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CHEVY VOLT -government at work

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  • CHEVY VOLT -government at work

    The Chevy Volt has been hailed as General Motors’ electric savior. Now, as GM officially rolls out the Volt this week for public consumption, we’re told the much-touted fuel economy was misstated and GM “lied” about the car being all-electric.

  • #2
    Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

    wow all the media that is in bed with toyota, blasting it. no surprise..
    even if it fall short. come on.
    WHO thought this would get 230mpg..
    230 mile per charge maybe, and that was a big maybe..
    sorry no different than toyota say'n their pruis is the cleanest car in the world, it isn't..
    unless you don't count the being manufactured. then it's , a lie too.
    they all lie..
    why hasn't all these auto rags pounced on that, why cause they are in bed with toyota..
    let g.m. finish the hyd gas(fuel cell) car..
    g.m. lied no less than the auto media does about all cars,,
    like the toyota ad now , that a 4y/o 100k toyota is a better car than a NEW accord or ford..
    HELLO.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

      Did you see the photo with the sign hanging above the car that says "230 mpg"?

      Also they were pretty emphatic when they said that the gas engine would only be used to charge the batteries, not actually drive the wheels.

      Can't say that I really give a rat's ass though. I'd rather park Goliath on top of one than own it.

      Brian
      That which you manifest is before you.

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      • #4
        Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

        A car manufacturer lying?...say it isn't so!

        The gov't in cahoots with a car manufacturer?....NO WAY!

        We all know how to tell when a gov't official is lying right? Well you can add Gov't Motors to that too.
        Whiskey for my men ... and beer for their horses!

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        • #5
          Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

          question.... is there a driveshaft or half shafts to the wheels from the motor to the wheels?

          as for the other test.... popular mechanics said they hooned the car...drove at 80 mph, raced it.... and no surprise, it got worse mileage....

          interestingly, I saw a Volt yesterday driving down the road... didn't make motor sounds - but maybe really good exhaust for the treehuggers?
          Doing it all wrong since 1966

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          • #6
            Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

            If it still get's the 40 miles of all electric power, then I think they'll make their goal. It also to me makes sense to drive the wheels directly via the gas engine when the batteries run low since every conversion of energy results in a loss of usuable energy, why waste fuel converting power from rotational to electricity and back to rotational? Go straight to rotational.

            It turns out that's not correct. We're now told by Volt's engineering team that when the Volt's lithium-ion battery pack runs down and at speeds near or above 70 mph the Volt's gasoline engine will directly drive the front wheels along with the electric motors.
            After the battery wears down.

            IF the claim of 40 miles of all electric power are still true, this is just sensational journalism, IMO, darn if GM engineers determined they could get better efficiency to occasional power the wheels directly by the engine :
            Escaped on a technicality.

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            • #7
              Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

              thinking the true plug in tech was no ready in time for the elections

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

                General Motors has shifted into damage-control mode -- just like its bad ol' days -- as it fights media blasts about the new Chevrolet Volt "extended-range electric." Several news outlets charge that they were misled about Volt's powertrain and that it isn't as unconventional or gas-mileage thrifty as billed.

                For the past couple of years, GM has insisted that the powertrain of its breakthrough car wasn't like a plug-in hybrid. The auxiliary gas engine in the car never directly drove the wheels, but only ran as needed to recharge the car's battery, which drives the wheels. That's why all, including Drive On, have called it an extended-range electric instead of a plug-in.

                But with an embargo on driving impressions on the Volt having lifted, several say that the car's wheels are in effect -- if not directly-- driven by the engine when speeds exceed 70 miles per hour and the battery is depleted. Edmunds.com's Inside Line wrote a piece headlined "GM lied: Chevy Volt not a true EV." Popular Mechanics and Motor Trend both question GM's 230 mile-a-gallon claim, saying they received real world mileage from the 20s to the 40s. Writes Ray Wert, editor-in-chief of Jalopnik.com:

                It's enough for us to wonder why GM pushed the 230 MPG number in the first place and why they didn't just come clean on the powertrain this summer when asked a straightforward question.

