power requirements for E-REV’s are so much different from a conventional ICE, it won’t be surprising to see a different solution arise. I used to believe the generator should be ignored because battery advancements would render it irrelevent, but I’ve changed my position. I still believe the battery is key and battery advancements, especially lowering prices, will be where the biggest advancements will come. It just appears that enough battery advancement to make the generator irrelevent will take a long time (>10 years). In the meantime, an engine optimized for the application should be developed. I see size (power/cubic centimeter), price, and efficiency the parameters to optimize around.

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tom Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 9:43 pm

WOW

What an active forum.

Plenty of idea’s here.

What about the car that runs on compressed air?
(no fuel, just air pressure like a pneumatic power tool).

Now, what about using regenerative braking to capture electricity (and solar cells) to power a larger battery that would be used to run a compressor (on electricity) to add more compressed air to the tank. (if technically necessary a very small diesel generator could be used to make electricity).

I think there is a prototype out there somewhere of the perfect compressed air “pneumatic” car with a battery to power an electrical compressed to make more compressed air “fuel” as the car uses up what it started with.

Or not….

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Nelson Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 9:59 pm

#27 N Riley
There are other ways to make hydrogen. Honda has worked on a device that can be kept in a homes garage, reformulates natural gas into hydrogen, and that process produces heat which can be used to heat the home. The device is intended to be used to make hydrogen at home for their fuel cell car the “FCX -Clarity”. You can read about it on their website.
http://automobiles.honda.com/fcx-clarity/owning/home-energy-station/

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Nelson Says:
June 1st, 2008 at 10:13 pm

#27 N Riley
There are other ways to make hydrogen. Honda has worked on a device that can be kept in a homes garage, reformulates natural gas into hydrogen, and that process produces heat which can be used to heat the home. The device is intended to be used to make hydrogen at home for their fuel cell car the “FCX -Clarity”. You can read about it on their website.

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N Riley Says:
June 2nd, 2008 at 9:13 am

Nelson #54 & 55

I have seen Honda’s hydrogen generator before. Sounds expensive. Still what do you do for trips? Would work ok for local commutes and short trips, I guess. But, would probably be a major investment.

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Vinayababu Says:
June 2nd, 2008 at 11:13 am

#34 Jason
#37 Guy
Thanks Jason for that info . Even if the claims of Moller is correct ,I feel it will be hard for Wankel engine to make a come back, unless they themselves take up the production . GM’s refusal to take up the Wankel engine , was a major blow to its reliability. It is true that Wankel has perhaps the best power/weight ration.

#35 Joe
There is considerable misunderstanding regarding the power train of Prius. It is not a parallel drive, it is a series-parallel drive or hybrid hybrid drive. It make use of the finer sides of both the drives. and it employs an ingenious epicyclic gear system called HSD that integrates these two drives ( not a Toyota invention). Another point is that there nothing Toyota want to learn from GM on series hybrid technology including software as they have sufficient expertise and data on these.
That make it clear that software development of Volt is not a big issue for GM.
Regarding the new idea mentioned, it is already under study not only by GM but also by other Auto manufactures and some are already in the production stage.

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Ken Grubb Says:
June 2nd, 2008 at 1:12 pm

Is any automaker admitting that their prototype hydrogen vehicles are still costing them well into 6 figures to build?

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bruce g Says:
June 2nd, 2008 at 2:48 pm

While I wish the auto manufacturers well in their search for the holy grail of hydrogen powered vehicles I am concerned that it may be like the quest for cold fusion…always just around the corner.

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Steve Says:
June 5th, 2008 at 10:39 pm

Jason,

Back over a decade ago a T55 helicopter gas turbine weighed about 750 lbs. Max. continuous rating of 3000hp Takeoff rating of 3750 hp (actually can produce significantly more depending on conditions Trimed at over 4000hp) This isn’t even a really new design.

What do you call a “good” power to weight ratio?

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Rick Says:
June 8th, 2008 at 12:02 pm

I saw the new Malibu with this car on the I-17 freeeway in AZ on 6-3-08. It was with a group of other Saturns and a Pontiac. I have reason to believe that GM is attacking their new Flextreme vehicle program harder and faster than anyone realizes. I would not be surprised to see a whole line of Flextreme vehicles within a couple of years just like their FlexFuel campaign. The entire country has been gearing up for a huge increase in Natural gas production and distribution. With the crude oil commodity market doing what it is now. Don’t be surprised to see $7.50 gallons of gas. It would only make sense to tie our transportation needs with our energy needs and go full electric with our car market.

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Recent GM-Volt Forum Posts

Hacked e-mails reveal global-warming fraud? November 20, 2009
This is how open minded liberals operate. "And, perhaps most reprehensibly," Delingpole writes, "a long series of communications discussing how best... […]
BigCityCat
Is the Volt Engine Direct Injected? November 20, 2009
I recently read that the Cruze's engine will be DI. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevy_Cruze#Chevrolet_Cruze Obviously the Cruze's engine will... […]
omnimoeish
First Reports of the Chevy Volt's Charge-Sustaining (Generator) Mode Operation November 20, 2009
The first two journalists' reports of what it's like to drive the Chevy Volt while in generator mode operation have been published. 1) New York... […]
admin
Florida giving $5000 rebate to convert Prius to plug-in November 20, 2009
- Probably Hymotion - $10,400 standard price - $5000 state rebate - $1000 additional federal incentives - $4,400 final cost. Hurry because their... […]
Texas
New York Times CSM story November 20, 2009
Link to the New York Times story of November 19, 2009 about a test ride of the Volt in charge sustaining... […]
srschrier
New video: Volt drive in Detroit November 19, 2009
November 19, 2009 Detroit Free Press story with video featuring a Volt drive with Andrew Farah in... […]
srschrier
New Video: Volt Corrosion Testing November 18, 2009
From GM VoltAge, the Volt's corrosion... […]
srschrier

Is This Really an Opel Flextreme Prototype Spy Photo?

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Recent GM-Volt Forum Posts