GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

As was announced, GM has selected me to participate on their Chevrolet Volt Consumer Advisory Board.  I will be taking a delivery of a salable Chevrolet Volt on or about October 24th, in New York, several weeks before the first consumers’ models are produced and later delivered.  I and the other 14 board members will have Volts and free 240-v chargers to live with for three months.

On the day of the announcement we spent a whole day out at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck (DHAM) assembly plant where the Volts are being built, and at GM’s Milford proving grounds test track where cars are tested.  I got to meet and chat with many other members of the advisory board and attended a series of Volt educational Volt lectures by several GM subject matter experts. We toured the assembly plant and got brief test drives the latest Volts out on the proving ground. We also dined and chatted with several GM executives including Sales President Mark Reuss, Marketing Chief Joel Ewanick, and Volt marketing director Tony DiSalle.

Needless to say it was a terrific, informative and exciting day.

The whole point of this program is to put cars in the hands of people who are avid EV enthusiasts, who will use the opportunity to begin spreading the message about the Volt to those they come in contact with. Not only does GM want us to validate and iron out the consumer purchase and charging installation process, but they hope we will show off the cars to as many people as possible. Indeed I and several of the other members with whom I spoke, look forward to finding swarms of curious people surrounding our cars when we return to them in public parking lots.

For those that asked, you can rest assured I am not subjected to any type of non-disclosure agreement.  All the facts about the car will be exposed analyzed and detailed during its time in my possession.  Not only am I allowed to talk about it, but GM is encouraging me to do so.  And so I shall on these very pages.

My only obligation as a CAB member is weekly feedback sessions using the OnStar system, and monthly conference calls. The Smartphone apps and web-based myvolt.com information and control systems will be fully operational.

After my three month evaluation period is over I plan to seamlessly transition without missing a day to my own Volt that I’ve already ordered from my local Chevrolet Dealer, the Englewood Auto Group.

My latest test drive with the newest cars revealed rather dramatic improvements over the earlier 67% calibration version I test drove nearly a year ago.  I found it much more refined; smoother, faster, and quieter.  The screens are vivid, intuitive, and full of fun and useful information. Shifting the lever, switching between sport and normal mode, and capacitive button pressing were all more precise and crisp. Handling was improved as well; engineers explained that the whole rear suspension was upgraded.

I even thought the doors felt more solid and closed with a definitive thud. There were the beginnings of attractive graining on the interior surfaces and the new smaller paddle shifter was markedly improved.

The Detroit Hammtramck plant is a massive and dramatic facility, and I toured the entire interior with my other co-members.  We saw Volts under various stages of construction.  I was struck with a sense of awe and pride at the great and important American manufacturing taking place there.

I hope to roll out some new interesting information over the next few days that I found during my trip.

I am also scheduled to go back on October 11th when GM themselves will lay bare the details of how the drivetrain truly operates, finally answering burning questions about the transmission and whether at any point the engine can turn the driveshaft (they still say no).

We were also told the EPA is currently testing the Volt and should have some final fuel efficiency values shortly, along with an official sticker, prior to launch.

And for those who are near me in the NY/NJ area we will be planning one or more meet-ups.

Thank you all for your congratulations and well wishes.  I am humbled and honored at this great opportunity.

And for those of you who want to get your own test drive, GM is about to launch the Volt Unplugged nationwide tour. Beginning on October 9th, GM will be bring Chevy Volts on a 12 city, six week, cross-country tour including demonstrations discussions with engineers and most importantly test drives.

The tour will stop as follows:

• Oct. 9 and 10 – Seattle

• Oct. 13 and 14 – San Francisco

• Oct. 16 – 18 – Los Angeles

• Oct. 20 – San Diego

• Oct. 22 and 23 – San Antonio

• Oct. 24 and 25 – Houston

• Oct. 28 and 29 – Miami

• Oct. 29 and 30 – Washington D.C.

• Oct. 30 – Orlando • Nov. 1 – Raleigh

• Nov. 5 – 7 – New York City

• Nov. 18 – 20 – Chicago

REGISTER HERE FOR TOUR

Freshly back from my trip to Detroit where I was named to the Volt Consumer Advisory Board, and new news has already started to break.

After more than three years of debate on how large the Volt’s gas tank is, the real number has finally materialized.

One of my fellow advisory board members Colin Summers of California, who is a former EV-1 driver, was able to extract this detail from someone he ran into at our drive event.

“The gas tank on the Volt is 9.3 gallons,” he writes.

At no point has any official Volt team member or engineer confirmed this value to me in the past, and it is expected that we advisory board members will figure it out anyway once we take possesion of our cars in a few weeks.

After pointing out Colin’s report, I was able to confirm this number is indeed true.

