and come to think of it, that’s probably a bad thing. the 16MPG is probably right because they run the engine at near idle where it has quite poor efficiency because they are apologetic, catering to the fat dumb truck driving americans who cant drink his big gulp without getting a heart attack when the ice kicks in. fuck em.

do it right GM. catering to idiots and fostering idiocy is what got you in trouble. do it right. run the ice at its most efficient. let them hear the primitive engine. then they will be conscious about the difference and want more battery range in later models.

and you do that by making it ultra light and ultra aerodynamic. lose the steel.

BillR:
I’m not sure that there is any difference between “Sport” mode and“Regular Mode with a floor-it option”. In sport mode the powerelectronics are simply going to allow more kW to flow to the motor. Asmentioned in the video, if you’re driving such that you don’t need theextra kW then there is no difference whatsoever between Regular andSport modes. This is quite unlike a “Sport” mode in a conventional car,where the gearing is lowered to give better performance.I’m holding out for something better and more interesting. Thetransmission may be in the genset as suggested by BillR.  

This will be long, but here is some info on the 2-mode transmission for the ill-fated Saturn Vue.I got this from the GM Powertrain website, but it is no longer posted there.
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2009 2 Mode FWD Hybrid Transmission ( MK3 )
2009 Model Year Summary
● New Applications: Saturn Vue
● All-new Transmission Designed For Front Wheel Drive
● Hybrid Two-Mode Design
● Electrically Variable Transmission With Two Integral Electric Motors
● Matched To 3.6L LCS engine V6
● Engine-Off Operations
● Fuel Efficiency Dramatically Improved
● Towing Capability Maintained
● Increased PerformanceFull descriptions of new or changed features
NEW APPLICATION: Saturn VUE
The 2-Mode transmission’s case size is nearly the same as the GM 6-speed front wheel drive transmission, minimizing the impact to vehicle packaging.
ALL-NEW DESIGN FOR FRONT WHEEL DRIVE
The 2-Mode Hybrid Transmission contains two electric motors, 2 planetary gear sets, and 5 wet-plate clutches (including mechanical damper). The hybrid transmission can operate in multiple modes including propelling the vehicle electrically with the combustion engine off. Two continuous ratio modes of operation are attained with the electric motors, one with the combustion engine supplying torque, and the other with an electric motor supplying torque. Since the continuous ratio ability is attained with one of the electric motors, these modes are described as Electrically Variable Transmission modes or “EVT” modes. Three 300 volt A/C cables are connected to each of the two motors, these cables attach to the transmission housing via a rigid conduit around the transmission and are connected to an inverter which drives the motors.Four fixed ratios of 3.24:1, 1.88:1, 1.0:1 and 0.62:1 may be chosen for balancing performance and fuel economy. The fixed ratios also let the transmission save battery power that would otherwise be used to control range of the variable ratios to keep the engine in its optimal rev range. Fixed ratios also allow overdrive, for faster overall total speed of the vehicle. Fixed gear changes are accomplished with clutch-to-clutch control, where an oncoming clutch is engaged and an “offgoing” clutch is released in a precise manner to achieve the ratio change.MATCHED TO 3.6L V6 LCS
The two-mode hybrid is mated to an optimized direct injection gasoline engine, which takes advantage of higher compression ratio enabled by direct injection technology as well as optimized late intake valve closing (LIVC) using dual independent variable valve timing (VVT) to reduce pumping losses.ENGINE OFF OPERATION
In typical operation, an acceleration will be initiated with the engine off and utilize only electrical power.As the acceleration continues, the electric motors will simultaneously propel the vehicle and start the engine.With the engine running, the control system will blend the electrical energy with the engine energy operating in the most efficient range to maximize fuel economy.In a 2-mode system, one electric motor controls the speed ratio using the sun gear of a planetary gearset as the input from the gasoline combustion engine and a second motor generates electricity to power the first motor, or to supply torque to the output shaft. The hybrid design therefore has two power sources, the gasoline/ethanol combustion engine and the electric motor, and either can supply torque independently to the output shaft and final drive.An internally mounted oil pump supplies oil pressure for the hydraulic clutches, and for cooling the electric motors with the combustion engine running or turned off.
TOWING CAPABILITY MAINTAINED
Under higher load drive cycles the control system will directly clutch the engine through the transmission, effectively locking the first electric motor between its input and output, enabling full V6 engine torque with electric motor assist torque.Overview
Model year 2008 interim is the debut of the two-mode M99 electrically variable hybrid transmission. It was developed from the years of experience GM has gained from designing large passenger buses with single-mode hybrid drive systems.Electrically Variable Transmissions (EVT) have been used since the 1930s, and are most prevalent in locomotives. These are one-mode operations, with the combustion engine driving a generator which powers electric motors at the wheels. This requires very large electric motors to enable variable speed ranges.GM began building passenger buses with two-mode EVTs, the first mode using an input-split EVT mode and the second being a compound-split EVT mode and production began in 2003. The two-mode systems reduce the size of the electric motors necessary, allowing them to be used in smaller vehicles.In addition, to optimize the size of the electric motors for a private passenger vehicle, the 2 Mode FWD Hybrid Transmission uses four fixed ratios, added with the addition of two additional planetary gearsets. The fixed ratios in addition to the EVT continuously variable ratios were developed for the full-size SUVs to improve fuel efficiency and meet all requirements for acceleration, towing, top speed, driveline refinement, and emissions.Locking the first motor keeps the output shaft operating at the same speed as the input shaft, which is called “input-split” mode. This is a single-mode system such as is used on the commercial vehicles. For passenger vehicles it can have high fuel efficiency or high power, but not both. That is why the two-mode, or “compound-split”, system with two electric motors was developed for the Saturn VUE.The clutches in the 2-mode EVT are wet hydraulic clutches, similar to those in a conventional automatic transmission, and require a pump to activate.The fixed ratios are operated by synchronous “clutch-on, clutch-off” timing, which allows smooth shift events between modes of fixed and variable ratio operation. The fixed ratios were added to the EVT design to allow superior towing capability without requiring larger electric motors. This required two additional clutches and two additional planetary gearsets, which with the electric motors can be packaged inside a case that fits in the existing platform package of the Saturn Vue application.In layman’s terms, the 2-Mode EVT can be thought of like two transmissions connected inline: One transmission is continuously variable by way of using an electric motor to vary ratios, and the other is a conventional stepped-ratio transmission. The fixed gears take over when power demand from the combustion engine is higher than the electric motor’s ability to maintain a ratio.The fixed gears are used in high-load situations. When the fixed gears are in use, the electric motors then can generate electricity rather than consume it, or they can also be used to add torque to the output shaft for better performance. Coasting and braking also allow the electric motors to generate electricity.Low maintenance
DEXRON® VI is used as a lubricant and to cool the electric motors. For normal use there is no fluid change scheduled. DEXRON® VI was developed to have a more consistent viscosity profile; a more consistent shift performance in extreme conditions; and less degradation over time. Internal GM tests have demonstrated DEXRON® VI delivers more than twice the durability and stability in friction tests compared to existing fluids.The 2009 2 Mode FWD Hybrid Transmission (MK3) is produced in Ramos, Mexico.  

