Chevy Volt Hybrid Concept

[Ajaxus]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/AUTOS/01/07/...ept/index.html

DETROIT (CNNMoney.com) -- General Motors will unveil a plug-in hybird vehicle Sunday that, the company says, offers a preview of a high-mileage vehicle platform that GM could use in future vehicles.

The Chevrolet Volt, which is driven by electricity alone, uses a small three-cylinder gasoline engine only to recharge its batteries. The batteries can also be charged by plugging into an ordinary electrical outlet.

Gallery: Chevrolet Volt

Starting with a full charge, the car could theoretically operate for about 40 miles at suburban street speeds without needing to burn any gasoline at all.

It would take about 6.5 hours to fully charge the Volt's batteries from an outlet. The vehicle could, however, be driven without a full charge but would need to rely on its gasoline engine sooner.

Unlike other hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius, the Volt's gasoline engine would never power the car's wheels. Instead, it would recharge the car's batteries if needed while the car would continue to run on electric power alone.

The Volt's electric motor can produce up to 121 kilowatts, the equivalent of about 161 horsepower. It can produce 320 newton-meters, or about 236 foot-pounds, of torque. Electric motors offer more torque - the pulling power a car uses to accelerate - relative to their kilowatt or horsepower output than gasoline engines do.

Building an affordable car using the technology will require advances in battery technology, the company said. Batteries powerful enough to allow the kind of highway speed and power drivers are accurstomed to also tend to produce a lot of excess heat. Battery companies are researching ways to produce batteries last longer and don't run hot while still being able to store and release ample power.

Hybrid history
Until recently, only Toyota, Honda and Ford sold gas/electric hybrid vehicles in the U.S. Nissan will begin offering a hybrid version of its Altima sedan, which will rely on Toyota's hybrid technology, later this year. (CKCK)

General Motors Saturn Vue Green Line SUV, which has a "mild hybrid" system. That means the Vue cannot drive, even at low speeds, on electric power alone. The advantage of the system, according to GM, is its low cost compared to more robust hybrid systems.

GM will begin selling vehicles with a more advanced "two-mode" hybrid system later this year. That system will be available initially in the company's large SUVs. It is housed entirely within the vehicle's transmission tunnel and is engineered to provide optimal performance in both low-speed, stop-and-go driving and highway driving. Most hybrid systems provide the most benefit in stop-and-go driving but not help much in high-speed cruising.

Electric cars
At the Los Angleles Auto Show in November, General Motors outlined a strategy to prepare for the future "electrification" of the car.

GM's reputation had suffered because of the company's reliance on large SUVs for profitability. A recent documentary film, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" focused on GM's role in ending California's experiment in the 1990s with promoting all-electric cars.

GM and other companies, including Toyota, produced electric cars that were sold in California at that time. All those companies dropped plans to make and market the vehicles once California changed rules requiring them.

Plug-in hybrids are seen as a more viable alternative to all-electric vehicles because they do not need to stop and recharge when their batteries run out. They can still run on purely electric power at relatively low speeds and for relatively short distances. Charging an electric takes hours, not a the few minutes it takes to fill a car with gasoline.

Supplementary power for a vehicle like the Volt could come from gasoline, "renewable" fuels like ethanol or bioeisel or from compressed natural gas. It could also be provided by hydrogen with using a fuel cell, which creates electricity in a chemical produces that produces water.

Somebody else is going to have to link the pictures for me, can't do it here at work.

[pyro]

[Ajaxus]

thanks pyro

[crazypontiac03]

Interesting, as far as the design of the Car little to futuristic for me.

I'd Drive a Vue before i'd drive that.

[Ajaxus]

i'd drive it, only downside from a modding standpoint, with the design if you decided to drop it, it'd still appear to be sitting pretty high..i'm just not feeling that part of the design so much. the rest i can do with.

[lastyear4gt]

[bigbenSC]

I don't think it looks that bad, but the way it looks is beside the point. I really like the fact that GM is taking some initiative to blaze a new path and not just copying what the Japanese guys have done. This type of system is going to become very common in the very near future IMO.

[ryanbgb22]

i think it looks pretty cool, however, too futeristic to ever happen (or at least look like that)

[jaketuff]

Pretty mean looking... Needs wider rubber for me, the thing prolly can't be dropped if it is load with lithium ion. Would be great to see a package like this from the American side. Wonder if Mobil and the oil fooks will let this be built for us!

And I wonder why they design all these current hybrids to look like absolute turds. Can it be that theyt are not intended to look good???? WAS THE AZTEK SUPPOSED TO BE A HYBRID OR WHAT!??? What gives, can't there be a sexy ride with an electric motor - is that so focking hard to produce?

OUT

[crazypontiac03]

There is, well no a Full Hybird but the 08 Envoy will be produced in Hybird Form a saving of about 25% compared to the current Model.

http://www.gmc.com/yukonhybrid/index.jsp

[Rich]

heres a video of a guy talking all about it. i guess theyve been driving it around. 50-60 MPG wihtout the battery and 640 miles a tank, not bad.

http://www.carbuyersnotebook.com/arc..._volt_elec.htm

and:

Originally Posted by crazypontiac03

Interesting, as far as the design of the Car little to futuristic for me.

I'd Drive a Vue before i'd drive that.

[cardude007617]

Originally Posted by crazypontiac03

I'd Drive a Vue before i'd drive that.

that doesnt make any sense to me. you'd rather drive your vue that gets 25mpg, verses a car that gets double it? i dont know about u, but id buy this thing right now; gas is only gonna go up (i paid 2.78 last nite )

[nascarnate326]

I took those at this years NAIAS. I think the car looks sweet. Ill take one in black.

Theres also a video of it being unloaded by some traffic...kinda scary how lax GM is with a car this important.

[Exodus]

Originally Posted by Rich

heres a video of a guy talking all about it. i guess theyve been driving it around. 50-60 MPG wihtout the battery and 640 miles a tank, not bad.l

NEVER gonna happen!!!

The front end sorta looks like the Camaro w/ a little tweek.

[crazypontiac03]

Originally Posted by cardude007617

that doesnt make any sense to me. you'd rather drive your vue that gets 25mpg, verses a car that gets double it? i dont know about u, but id buy this thing right now; gas is only gonna go up (i paid 2.78 last nite )

That time i checked, I Can't tow with the Volt, Nor Have much cargo room.

I doubt it will get 50-60mpg, If and when it hits the streets. People in Washington would lose to much $$ in there Oil Stock.

[GregFarz78]

This would be a perfect commuter car I wouldn't doubt it will get 60mpg, the real question can GM make it affordable to compete with toyota/honda. The EV1 was badass it just cost too much for most people. It will happen people in washington are the ones enforcing those new rules to average 35 mpg by a certain year.

[Panacea]

It's the EPA's fault we have crappy fuel mileage. Why is it that back in the 70's we had cars that got 30-40+ MPG but now they're hard to come by? Seems like the more emissions crap you put on the car the more gas you burn!

[nascarnate326]

Originally Posted by GregFarz78

This would be a perfect commuter car I wouldn't doubt it will get 60mpg, the real question can GM make it affordable to compete with toyota/honda. The EV1 was badass it just cost too much for most people. It will happen people in washington are the ones enforcing those new rules to average 35 mpg by a certain year.

Exactly. Having a car that gets 60 MPG and a car that is affordable and gets 60MPG is a very different story. Lets hope GM can deliver, or it mite as well dig its grave.

[Exodus]

Originally Posted by Panacea

It's the EPA's fault we have crappy fuel mileage. Why is it that back in the 70's we had cars that got 30-40+ MPG but now they're hard to come by? Seems like the more emissions crap you put on the car the more gas you burn!

Is that true?

[notsoaveragej0e]

Originally Posted by GregFarz78

This would be a perfect commuter car I wouldn't doubt it will get 60mpg, the real question can GM make it affordable to compete with toyota/honda. The EV1 was badass it just cost too much for most people. It will happen people in washington are the ones enforcing those new rules to average 35 mpg by a certain year.

It would be in an entirely different class than the Toyota/Honda's, because it would actually get really good mileage and not be a complete piece of crap. It also has a completely different drive system, so there is no comparison... with the lithium ion batteries, people can pay a little more because they don't have to be replaced as often as the setup in the current hybrids.