How Fast in the First 40 Miles

[rocketman]

This is a great site. I recently joined so that I could stay up on the progression of the Volt. I have decided not to purchase any more new vehicles until 2010 in the hopes of landing one.

I have done alot of searching on this site, as well as on the Internet, and I cannot seem to find any information on the top speed associated with the first 40 miles. Does anyone know this information? Will it be possible to drive 70mph and acheive that range consistently?

Thanks,

rocketman

[Joshua Bretz]

I have done alot of searching on this site, as well as on the Internet, and I cannot seem to find any information on the top speed associated with the first 40 miles. Does anyone know this information? Will it be possible to drive 70mph and acheive that range consistently?

The only thing connected to the wheels is the electric motor. The internal combustion engine generator just keeps the battery from discharging all the way. But the battery is so big that it could supply many times more power than the generator. So, the electric motor really doesn't "know" whether the generator is on or off. It just works.

[darthvader420]

I think it's supposed to be more like 80 mph. And the car's performance doesn't change after the first 40 miles. The range extender starts up to keep the batteries charged once they're drained to 30%. You shouldn't notice a difference.

[Joshua Bretz]

I thought that the top speed was ~100mph

[Koz]

Like what Jashua sez, they said 100mph max maintained is design goal at Voltnation. This and 70mph will certainly result in less range. I think the only way we'll get 40 miles AER going 70mph will be if they allow use of more than 50% of battery capacity.

[Tom]

Will it be possible to drive 70mph and acheive that range consistently?

Using a Volt Simulation (See zip file attachment http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=719) The AER, assuming 70 mph constant cruise speed, a smooth road, and start and stopping every 30 minutes, is 36 miles. For 62.5 mph cruise it is 40 miles. If we increase the State of Discharge Range from 50 % to 58%, we can get 40 miles at 70 mph constant cruise.

[rocketman]

Thanks to everyone for responding.

Tom,

This is great stuff. I am a highway driver. If it is possible to drive between 65mph and 70mph for the first 40 miles on pure electric, this car is going to be a huge hit. My commute round trip is only about 30 miles.

rocketman

[bedrock8x]

I believe it is 40 mile range with speed 40-45mph, less at higher speed. It will depend on the final battery pack size. Typically for a 3400lb car, 5miles/kW at 40mph, a 16kWh pack will have usable 8kWh capacity. This gives 5x8= 40 miles.

The ICE is up sized to 1.4L to resize the pack to lower capacity to reduce sticker price. I predict there will be battery pack size options for different EV range, 20, 40, and 60 may be.

Thanks to everyone for responding.

Tom,

This is great stuff. I am a highway driver. If it is possible to drive between 65mph and 70mph for the first 40 miles on pure electric, this car is going to be a huge hit. My commute round trip is only about 30 miles.

rocketman

[Koz]

Tom,

You must have tweaked your model since the last time I looked. The range estimates seem higher. What changes have you made recently?

[zzyzzx]

Fast enough to get a speeding ticket.