                As a result, GM has posted a full-throated defense on its media website. It says:

                The engineering of the Voltec electric drive unit is very sophisticated. As part of the media launch, we're diving deeper into how the system works than we have in the past. We did not share all the details until now because the information was competitive and we awaited patent approvals. Following a small number of inaccurate media reports, we want to clarify a few points.

                The Volt has an innovative electric drive system that can deliver power in both pure electric and extended range driving. The Voltec electric drive cannot operate without power from the electric motors. If the traction motor is disabled, the range-extending internal combustion engine cannot drive the vehicle by itself.

                There is no direct mechanical connection (fixed gear ratio) between the Volt's extended-range 1.4L engine and the drive wheels. In extended-range driving, the engine generates power that is fed through the drive unit and is balanced by the generator and traction motor. The resulting power flow provides a 10 to 15 percent improvement in highway fuel economy.

                Our overriding objective in developing the Voltec electric drive was to deliver the most efficient, yet fun-to-drive experience in both pure electric and extended-range driving. We think our unique technology lives up to its most important promise: delivering our customers with the only EV that can be their primary vehicle, with EV operation for normal daily driving, and extended range driving for weekends, holidays, and longer trips ? all with no range anxiety.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

                  I was pretty sure the 230 mpg claim was bogus - but I also suspect that if you had put one on an EPA mileage cycle test, you'd have actually seen those numbers. The reason is that an EPA cycle wasn't designed for plug-in hybrids, pure and simple. If you brought a car to the test with a fully charged battery, ran the battery completely down, and didn't drive it far enough to use the gas engine very much, the test would only spit back the numbers reflecting how much gas you'd used and not the energy needed to recharge the battery. They've since come up with a new standard for how to get non-bogus test results out of hybrids.

                  The change to direct coupling the engine to the wheels is a lot more of a blatant lie, though.

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                  • #10
                    Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

                    the engine was only there to charge the batteries - originally

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                    • #11
                      Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

                      Did you guys not read this??

                      The Volt has an innovative electric drive system that can deliver power in both pure electric and extended range driving. The Voltec electric drive cannot operate without power from the electric motors. If the traction motor is disabled, the range-extending internal combustion engine cannot drive the vehicle by itself.



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                      • #12
                        Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

                        bet the engine change was from the outcry of a 40 mile range..
                        and was a CHANGE not an outright lie..
                        I'd never buy one. unless gas is all gone. or $$$$$$$$$$
                        but the sad fact is the media will pounch on this and not touch other makes.. phony b/s
                        g.m. was more than likely forced to up the range. and todays batteries are not up to it. at that price point..
                        sad all the way around..
                        fuel cell is the way to go.. to bad , the leader of the free world killed that..
                        other sad thing, is no other fuel will make it till this one is dead..
                        as with everything ,it's not about whats best, it's about money..

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                        • #13
                          Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

                          the fuel cell would have dealt out the opec nations

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                          • #14
                            Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

                            I never should have looked in here, now my blood pressure is through the roof and I'm ready to smash my monitor into bits with my bare hands.

                            Electric vehicles are the wrong answer.

                            Batteries aren't ready.

                            More importantly - the power grid in this country is anitquated at best thanks to pie in the sky tree hugging freaks who've somehow baffled washington with bullshit.

                            Until we have NEW clean nuclear power plants - like a few dozen or more - electric vehicles are not practical - these anti engine folks need to understand that when you plug that cord into the wall - the power actually comes from somewhere - not thin air.

                            Jazus this stuff drives me nuts.

                            There's always something new to learn.

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                            • #15
                              Re: CHEVY VOLT -government at work

                              What gets me is why don't they use a small Diesel motor to run the electric motors??

                              They could easily double the MPG.

                              Also if you lets say drive 40 miles to work and that is the distance you can get on a full charge of the batteries before the gas engine kicks in, and when you get to work you plug the car in to recharge the batteries and you drive home that same 40 miles without the gas engine kicking in, then your car uses no gas and your MPG's become infinite. Also here in Phoenix we get our electricity from Nuclear and Hydro generation, so no fossil fuels being burned here. ;)


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