It still doesn’t exactly tell us miles per gallon in charge-sustaining mode though as we don’t know total gas range. GM says it will be at least 300 miles, but perhaps more. At 300 miles, charge sustaining combined MPG would be 32.

We need to realize this inoformation is not as important as we think though. The Volt is really about the total car experience and the fact that the majority of driving will be done on electricity alone.

Source (Voltaday)

After three years and nine months of constant blogging, my dream has finally come true. GM has announced they will be giving me a Chevrolet Volt to live with for three months. I will take possession at the end of October, prior to the official consumer launch.

I will be joining 14 other people from the Volt launch markets to participate in what is being called a Consumer Advisory Board. All of us are considered electric vehicle enthusiasts and advocates, some with strong voices and followings, and some even celebrities in their own rights. Many have also been previous participants in GM’s hydrogen fuel cell Equinox Project Driveway program or former EV-1 drivers.

We will be driving late-stage manufacturer validation build Chevrolet Volts as part of a captured test fleet. There is still time for our feedback to be used to help tweak the cars and to make sure the consumer purchasing and driving process goes smoothly.

In particular, GM will be using us to trial the 240-v home charging installation process.

“We are eager to learn as much as we can from potential customers about their experience with the Volt,” said Tony DiSalle, Chevrolet Volt marketing director. “We want to know their thoughts, impressions, and perceptions. This special group of electric vehicle experts gives us the opportunity to learn even more as we near market launch.”

All of us have of course volunteered to participate in this exclusive program and are thrilled to be a part of it. We are all residents either of New York, California or Washington DC and were chosen by by GM based on “location, knowledge of advanced automotive technology, and interest and awareness of electric vehicles.”

The full list of Advisory Board members are as follows:

Robert Becker – Electric vehicle enthusiast
Peter Corsell – Chief Executive Officer of GridPoint
Lyle Dennis – Electric vehicle enthusiast
Tom Kuhn – President, Edison Electric Institute
Andy Lipkis – President and Founder, TreePeople
Bill Nye – Celebrity scientist and electric vehicle enthusiast
Eric Rotbard – Electric vehicle enthusiast
Chelsea Sexton – Electric vehicle enthusiast
Colin Summers – Electric vehicle enthusiast
Mark Swain – Electric vehicle enthusiast
Kris Trexler – Electric vehicle enthusiast
Bryan Voltaggio – Celebrity chef and owner of Volt restaurant
Jim Woolsey – Former Director of Central Intelligence and Renewable Energy and Energy Security Investor
Brian Wynne – President, Electric Drive Transportation Association
Mike Maria – Electric vehicle enthusiast

We will be given training, cars, and a charger at no cost and in return for providing regular feedback including a weekly OnStar diagnostic call. We will also have local GM liaisons who will work directly with us to ensure every goes perfectly.

Our feedback will be used not only to improve the cars, buying, and ownership experience but will be useful to local utility companies to develop codes and standards for electric vehicle owners.

Our effort is considered a consumer extension of the current employee test fleet program underway.

Thank you GM for this wonderful gift. I wish you all could get one with me, but though that’s not in my control, you can be certain I will be posting all of my experiences right here for you to live them with me, and together we will continue to shape this car and this program, and begin to get our country off of oil.

A team of 50 judges have made their choice of short list candidates for 2011 North American Car of the Year.

For the first time in history, electric cars have made their way to the list. Bot the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan LEAF are candidates.

Here is the press release:

DETROIT, – General Motors and Nissan dominate the list of 14 cars being considered for the 2011 North American Car of the Year. The list includes two electric vehicles, Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf.

The awards are unique in the United States because — instead of being given by a single media outlet — they are awarded by automotive journalists from the United States and Canada who represent magazines, television, radio, newspapers and web sites.

Twenty-seven new cars were eligible for the 2011 North American Car of the Year award. Earlier this week jurors voted on those they thought deserved additional consideration or what is known as the “short list” That narrowed the field to 14 semi-finalist cars, which will be on the ballot in December.

General Motors and Nissan each have three models on the short list. There are four European models, four domestic and four from Japan. Two are from Korea.

The jurors did not vote on the trucks because there were only 14 and it did not seem necessary to narrow the field from that original list.

The three car and three truck finalists will be announced on December 16th at an Automotive Press Association luncheon in Detroit. The final two winners, a North American Car of the Year and a North American Truck of the Yedar, will be announced in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

This is the 18th year of the awards, which are funded exclusively by the jurors. During that time:

• Domestic automakers have won North American Car of the Year nine times. European automakers have won four times, Japanese automakers have won three times. A Korean automaker has won once.

• Domestic automakers have won North American Truck of the Year 11 times. Japanese automakers have won four times. European automakers have won twice.

