lolder Report post Posted October 13, 2010 The testers are reporting that the Volt ICE mpg. is in the mid to low 30's, not 40. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VonoreTn Report post Posted October 14, 2010 Yeah right, they just decided to throw a transmission in there at the last minute. Are you nuts? There's no way that GM could have changed the design any sooner than 2 years ago. I agree. They probably did it 2 years ago, but didn't tell anyone. But we have been hearing about the Volt for 4 years, and somehow the media missed the mechanical hookup until just last month. Trying to compare a Volt after the EV range to the FFH is also pointless. That's like trying to compare a gas Fusion to a Explorer when only one person is driving. When you take any vehicle outside of it's fundamental purpose it won't be as efficient. After EV mode, the Volt will always be handicapped because it must carry around a bunch of dead batteries. How can GM possibly expect to be equal to an FFH that doesn't suffer from that penalty? You are stating what was obvious to many of us here. GM did claim that the goal of it's engineers was 50 mpg after the first 40 miles. This was apparently wishful thinking, but a lot of people expected it. The point is that the Volt has been over-sold. It turns out to be a compromise that is not going to get a lot of buyers in my opinion. Look for high sales of the Volts in government fleets, and government subsidized industries. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lolder Report post Posted October 14, 2010 (edited) Here's how it works: http://www.automobilemag.com/green/news/1010_chevy_volt_surprise/index.html Edited October 14, 2010 by lolder Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mirak Report post Posted October 14, 2010 Here's how it works: http://www.automobilemag.com/green/news/1010_chevy_volt_surprise/index.html I won't pretend that I understood half of the jargon in that article, but the writers seem awfully impressed about all the "innovation" under the hood. At the end of the day, the Volt's a PHEV with a mid-30 mpg once the juice runs out. Meh. Hopefully this technology will be better and cheaper in another 5 years. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lolder Report post Posted October 14, 2010 (edited) I won't pretend that I understood half of the jargon in that article, but the writers seem awfully impressed about all the "innovation" under the hood. At the end of the day, the Volt's a PHEV with a mid-30 mpg once the juice runs out. Meh. Hopefully this technology will be better and cheaper in another 5 years.There's a link to a diagram somewhere here(My link under VonoreTN post). GM realized a direct drive to the wheels at higher speeds was more efficient than the ICE-generator-motor route. They just haven't done it as well as Toyota and Ford, that's the surprise. The transmission system has some advantages and disadvantages over ours but I don't like the three clutches. Why does the Volt call for premium gas? That's weird! You probably don't have to use it as all cars adjust for lower octane now with only the loss of a few peak horsepower.The system the Volt uses "shifts gears" in EV mode to limit motor rpms and add the second motor at higher speeds. It's fairly clever but complex. The difference in highway mpg between the ICE mode Volt and the FFH is probably much a factor of the 400 lb. battery. Don't pine for a bigger battery in hybrids. Edited October 14, 2010 by lolder Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites