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Archive for the 'Engineering' Category
Chevy Volt and Battery Program Update
General Motors provided an online media update as to current progress on the Chevrolet Volt and battery development program, moderated by vehicle chief engineer Andrew Farah and Voltec battery system manager Bill Wallace. I and several actual journalists attended. We were given the current state of development and the roadmap of the next 12 months [...]
Chief Powertrain Engineer Pleased With Chevy Volt’s Charge-Sustaining Mode
I had the following discussion with Alex Cattelan who is the Chevy Volt’s chief powertrain engineer. She has a very deep understanding of how the car operates and recently drove in a fleet of integration Volt prototypes through rugged mountains of Knoxville Tennessee.
Do you feel the charge-sustaining (CS mode) experience is now pretty solid [...]
Volt Exec: EREV is a Hard Configuration to Make Work
As the story goes, GM planned to leapfrog the Prius with what was called the ‘iCar’ in 2006. Starting with Bob Lutz’ idea of a pure electric car, GM VP Jon Lauckner recommended adding a gas generator to eliminate issues of range limits and the Chevy Volt concept was born. The resulting tremendous public interest [...]
Engineering Design of the Chevy Volt’s Two Electric Motors
I had the following discussion with Alex Cattelan who is the Volt’s Chief Powertrain Engineer. It explains for the first time anywhere in more depth how the Volt’s two separate electric motors function.
The design of the electric motor, is there a separate generator or does the motor itself just turn the other way and act [...]
MINI E Pothole Fail, GM Working Hard on Chevy Volt Quality
As some readers may know, I am one of 100 people in New York who are leasing the MINI E electric car for one year. I recently passed 5000 miles of driving the car, and for the most part am very happy with it, especially in that all those miles have been covered without using [...]
Chevy Volt Engine Generator Operates Between 1200 and 4000 RPM
The Chevy Volt’s 1.4 L 4 cylinder flex fuel generator garners a lot of attention and discussion online.
It is this range-extender that make the car so unique. Although the Volt always operates as an EV, once the battery’s state of charge reaches roughly 30% this generator powers on, providing electricity to the motor. [...]
Transition From Integration to Pre-Production Begins Now: Thousands of Chevy Volts to be Built Early Next Year
As was reported on Friday October 9, GM completed building the last of a total of 74 pre-production Chevy Volts, which were built in the modest-sized pre-production operations facility in GM’s Warren campus. I had the chance to discuss with Volt vehicle line engineer Tony Posawatz what happens now.
Now that these cars are finished [...]
Q&A With Chevy Volt Lead Powertrain Engineer
Alex Cattelan is head of the Volt propulsion engineering team. I had the chance to discuss the current state of Chevy Volt development from her perspective.
What is your role in the Volt program?
I head up the team that does all of the propulsion systems for the Volt. That includes motors, power electronics, we don’t [...]
Exclusive: The Engineering Challenges of Volt Generator Mode
After the Chevy Volt has been driven 40 miles on electricity, the gas-powered generator turns on supplying electricity along with a buffer in the battery that the electric motor needs for continued operation. Though GM has been developing this function for a while they have not shown it publicly.
I had a chance to discuss this [...]
Chevy Volt Battery Has Robust Cell Monitoring and Safety Systems
Greg Ceisel is the Chevy Volt Program manager and has integral knowledge about the car’s engineering.
He recently shed some light on how the battery pack detects and reacts if there are any problems.
“The reliability of the Chevy Volt and its battery are essential to the success of this technology,” he said. “Our battery design [...]
Chevy Volt Will Continue to Operate Even after Battery Drops Below 50% Capacity
Lithium-ion batteries degrade over time. There’s no getting around this fact. GM is going out of its way to pamper the Volt’s pack so as to guarantee up to 40 miles of pure electric range even at 10 years or 150,000 miles of driving. But what happens beyond that?
Most experts believe the [...]
EPA Playing a Role in Volt Generator Mode Behavior?
It is known that no one outside GM at this point has been allowed to witness the Chevy Volt prototypes running in generator mode.
Previously it was reported that the reason for this is that the car isn’t soundproofed and GM doesn’t want people to hear the engine. Jon Lauckner has also told me the [...]
Recent Posts
- Chevy Volt Will be Able to Hit 104 MPH
- Chevy Volt and Battery Program Update
- GM to Announce Initial Volt Markets at LA Auto Show
- Coalition of Industry Leaders Releases Roadmap to get 120 Million Electric Cars on US Roads by 2030
- Op-Ed: GM Reports a $1.2 Billion Loss, but Has the Cash To See Volt Well into Production and Beyond
- Three Chevy Volt Paint Color Finalists Announced
- What BMW Has Learned from the MINI E Program So Far: That They May Need to Build EREVs
- GM: EVs are Cool, but EREV’s are Really Cool
- Report: New Buick Regal Will be First to Get GM’s New Hybrid Drivetrain, and Possibly Plug-in
- Chief Powertrain Engineer Pleased With Chevy Volt’s Charge-Sustaining Mode
Recent GM-Volt Forum Posts
- New video: Volt drive in Detroit November 19, 2009November 19, 2009 Detroit Free Press story with video featuring a Volt drive with Andrew Farah in... […]srschrier
- New Video: Volt Corrosion Testing November 18, 2009From GM VoltAge, the Volt's corrosion... […]srschrier
- Th!nk picks Indiana for U.S. factory November 18, 2009Th!nk picks Indiana for U.S. factory: _Link_ (http://www.allcarselectric.com/blog/1038564_thnk-picks-indiana-for-u-s-factory) […]Jason M. Hendler
- FIRST ALL-ELECTRIC APTERA 2e PUSHED BACK TO 2010 November 18, 2009FIRST ALL-ELECTRIC APTERA 2e PUSHED BACK TO 2010: _Link_... […]Jason M. Hendler
- Any news about the NiMH battery? November 18, 2009Now that there are new owners of the patent, is there any indication that they will allow its use for electric cars? Like many others, I believe that... […]Desertstraw
- energy requirments of modern electric vehicles November 18, 2009does anyone know any credible sources of information concerning the electricity requirements of modern electric vehicles per mile of travel and the... […]crubkings
- 30% reduction November 18, 2009The Belgian governement decided that if you buy a car with less then 60g/km emmision you get a 15% tax reduction and you can write it off for 100% if... […]filiep
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