GM-VOLT : Chevy Volt Electric Car Site

[ad#post_ad]Chevrolet has unveiled a new custom exterior and design package for the Volt that its calling the Z-Spec concept.

The package is for unique design elements only that provide visual cue changes but won’t actually affect the aerodynamic performance of the car.

Features include special lower rocker panel, lower front fascia, grille, 19 inch wheels, and taillamps. GM says though this package is still only a concept, it is being considered for production.

“The concept combines the Volt’s advanced electric propulsion technology with the flair of Z-Spec, because efficiency and high style needn’t be mutually exclusive,” said Paul Arnone, lead designer. “The Z-Spec enhancements give the vehicle a sportier look that doesn’t affect its electric driving range or overall efficiency.”





The following are vehicle highlights:

Exterior:
• “Icy White” Metallic paint
• Lower rocker panels and lower front fascia
• Black chrome satin finish on the grille, belt moldings and outside rearview mirrors
• Billet aluminum Chevy “brand bar”
• Rear fascia
• Rear tail lamps
• Graphics package
• 19-inch GM Accessory wheels

Interior:
• Custom Z-Spec graphic door inserts
• Racing-style pedals
• Custom leather-wrapped, flat-bottom steering wheel with Z-Spec logo
• Recaro leather-trimmed front seats with orange accent stitch
• Custom Z-Spec floor mats

GM is also unveiling several other Volt exterior decal packages at the SEMA conference. The first is shown below:

Source (GM)


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[ad#post_ad]A lot of thought went into the paddle shifter found in the Chevrolet Volt.

Lead interior designer Tim Grieg noted back in 2008 when the car was first unveiled that because the car has no transmission and is purely electric, it gave designers the opportunity to “re-invent the shifter.”

The group chose to go with a large flush-mounted paddle placed very forward and actually within the center stack. The unusual forward position gives extra room along the top of the center console for such things as the cupholders.

Indeed over the years since the unveiling many people have commented about the shifter, though often finding it too large for their taste.

GM has apparently been listening and adapting.

An astute GM-Volt reader named ‘baltimore17′ discovered that in the latest Volt prototype in red photo, the shifter appears to be thinner.

It turns out he was correct.

According to director of Voltec design Bob Boniface, the design has been changed.

“The shifter design has changed a bit during development in order to provide more thumb clearance for the user’s hand,” he said. Putting it more bluntly, Volt vehicle line director Tony Psawzt said “it’s thinner to avoid any thumb pinching.”

Boniface explains how the decision was made and how GM feels about it.

“It was something that we, along with our HMI engineers, felt would be the most comfortable solution for the customer,” he said. “It still looks very modern but it is now a more
pleasent experience to use.”

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[ad#post_ad]GM has talked tirelessly abut how aerodynamic the Volt is, how its shape was born from the wind tunnel, and how important aerodynamics are for the car to achieve its 40 miles all electric range.

Yet for all that talk, the company has never released any official figure for the vehicle’s coefficient of drag (CD). This is the numerical measurement that indicates how slippery a car is, and unlikely to be slowed by wind resistance.

Bob Boniface who is chief of Voltec design finally provided us the details that were obtained when GM measured the Volt and its competitors on its own wind tunnel.

“We had the comparably-equipped 2010 Prius with 17 inch wheels, and the new Insight,” he said.

“The Prius came in at .30,” said Boniface. “That was a number that was verified in our tunnel, in Chrysler’s tunnel, and in Ford’s tunnel.”

“The Insight was 0.32, and the Volt was .28,” he said.

“I’d like to test the Volt in the same tunnel where Toyota got their 0.25 value,” he teased.

He expanded:

This number is for the Volt IVer which is representative of our production car. We were resistant to give out the number earlier for two reasons. One we wanted to wait until we tested our IVer. Also, we didn’t want to report it out until we saw where the competition was because we know that those numbers depend on how the tunnels are calibrated.

If I quoted 0.28 a year ago people would have said ‘aha’ the competition got 0.25. But its really all relative to what tunnel it was tested on.

The base Prius with the smaller wheels may come in lower, but we don’t offer 15 inch wheels.

EV-1
According to GM’s aerodynamics engineer Nina Tortosa, the old method of testing yielded .19, but with current testing methodology it would equate to .21.

“But that vehicle didn’t have a rollover and frontal impact structure of today’s standards,” said Boniface. “You could not sell that car today. That’s not to say we wont get to .21 again with another car. We always try to get drag down but we have to protect our styling flexibility.”

Corvette
The current base Corvette is the most slippery and its a 0.29, slightly less aerodynamic than the Volt.

Silver Emerald Volt

[ad#post_ad]On October 22nd, GM announced a contest to allow members of the public to participate in choosing the name of the Chevy Volt’s signature silver with emerald hue paint color.

The decision process was in the form of a contest.

GM claims nearly 13,000 creative entries were received from which they were able to whittle down three finalists.

They are:
1) “EV-ergreen by Devin McQuarrie, 30, of San Jose, CA
2) “Viridian Joule” by by Dave Thomas, 40, of Sanford, FL
3) “environMINT” entered by Matthew Valbuena, 30, of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

These finalists were decided “based equally on originality, creativity and the ability to capture the innovation and spirit of the Volt.”

Staring today you can vote for your favorite name below. The winner will be chosen by this public vote and will be flown all-expenses-paid to the LA Auto Show next month where it will be announced on December 1.