Hey Bill R,
I don’t know if you will get this question, so I’ll also ask it in the current and following thread if I see you there.

If I understand your statement correctly, will the Volt use Dexron VI as the coolant for the motor or anything else such as forward and reverse hydraulic functions and engagement? This is an important thing for me to know.
Thanks, Bill R.

LRGVProVolt:
Back in the “80’s. I dealt with a Canadian company, Kootatron, that manufactured coolers that run off of the cigarette lighter plug.Happy trails to you ’til we meet again.  

Yes, I had one of those also. It made the check engine light come on in my Chevy-chassis motorhome.

They all, and I do mean all, greatly interfere with the PCM programs because they generate harmonics and spurious signals into the PCM! This happens to everything from 1989 to the present models!
You might wonder why your A/C fan goes faster and slower if you do not use a plug-in digital voltmeter.

In my 05 Element, they interfere with the charging system pulse width modulation for the field in the alternator, making it jump up and down unpredictably, incurring spikes into the system several times per minute. You can’t run the mixture correctly when the voltage is spiking at a range of 1.5 volts!!

So, thermoelectric coolers aren’t without thier risks.

The small thermoelectric cooler in my 05 element runs insead off of a separate AGM battery recharged by a 36 watt regulated solar panel on the roof luggage rack. (The main reason I installed that was to run an HP “all-in-one” off a pure sine inverter to print out diagnostic waveforms directly out of a Genisys Scan system for a customer. And, for making copies of training and equipment contracts.) (GM already knows about that, I’d bet.)