Archive for the 'Electric Motor' Category
Will the Volt be Too Powerful?
Mike Allen is the senior automotive editor for Popular Mechanics. In a new article he seems to take issue with Detroit’s strategy that plug-in hybrid vehicles have powerful powertrains. He is in fact taking aim at the Volt.
He invokes images of the famous VW (hippie) microbuses that had 40 hp engines, and recommends [...]
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Audio Interview: Donald Hillebrand, Director of Center For Transportation Research, Argonne National Lab, Part I
Dr. Donald Hillebrand is the director for transportation research at the Argonne National Lab, a pivotal government organization involved in testing and deployment of plug-in cars. He is also a very intelligent and highly insightful man. We had an extensive and interesting discussion which can be heard in the player below the post. [...]
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New Interview with Chevy Volt Chief Engineer Nick Zielinksi: Part I
I just had the chance to speak with Nick Zielinksi about the most recent Chevy Volt developments including among other topics, the rationale for recent executive restructuring and a discussion about highway driving range. See video below:
(Either JavaScript is not active or you are using an old version of Adobe Flash Player. Please install [...]
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What Will the Chevy Volt Sound Like?
This was a question I had posed early on after the car was first introduced. Engineers responded that it should be pretty quiet.
Humans have been used to driving combustion engine powered vehicles for 100 years.
Electric engines by nature do not make much of a sound. Hidden deep in the body of a high [...]
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Clarification: Chevy Volt Electric Motor is A/C
In our previous post, it sounded as though Mr. Tony Posawatz responded that the Volt will use a DC motor, which seemed surprising.
Readers caught that and I questioned Mr. Posawatz again..he indicated that the Volt has an A/C motor.
Sorry for any confusion.
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NEW FACT: Chevy Volt Generator Starts When Battery Power Hits 50%, Stops Again at 80%
After a lengthy and healthy discussion about costs of driving the Volt we needed to know at what battery state of charge (SOC) the onboard generator would kick in. GM was kind enough to let us know that was intended to be 50%.
The next question to arise was that once the generator started at what [...]
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GM May Pull the Plug on E85 Capability for the Chevy Volt
We have some new and unsubstantiated information from anonymous sources that GM has decided to remove E85 capability from the Chevy Volt’s on-board internal combustion engine/generator.
One of the promotional points of this concept vehicle when it was first announced was the E-Flex system. The “E” stands for electricity, we understand the concept of the [...]
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FACT: Chevy Volt’s Generator to Start When Battery Power Drops to 50%
We have been discussing the cost of operating the Volt. In particular I have focused on what the electric cost will be to drive the first 40 miles without gas (or E85). We knew the battery holds 16 KWH of energy, but it hasn’t been clear how much of the battery would be discharged [...]
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Exclusive: Interview/Podcast With Chevy Volt Chief Engineer on Current State of Volt Development
Today has been a very productive one when it comes to news about the Chevy Volt. I had the opportunity to discuss these and other issues with Mr. Nick Zielinski who is the Vehicle Chief Engineer for the Chevy Volt. The full audio podcast follows below.
First of all, Mr. Zielinksi was able to [...]
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GM Sends in the Engineers
Today GM announced that they are moving 500 fuel cell experts out of the laboratory and on to the production front. Their collective work will focus on mass production of the 5th generation hydrogen fuel cell system that was unveiled in the Hydrogen Volt in Shanghai.What this means is that GM is serious about [...]
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Hydrogen Volt
GM rolled out its new Volt concept variant in Shanghaii yesterday. As mentioned, the vehicle is different than the predecessor concept in that instead of a combustion engine linked to the battery, the car uses a hydrogen fuel cell, which can both charge the battery and drive the engine.
Because of the hydrogen fuel cell, the [...]
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New Version of Volt to House Hydrogen Fuel Cell
As we predicted in our previous post, the new version of the Volt to be displayed at the Shanghai Auto show will demonstrate how the E-flex system can be configured with a hydrogen fuel cell as opposed to the internal combusiton engine.
This concept illustrates the “Flex” portion of E-flex. Since it is the battery-powered [...]
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Recent Posts
- EPA Closer to Giving the Chevy Volt at Least a 100 mpg Rating
- GM, Natural Gas, and the Volt
- GM and Chrysler in Merger Talks
- More Details About Chrylser’s Electric Car Plans
- As GM Goes So Goes the Nation
- Lutz Provides More Volt Details: Photovoltaic Roof to be Unveiled in January, and Volt Development Ahead of Schedule
- GM’s Electric History
- Project Better Place CEO Calls the Volt a Niche Product
- The Production Chevy Volt Has One Charging Port, and Unnamed Object Identified
- Video: 60 Minutes - Race For the Electric Car