2011 North American Car of the Year Short List:
Audi A8 Buick Regal Chevrolet Cruze Chevrolet Volt Ford Fiesta Hyundai Sonata/2.0T/Hybrid Infiniti M37/56	Jaguar XJ Kia Optima Mazda Mazda2 Nissan Juke Nissan Leaf Volkswagen Jetta Volvo S60

North American Truck of the Year Short List:
Dodge Durango Ford Edge Ford Explorer Honda Odyssey Hyundai Tucson Infiniti QX56 Jeep Grand Cherokee	Kia Sorento Kia Sportage Lincoln MKX Mercedes-Benz R-Class Porsche Cayenne Toyota Sienna Volkswagen Touareg

Let this be the first of many. It’s about time.

It seems very likely that the GM patent application “Output Split Electrically-Variable Transmission with Electric Propulsion Using One or Two Motors” describes the Chevrolet Volt transmission (which GM has called the Electric Drive Unit). The file is a pdf and you’ll need the free Adobe reader to view it:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20090082171.pdf

Here is a snapshot of the title page:

I will apologize in advance to those of you who are less technically inclined. This posting contains a lot of engineer speak. I’ve tried to keep it as straightforward as possible, but this is a complex device. If you want help understanding how a planetary gearset works here is a link to help:

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/automatic-transmission2.htm

Figure 1 of the patent application is here:

It shows the internal combustion Engine connected via clutch C3 to Motor/Generator A which connects via clutch C2 to the Ring gear (labeled C) of a planetary gearset . The Ring gear also connects via clutch C1 to a stationary member of the transmission case. Motor/Generator B is connected to the Sun gear (labeled A) of the planetary gearset. The planet Carrier (labeled B) of the planetary gearset is connected to the Final Drive which, though this is not shown, is connected through the differential to the drive wheels of the car. (Don’t worry about the second, dashed, copies of Engine and M/G A, they just show an optional alternative configuration without clutch C3.)

The nature of a planetary gearset is that when the speeds of any two of the Ring, planet Carrier, and Sun gears are known the speed of the third is determined.

Figure 3a of the patent application is here:

It shows a truth table defining the available operating modes of the transmission. In the first three columns C1, C2, and C3 there is an X when that clutch is engaged or a blank when that clutch is disengaged. The rows of the table define six operating modes (plus a seventh, transition, mode).

In mode 1: 1 Motor Electric-only the Ring is held stationary and there is a fixed gear ratio from M/G B to the Final Drive.

In mode 2: Series we still have the fixed gear ratio from M/G B to the Final Drive. In addition, the Engine is connected to M/G A so that M/G A can start the Engine and the Engine can then drive M/G A to generate electricity for the battery and/or M/G B.

In mode 3: Output Split the Engine and M/G A work in unison to drive the Ring gear. This torque is blended with that from M/G B to the Final Drive. (This mode is just like the Toyota Prius’s Hybrid Synergy Drive.) Note that GM seems to have stated that the Volt never mechanically couples the Engine to the wheels. That would imply that mode 3 is never selected in the Volt, even though it could be. I don’t know what GM has really done in the Volt. We will presumably find out by the time the first Volts are delivered to dealers.

In mode 4: Neutral the Final Drive receives no torque since the Sun gear can spin freely.

In mode 5: Neutral / Battery Charge the Final Drive receives no torque, but the Engine is attached to M/G A and can drive M/G A to generate electricity for the battery.

In mode 6: 2 Motor Electric-only M/G A and M/G B are driven simultaneously and their torque is blended for delivery to the Final Drive. The combination of speeds of M/G A and M/G B determines the speed of the Final Drive. Alternately put, the speed of M/G A determines the gear ratio from M/G B to the Final Drive. This is the Electrically Variable Transmission (EVT).

You may ask how these six modes relate to the Charge Depleting (CD or Electric) mode of the Volt and to its Charge Sustaining (CS or Extended Range) mode. Here is my take:

In CD mode the 1 Motor Electric-only and 2 Motor Electric-only modes are used to optimize the electrical efficiency of M/G A and / or M/G B at the required road speeds. It is all about using the EVT to get the most miles of All Electric Range from the charge available from the battery. No gas is used.

In CS mode the Series mode is used to have the Engine, over time, drive M/G A to generate just enough electricity to keep the battery state of charge within the buffer range while M/G B is driving the wheels through the fixed gear ratio when the Ring gear is held stationary. As I said earlier, the Output Split mode could be used in CS but GM may have chosen not to do this for some reason.

