Grab our RSS Feed
Follow us on:
   AND    

Archive for the 'Performance' Category

Chevy Volt Will be Able to Hit 104 MPH

November 19th, 2009 | Posted in: Performance with 94 Comments

The Chevy Volt is no slouch.
A Volt ride and handling engineer named Mark Popilek said “I got it up to 107 on the test track, but we’re planning on limiting the speed around 104.”
At this point in development the integration vehicles have become highly refined.  In fact, GM has just started to allow journalists test [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 94 Comments

Chief Powertrain Engineer Pleased With Chevy Volt’s Charge-Sustaining Mode

November 12th, 2009 | Posted in: Engineering, Generator, Original GM-Volt Interviews, Performance, Prototypes with 160 Comments

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 [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 160 Comments

Lutz Says Volt SS a Possibility, Cadillac Converj Reportedly Greenlighted for Production

November 9th, 2009 | Posted in: Performance with 120 Comments

The Chevy Volt is designed to have a sporty feel.  It will cover 0 to 60 in under 9 seconds and can chirp its wheels from a stopped position to to instantaneous torque.
Engineers have found a balance to both achieve 40 miles of gas free driving yet still allow the car to deliver a feeling [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 120 Comments

Chevy Volt Climbs Pikes Peak

October 7th, 2009 | Posted in: Performance, Prototypes with 238 Comments

GM has just about finished production of 80 integration-vehicle version Chevy Volts. These are full production intent cars that are being used for extensive road testing to generate learning engineers can use to further refine the vehicle for production.
Part of that learning involves putting the car through rigorous real-world driving conditions. We have already [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 238 Comments

Will the Volt Have Power Limitations on the Highway?

August 21st, 2009 | Posted in: Performance with 265 Comments

We recently heard about the engineering work GM has ahead of them in optimizing generator mode operation.
A concern that has been considered for a long time is whether the car will have power limitations in that mode.
The car will have a 100 MPH top speed 110 kw electric motor. The generator can develop 53 [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 265 Comments

Why the Buick CUV Plugin Will Have a 3.5 L, 6 Cylinder Engine

August 9th, 2009 | Posted in: Efficiency, PHEV, Performance with 191 Comments

We recently learned GM will be moving its 2-mode plug-in hybrid drivetrain into a yet-unseen, yet-unnamed Buick compact crossover.
It has been noted that though the standard version of this car will come with a DI 4 cylinder engine capable of more than 30 MPG highway, the plugin version will not.
It will have a direct [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 191 Comments

Chevy Volt Mule in Generator Mode Already ‘Prius Quiet’

May 27th, 2009 | Posted in: Engineering, Generator, Performance, Test drive with 164 Comments

General Motors has allowed the Cruze-bodied Chevy Volt mules to be test driven by more than a dozen journalists and various others including myself.
They have strictly restricted those driving experiences to the vehicle’s charge depleting mode. Outsiders thus only have the experience of driving the car in pure electric mode without the gas generator [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 164 Comments

The Chevy Volt’s Electric Range is 40 Miles in Both Highway and City Driving

April 24th, 2009 | Posted in: Performance with 159 Comments

It is often asked whether the Volt’s 40 mile all-electric range (AER) will be applicable both to city and highway driving. Other questions include how driving aggressiveness and the use of heating and air-conditioning might affect range. I had a chance to discuss these matters with Nick Zeilinksi. Nick is GM’s Director [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 159 Comments

VIDEO: Volt Vehicle Line Executive Frank Weber On Driving the Volt – “It’s Like Flying”

November 23rd, 2008 | Posted in: Performance, Video with 119 Comments

In this inspired video clip, Frank Weber, GM’s Volt vehicle line executive, discusses public acceptance for electric propulsion.
He notes people will see the obvious benefits of petroleum free driving; no emissions, and quietness, but also goes on to extol that electric propulsion “opens a new dimension in driving performance and experience.”
He says electric propulsion gives [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 119 Comments

The Pike’s Peak Question: Chevy Volt and the Infinite Hill

September 2nd, 2008 | Posted in: Engineering, Performance with 230 Comments

A question that people like to ask about the Chevy Volt involves Pikes’ Peak.  For those not familiar with it, Pike’s Peak is 14,115 feet high and has a 19 mile road going up to the summit.
I had the chance to asked Volt chief engineer Andrew Farah that very question and here’s how he [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 230 Comments

How the Chevy Volt Operates Past the Customer Depletion Point

August 25th, 2008 | Posted in: Battery, Engineering, Generator, Original GM-Volt Interviews, Performance with 226 Comments

The way the Volt is designed, the first 40 miles of driving are powered by the electric energy stored in the battery. After that distance from full charge, somewhere around 30% state of charge, the on-board generator kicks in. The generator’s job is to keep the battery at that 30% level all the [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 226 Comments

Chevy Volt to Have 50/50 Weight Distribution

January 11th, 2008 | Posted in: Engineering, Performance with 48 Comments

One question people have asked about the Chevy Volt is what will the weight distribution of the production version be.
In an article in Autoobserver, Jon Lauckner, GM VP of technology tells the author:
“…although the addition of hundreds of pounds of batteries typically would be a detriment to any vehicle’s dynamics, because of their placement roughly [...]

Posted by: Lyle with 48 Comments

RSS Recent Posts

RSS Recent GM-Volt Forum Posts