Ooo GM, prove me wrong, don’t VOLTize this one too!

You know I agree with guys whole heartedly here! I’ve always thought and commented that a Cadillac made a lot more sense for the first gen EREV. Perhaps the Chevy is better from an image perspective but the Caddy fits. 35 miles AER & 40-45MPG range extended compares very favorably to luxury sport sedans on the market. IMO, GM should schedule this for production in 2013 or 2014 with VOLTEC gen 2, which should include a 150KW. The larger AC motor does cost much extra in weight or $. This would allow them to scale VOLTEC gen2 up and down with higher and lower performance power electronics packages. This would be kind of like Windows CE, Professional, Home, etc. They could use most of the same hardware for small CUVs, Microvans, compact sedans, etc that are <3500lbs. Gen3 could diverge into 2 variants: one for 3500-5000lbs and a further cost reduced one for <3500lbs. Gen3 6-8 years out is where EREV could become ubiquitous across GM’s lineup. There should be significant improvements in the battery, the power electronics, the motors, and the ICE. The should have a small, lightweight purpose-built ICE for the EREV’s steady power demand. There should also be some interesting weight reduction technologies applied by then as we as some really cool control apps. This really a whole new world of automotive engineering and design that creates so many areas for innovation! It gets more and more exciting the more you think about it.

BUT…LJGTVWOTR

I agree that carbon fiber will probably not be cost effective in most circumstances, but not because weight has little effect on the generator size, What the GM engineers were saying was that weight has reduced importance to the range and efficiency of EREVs. It still is a large factor and, more importantly, it has an exaggerated effect on hill climbing power demands. If it weren’t for climbing hills, the generator could 35KW. Also, I personally beieve the battery could probably be discharged another 10% before initiating range extended mode without substantially affecting battery life if the engineers weren’t concerned about having spare capacity to assist in extreme hill climbing conditions. But even with all of this, plus weight affected regular driving power demands, I don’t think you are looking at more than a 20% reduction in battery size. This is probably not enough to justify carbon fiber for most components unless its cost comes down.

I’m interested to see where GM engineers have tested this, and what battery reduction could be accomplished. For instance, weight and aerodynamics are barely linked. No reason to sacrifice one for the other. Plus, production costs for CFRP keep coming down dramatically, and like I said…Gen 2. I’m just hoping!