Not only will the winner go down in history as having named the Volts’ paint color but will also get an exclusive test drive of a pre-production integration Chevy Volt including in the now-ready-for-primetime charge-sustaining mode operation.

VOTE HERE

Editor’s Note:  There are reports on the Internet about an Ohio Chevy Dealer taking deposits on eBay.  The dealer claims to have Chevy Volt allocation.  This is denied by GM who report no dealer allocations have been given yet.

When Bob Boniface, the Volt’s Chief Designer, officially presented the first ‘IVer in motion’ on July 28th (also known to him as Christmas morning), that Volt was painted in the finest color known to man, which of course is not a color at all, it is black. While this made the Volt look impressive, it made design changes a little hard to pick up on.

A few weeks later at a media event, another IVer Volt was put through its paces by Frank Weber, who is officially ‘King of the Engineers’ at GM. (Ok, that is not his actual title, but it is way too long to repeat, and too boring to remember)

This particular Volt gave us the opportunity to more easily judge/identify the changes, because it was in the worst color known to man, Robin’s Egg Blue.

Actually, that is bold-faced lie. Bob Boniface just recently sent me a note telling me that particular IVer was in “e-coat gray without paint,” not Robin’s Egg Blue. (However, my making that mistake illustrates my point…that Robin’s Egg Blue is a terrible color, and all previously built Volts in that color (or similar) need to be used in crash tests…but I digress)

As you can see from the illustrations, the hood has been changed into more of a bonnet, and the front side quarter panels have been adjusted accordingly. This type of hood, while often seen on trucks and SUV/CUVs is a rarity for sedans.

What was unclear is if this design change is functional or aesthetic. From first glance, it appears it could allow for more access, or perhaps it offers additional protection/redundancy from the elements for the sensitive components inside. Then again, perhaps Bob Boniface just really liked the new Ford Fiesta and this is his homage to it.

When I inquired about the subject, all of those first assumptions proved incorrect, and Mr. Boniface has this to say:

“Hood cutline change was made for compliance with European Pedestrian Protection regulations. Hood cutines tend to be very stiff due to metal flanging and the original ones fell into test zone for head impact.”

So there you have it, functional changes. However, he did add his thoughts on what that meant for the aesthetics as well:

“I was happy to move them because I think the side view line makes the fender appear thinner.”

Taking the reason for the changes to its logical conclusion, one could assume these changes will see their way to the Opel Ampera project as well.

Personally, I think the new changes give it a little more of the “nerd’s shoe” mystique, but it also gives the Volt a little more uniqueness…and that can’t be a bad thing.

Sidenote: Frank Weber’s official title actually is “Global Vehicle Line Executive/Global Vehicle Chief Engineer, Global Electric Vehicle Line Team” …that has to be one whale of a desk plaque.

We just heard from Volt lead designer Bob Boniface on a webchat and he was able to shed some light on issues related to the design of the Volt among other things. Some key information is as follows:

Ports
He confirmed the Volt will have two ports, one for gas and for for charging each on opposite sides of the vehicle. The charge port is in the front quarter, driver’s side.

Change from Concept to Production Form
The never ending questions of why the car changed from concept to production continued. Bob explained that the proportions between the two are drastically different because “the concept powertrain layout was completely different and pushed the front wheels far forward giving us the long hood we all loved.” This though produced a Chevy Tahoe-sized wheelbase of 116″ which as he put it “made drivability and maneuverability unmarketable.”

Coefficient of Drag
Boniface still wouldn’t publicly confirm the Volt’s CD, stating that “many of our competition quote grossly exaggerated aero figures that are not repeatable when we test their vehicles in our tunnel,” in particular to a reference about the Tesla Model S having a CD of 0.27.

“If I quote an actual GM derived tunnel figure,” he said, “it may not look impressive to you when, in fact, it is superior to most if not all of our competition.”

Finally he assures us “The Volt aero performance is second only to the EV1 in GM history.”

He also noted GM will test the 2010 Prius’ aerodynamics next week and says “I expect the Volt to stand up to the competition.”

Colors
He said “We will have a full range of colors,” but “you will have to wait until we get closer to launch to find out all colors.” Boniface also reported there will be more than one trim level and that GM may take customer feedback in determining color options.

Low Font End
It was noticed in the IVer video that the front end of the Volt appears precariously low to the ground, especially the air intake port.

Boniface explains “we took the Volt ride height down as low as possible without violating GM best practices.”

“The piece to which you are referring is a flexible airdam that sits fairly low to the ground (same height as Corvette airdam),” he writes. “This piece is a big aero enabler and should not be damaged by a hit to a curb.”

Future Voltec Vehicles
Boniface excites us with prospects for the future now that Volt design work is done. His team is “working on some other (secret) projects now,” he says.

Charge Sustaining Mode
Boniface decided to take a non-design question about why GM hasn’t allowed anyone outside the company to experience driving the Volt while in generator mode. He said “I have driven the mule in charge sustaining mode and, frankly, I don’t know what all the fuss is about.”

“It was remarkably smooth and quiet with a nearly seamless transition,” he said. “I think the team wants it to be perfect before letting others drive it.”

To make sure he was perfectly clear, Bob actually made a cameo appearance in our GM-Volt.com comments section, which by the way to my knowledge is the first time any GM executive has done so in the site’s history. He said:

When I said that I did not understand what all the fuss was about, I was referring to the internal fuss. Of course I understand that this is a critical part of the EREV experience and people are eager to understand this part of the puzzle. The point was that the transition is so good that I do not know why we do not allow people to experience it.