I previously had a discussion with Lance Turner, lead engineer in the Volt battery lab who also worked on the EV-1 program.
I asked him if there are any special considerations about the Volt and its high power battery getting exposed to water, such as in a flood, or accident where the car gets submerged.
Lance advised me that the battery pack is, although not hermetically sealed, sealed to be maximally waterproof. Special attention is given to the connection between the high voltage lines coming out of the front of the pack to the inverter, and these are sealed especially well. The pack also has the means of detecting water seeping into the pack allowing it to shut down.
Lance described one way the EV-1 was water tested. GM actually put a working EV-1 inside a large vat of sea-water, because it contains electrolyte and in theory one could drive into it.
Once the car was in, it was turned on and the seawater was gradually added. There was an extensive system of monitors including current detectors placed over test dummies in the seats, and noxious gas detectors.
As soon as the water level reached the battery, it shut down. There were some crackles and pops sounds, but in the end no significant current flowed into the dummies.
Will this be applied to the Volt? We’ll have to wait and see.
Below is a new video GM released along the same theme showing the Volt IVer prototypes getting soaked in a test chamber. This of course isn’t to test the battery’s safety underwater but to check the final Volt design for leaks so that they can be fixed.
I recently had the chance to be one of the few people outside of GM to get behind the wheel of a plugin 2 mode hybrid prototype at GM’s test grounds in Milford. I was accompanied by Larry Nitz, GM’s director of hybrid powertrain development.
Originally this vehilce was set to debut under the Saturn brand in 2010 but due to the brand’s sale, that was changed. It was then slated to appear as a Buick compact crossover, another plan that was recently shelved due to customer feedback. The car will still launch in late 2011, but the brand and design remain unknown.
The mule I drove remained in the original Saturn VUE skin (shown above). You can drive along with us in the video below.
It uses an 8 kwh LG lithium-ion pack pack, which is essentially half a Volt pack. The mule car was at this point highly refined, though only about 90% production intent. I was told the instrumental panel will be slightly changed from what was displayed in the mule.
The final car will have a silent start though the engine went on at start in the mule. It contained a 3.6 L DI 270 hp engine and two 55 kw electric motors, utilizing a power-split engineering architecture significantly enhanced by the large lithium-ion pack.
The car drove off very silently though a thrust of the accelerator brought on the roar of the gas engine. It was capable of 40 mph top electric speed but it was tough to get above 25 mph pure EV with acceleration. In theory, the car could go 10 miles as a pure EV under 35 mph.
Components were changed from the original 2-mode VUE, in particular the engine and inverter were changed and modifications to the transmission and electric motor were made all for the purpose of reducing cost and increasing efficiency. In fact the Volt’s inverter is used.
GM would not release a target price at this time.
I found the electric acceleration solid and quiet as GM had paid special attention to the noise and vibration of electric motor
Notable was the very smooth transition to engine on, and also well done was the fact that there was no shudder when the engine turns off.
This design and concept is significantly different that found in the Volt. The PHEV is not an EREV. Operation is almost always a mixture of gas engine and electric motors to allow generous power and maximum efficiency. Though like the Volt, GM wants to discharge the battery as much as possible on each trip. I was told the aim of the car is to try to discharge the battery in about 20 miles.
The car differs from traditional power split hybrids like the Prius. Here there’s a second mode of operation to gear down the traction motor for bigger vehicles. It uses a power split architecture and both electric motors are working almost all the time.
Also with two modes it is possible to both have an efficient electric drive and operate the engine efficiently.
In operation, the ICE follows the load and does not only run at certain RPMs and even though the car weighs in at 4500 pounds with its battery, it still has a lot of power.
In the end, the car clearly does what its supposed to do, and does it well. And for those needing the power and size of an SUV and desiring a plug and double the fuel economy of traditional SUVs, this car may be the answer. GM expects it to be the first commercially available plug-in hybrid SUV produced by a major automaker.
GM demonstrated the beautiful Cadillac Converj concept at the Detroit Auto Show in January. It was after the company’s financial collapse had started but before bankruptcy reorganization.
The Converj would use the same Voltec propulsion system as the Volt though tuned for greater performance. Besides a stunning and already sufficiently aerodynamic exterior design so too was the interior stunning with its jaw dropping solid touch surface center console
Though from the beginning Bob Lutz wanted to bring the car into production there was substantial opposition both within the company and from the government’s Auto Task Force which questioned the economics of such an expensive model. Lutz told GM-Volt.com at the time the car would be priced at “two Volts” or roughly $80,000.