Of course, there is no proof that the Volt’s transmission is what this patent application describes, but the timing (filed September 10, 2007) is right and it fits the statement by GM public relations guy Rob Peterson that the Volt has a planetary gearset and a number of clutches. It also fits the statements Volt powertrain engineer Alex Cattelan made in her interviews with Lyle last November: http://gm-volt.com/2009/11/09/engineering-design-of-the-chevy-volts-two-electric-motors/ . And there is NASAman’s statement from Bob Lutz that “the Volt will have a transmission like no other” In addition, several people who’ve ordered Volts have posted the following description from the myvolt.com order tracking site:

“Powertrain
TRANSMISSION AUTOMATIC, ELECTRONIC RATIO SELECT, GM, STRONG HYB RID, EVT, PLUG IN
ENGINE FLEXIBLE FUEL, (GAS/ALC), 4 CYL, 1.4L, MFI, DOHC E-FLEX, FAM 0″

In conclusion, if the patent application does describe the Volt’s transmission it means that the Volt is NOT a single speed only transmission. It is an Electrically Variable Transmission (EVT). In addition, if the clutches C2 and C3 are engaged simultaneously there is a mechanical power path from the engine to the wheels. It may be that GM has chosen to never engage C2 and C3 simultaneously, but they could if they wanted to. (I don’t know if that would be an infringement of Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive patents; I’m an engineer, not a patent lawyer.)

For more discussion of this patent see the following thread in the Engineering forum:

http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?p=43109#post43109

Lyle tells me GM has said it plans to publicly unveil this system soon after the cars are out there, so we should get a definite resolution of all these questions by then. In the meantime it sure is fun to speculate.

The GM-Volt Want List has a storied past. For those that don’t know, I started the list in May 2007 as the Chevy Volt Wait List. The plan at the time was to create a list of people in chronological order who wanted to own a Chevy Volt. At that time the car was still a concept and had yet to be redesigned, engineered, or validated. It was my idea if the list were significant enough though, GM would have to take notice and build the car.

The list grew and it grew and it grew. I remember dreaming that some way somehow some day that list could even reach the magical number of 50,000 people. Early this year it did.

Though I had hoped GM would one day use that list as a real chronological pre-order list, that never came to pass. Chevrolet marketing had their own plans, of which we are now well aware. Volts would be allocated to dealers in at first a few launch markets, in small numbers, and gradually be rolled out across the country over 18 months. Dealers would take their own local wait lists.

Along the way GM also asked me to change the name, and so was born the GM-Volt Want List.

I recently took an email survey of those 52,800+ members to learn more about them, and present the results.

Of the 52,825 people on the list, 4689 took the survey, a rate of 8.9%. Forty percent said they were still equally interested in the Volt as when they joined the list, 27% were more interested, and 32% said they were less interested. More than one quarter (27%) said they checked GM-Volt.com daily or one or twice per week. Forty percent said they checked in once per month and 31% said they checked in less than once per month.

Forty percent of respondents said they live in one of the seven launch markets, with the remaining 60% of respondents distributed throughout the remaining 43 states, Canada, and elsewhere.

Only 4% (188) of respondents said they already ordered a Volt, but an additional 40% said they hadn’t yet ordered but planned to. An majority of 55% said they didn’t plan to order a Volt.

Eighty percent of respondents said they only checked GM-Volt.com for Volt news, 19% said they also checked other sites for information.

These results are quite interesting but also illustrate that only about 1 in 10 people on the list who live in launch markets have actually ordered a Volt so far, though forty percent of the whole group still plans to order one.

GM claims they have over 100,000 hand-raisers on their official interest list, and only plan to build 10,000 cars in the first year. If a similar 1 to 10 ratio holds for them too, it would mean Volts are unlike to have sold out yet, but that after all is said and done, demand may outstrip supply by four to one.

For its part, Nissan has been more quantitative about its list of LEAF buyers. Earlier this week they announced that reservations were closed as 20,000 people in the US have put down a $99 deposit for the car. Nissan only plans a sales volume of 20,000 cars in North America in the first year. It isn’t known how may of those 20,000 have actually ordered, or actually ever will, and many live out of the launch markets. It will take Nissan another year or more from the December launch to roll cars out to the whole country, and in many places orders won’t be taken until 2011.

Nissan EV marketing director Mark Perry told GM-Volt reservations were converting to orders rapidly. We are “seeing very high conversion rate from reservation to order,” said Perry. This is to be “expected given California, Washington, Oregon and Tennessee incentive levels.”

GM won’t say how many Volt orders they have. Sources say it wouldn’t make sense for GM to announce those numbers; if they were low they would be criticized for not selling out, if they were high they would be criticized for not building enough.

Now that the Want List is fading in importance, it is time to begin a Volt Owners Community. There is already a Volt Ownership Forum whose members, discussions and features will grow exponentially in the coming months, and which will soon take a greater role on the front page of this site.

Please register for the GM-Volt forum and participate if you don’t already.

And if you have ordered a Volt, please enter your information below to be kept abreast of GM-Volt owner features as they become available. You will then be included in a new Volt Owners List. Your information will be private, managed only by me. You may review our privacy policy here.