Comments on: Chevy Volt Still Expected to Get 50 mpg In ICE Mode After Battery Depleted

By: Geronimo

Geronimo — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 03:31:25 +0000

They could pass legislation that quiet electric cars must always blast out “Freebird” from outward facing speakers.

Or, tell people to “look both ways before crossing a street”.

By: Dan Petit

Dan Petit — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:15:27 +0000

I don’t recommend leaving only one gallon of gas in any fuel tank.
Two reasons for that are:
1. The in-tank electric fuel pump is cooled by the gasoline surrounding it. When heat builds up in the fuel pump otherwise, the heat travels to the bearings and causes very slight but definite wear on one side. Over time, this causes the impeller to scrape the wall and reduce fuel pressure.
One of my customers who always drove her SUV all the way down to the “Distance to Empty” mile of 4 or 3 miles, believing it to be the efficient use of fuel. She needed a new in-tank fuel pump for her Asian vehicle at 60.000 miles.
2. When there is a lot of empty space in the fuel tank, the daily temperature change makes it breathe deeply. Breathing in all that moist air every day and night allows for accumulated condensation which is absorbed by the ethanol component of the fuel. This degrades the fuel A LOT. NON – “TOP-TIER” fuels are absolutely the worst regarding this!!! You are never saving anything at any time when NOT using a “TOP – TIER” fuel.
The key is to keep the tank “FULL TO THE CLICK-STOP”.
Also, going on a trip a minimum of twice a year to clear out the fuel is wise. My two trips a year in my Winnebago (which I am selling to make way for a Volt) has always had the gas tank kept full for the 7 years I’ve had it. Not a speck of anything in the tank when it needed an in-tank fuel pump (after 16 years).
(Shell 87 if I may say so.)
Dan Petit Austin, TX

By: ShadowT

ShadowT — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 07:32:03 +0000

Jackson earlier commented on Dynamic braking vs Regenerative braking; in fact, there are several locomotive models now available that do have batteries that support regenerative braking. They are mostly used for switching and local use in heavily polluted areas like Houston and Los Angeles, and not so much for long hauls. Check out http://www.railpower.com/products_hl_ggseries.html for one example.

By: Pat

Pat — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:12:05 +0000

Imagine and dagwood55

Yes, you both have it right. I believe that the car will have the ability to be very efficient indeed as technology is added to the car. I don’t expect that it will happen on the ver 1.0, but latter there would be expansion into new modes all of which could be automatic. I do believe that there will always be a need to some interaction with the driver. In the short run though it would be nice to have a distance entry mode so that one could improve the mileage on trips over 40 miles and maybe under 100. I have a chart I made that shows that the care could get 80+ MPG with this sort of capability. I know how far I have to drive to work which is 90 miles, more then the battery can do, under present programing, but if you know the distance then it can conserve the battery for the full 90 mile round trip then I charge it up again in the evening.

In any case how ever this car comes out it will be a very efficient auto.

By: The Daily Five: Monday, 25 August, 2008 | EcoTech Daily

The Daily Five: Monday, 25 August, 2008 | EcoTech Daily — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:56:47 +0000

[...] Chevy Volt Still Expected to Get 50 mpg In ICE Mode After Battery Depleted: It seems that pretty much every detail of General Motors’ upcoming Volt plug-in car has been mulled over by the automotive press, including its planned electric-only range of 30 miles. But what kind of fuel economy can motorists expect when the Volt’s engine kicks in? The GM-VOLT blog asked project chief engineer Andrew Farah. His response: a surprising 50 miles per gallon. And, then again, not a surprise — the Volt will use the same 1.4 liter 4 cylinder scheduled for the upcoming Chevy Cruze, which is targeting 40 MPG. The additional Volt efficiency will be derived from its hybridized drive train. (GM-VOLT blog) [...]

By: Fahrvergnugen Fanboy

Fahrvergnugen Fanboy — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 17:18:26 +0000

#8 Thom:

“take a chevy cruze with a stick shift (drive it on the hiway at max efficiency RPM),”

The Volt’s ICE will be running at max efficiency RPM, and also max efficiency throttle position. If you did that with a stick-shift Cruze on a level road, you would quickly exceed both max efficiency RPM and the speed limit.

The Volt’s ICE will cycle on and off. When it’s on, it will always be at max efficiency RPM and throttle position both. (It may have a few different setpoints for different conditions, but the principle stays the same.) That’s how a series hybrid will (we hope) get better mileage than a parallel hybrid.

Think about what hypermilers do: they speed up at max-efficiency throttle position, then turn off the engine and coast — essentially using the car’s momentum as a “battery”. The Volt will do essentially the same thing, only much better.

By: Always Thinking

Always Thinking — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:44:33 +0000

I feel for GM, Thank You. This is bold. GM is putting their future in what they put out right now. I feel their finances may have been hurt just by researching something like this. This is history, and they may not slay the dragon right now, but this could be a spear in it’s side.
Now I am going to go, and look into Solar Energy for the house. That along with alternative heating sources will provide well for my family. I am not self sufficient yet, but this shows me that it can be achieved.
My concern is that the price of the car will be out of my reach. My impression is that will only happen if someone else is in control of the price (the dragon). I don’t trust the dragon. Is GM just a puppet?
Thank You again GM

By: Imagine

Imagine — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 12:43:04 +0000

To those imagining different programing modes for the Volt, consider this: It may be possible in the future to have GPS and a geo-information base linked to the Volt’s fuel/battery management computer. This would allow you simply to enter a destination address (the Volt would already know from GPS where you are), and the computer could determine the most efficient battery and fuel management protocols based on your route and topography to be traversed. Customized fuel management for each trip!

By: koz

koz — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 05:44:08 +0000

Van & Dave G

Much like Van’s conclusion regarding power draw, we just don’t know for sure how the Volt’s battery wiil be used. Bob Lutz did say at Voltnation that initial AER would be more, but time will tell and this certainly won’t be known until they have a lot more testing under their belt.

By: koz

koz — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 05:37:47 +0000

From Top Gear’s recent Tesla review (http://www.topgear.com/blogs/drives/222-tesla-roadster/):

“It’s the Tesla’s party piece, a party piece that, married to its near-silence, leaves pedestrians in very real risk of bodily harm. At least half a dozen times, unwary Londoners wandered off pavements in front of me. If this electric car thing goes big, we’ll need some new chapters in the road safety guide.”

Grizzly’s study notwithstanding, quiet operation at low speeds is an issue for electrics for those that don’t see it as a reasonable application of natural selection. It isn’t that I want noise, rather I am greatly anticipating the much reduced noise polution that electrics can bring. Unfortunately, it is an issue and will need to be addressed.