All of the strong pushback apparently forced the car to be shelved by the Spring.
Now that Lutz is in charge, and the company has been reorganized, he and several other executives are apparently trying to revive the program. Its principal opponents, Troy Clarke who headed GM North America and Mark McNabb who ran Cadillac, have both left the company.
Even though Lutz is pushing for the Converj, the program still remains unfunded.
The car, if it makes it, would be aimed at the wealthy green crowd, and indeed the high cost of first generation Voltec technology has always fueled the argument it should debut in a Cadillac rather than a Chevrolet anyway.
If Lutz’ electric Cadillac does make it to market it will likely be given a new name, and wouldn’t arrive until 2014, more than three years after the Volt.
Since the Volt was unveiled in January of 2007, many automakers have subsequently begun their own electric car programs. The most advanced so far is Nissan’s with its all-electric LEAF to be launched in late 2010.
Other automakers to commit to EVs have included Chrysler, Ford, Toyota, Mitsubishi and many others.
The last holdout has been Honda, choosing instead to focus on hydrogen fuel cells and gas-electric hybrids for advanced technology.
However, a new report out of the Nikkei suggests this last domino has fallen.
The report states that Honda is building an all-electric prototype that will be unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in October. The vehicle will be the size of a mini car, and likely a highway capable city car.
Apparently the company has been developing the car in secret and has not set a release date. The only timeline given is that the cars will be launched in the US sometime prior to 2015.
We recently heard about the engineering work GM has ahead of them in optimizing generator mode operation.
A concern that has been considered for a long time is whether the car will have power limitations in that mode.
The car will have a 100 MPH top speed 110 kw electric motor. The generator can develop 53 kw and the battery even in charge sustaining mode can act as a significant power reserve, but to what extent and for how long?
I had the chance to discuss this with Tony Posawatz, the Volt’s vehicle line engineer.
When the Volt goes into generator mode and the battery is at 30% state of charge, will the car drive any differently?
No. The car will not drive any different. Its the same electric motor that’s driving it.
But the amount of power is less coming from the 53 kw generator than the 110 kw than the battery can output .
Yes. We do baby our battery, but we always leave reserve. If you were to do multiple wide-open-throttles, eventually you’d limit that reserve a little but no one does that.
Let’s say you are on the highway or let’s say there’s a Volt police car, going 90 MPH in generator mode and it stays there, can you keep staying there indefinitely?
At some point and time you will exceed the reserve.
So since the advantage of the Volt over BEVs is being able to go on those long trips more than 100 miles which are usually highway drives, will you be limited on the highway?
If your in normal driving condition even 75 MPH and stuff, not an issue. It is only the less than 1% conditions that you would have some power limitations. The first installment of Volt is not for everyone, just for most people. We never claimed that the Volt is the solution for every application. We do think it will be compared to other alternate propulsion vehicles it will be the vehilce that will most easily be a first car or a no compromise car.
Recently GM revealed the production charging equipment that will come with the Volt when it can finally be bought.
There will be a portable 120 V unit (R) that can be plugged into any standard receptacle. It will be able to recharge the car fully in 6 hours at 12 amps or 8 hours at 8 amps.
The other device option (L) is a 240 V stationary wall-mounted unit that has to be installed in the owners garage per code. This unit running at 16 amps can recharge the Volt in 3 hours.
Both utilize a newly ratified interface or coupler standard called SAE J1772, that provides durability, communications, and safety functions and well as universal usability among EVs.
The Volt charging units are very robust and designed to withstand even a complete dunk in a bucket of water. As well, there is a flashlight at the tip for finding the receptacle on the car even in the dark.
Furthermore, importantly, the system is designed so the car cannot drive when it is plugged in. The Volt also has a small LED bulb on the top of the dash that flashes when the car is charging so you can tell from a distance.
I actually proposed to GM that they offer a optional charger also capable of 240V 48 amp charging. At that rate, the Volt could be recharged in about 45 minutes. This would be a great feature for those who want it, and would help to encourage infrastructure development as people could recharge their Volts a rest stops in as much time as it takes to have dinner. It would be a great marketing tool as well.
Volt exec Tony Posawatz poured a little water on my enthusiasm.
“Volt battery can/will handle 220V w/48 amps,” he said. “Just not something we are offering from the factory.”
Anyway you too can have a chance to ask questions directly of Gery Kissel, GM’s engineering specialist who developed the Volt’s charging equipment right here below on a live webchat at 2PM EDT:
