Chevy Volt's powertrain and recharging clarified
By Tim Stevens 
posted September 26th 2008 11:48AM
posted September 26th 2008 11:48AM
Chevy's taking a moment to clear up some misconceptions about its eagerly anticipated plug-in hybrid, the Volt, which had long been assumed (by most) to use its gasoline-powered engine like a WWII submarine -- kicking on and charging the batts to full before switching off again. Alas, that's close but not completely accurate. The engine does serve only to feed the batteries (it's not connected to the wheels in any way) and will fire up when they are getting low. However, it will not fully recharge them, serving only to maintain a 30-percent charge as you keep on motoring. In other words, you'll need to plug that puppy in overnight if you want to get back to silent running and successfully avoid detection by destroyer battlegroups on your morning commute -- or spy cameras.
I may have missed this question, so bear with me if I repeat, but does anyone know what kind of plug/socket is needed to plug in a Chevy Volt? It can't just be a regular 110v wall socket, can it? Seems like it would need to be a 220v or 240v outlet (like for a clothes dryer or an oven, or for a kiln or a welder).
You might be surprised to find there's more than one prong configuration for 220v or 240v.
Any news on whether the various electric plug-in car makers are planning on standardizing the type of plug used, so we don't have to look around for the 'right' type of prong configuration for our electric car at the local plug-in recharge place in the future?
"as for wind turbines, which btw all you dumbass posters clearly misread (he never said put it on top of the car!!), it would take away from the cooling properties that normally help to cool the engine and the steaming hot batteries"
The batteries don't get steaming hot. In normal operation they shouldn't get hot at all, just warm. The only time that the batteries will get hot are when they are at the end of their life and have an increasing internal resistance due to oxidation (like mentioned above) and at that point they will be long since toast for vehicle operation.
On the subject of the Volt's possible solar panel roof option, while it is true that the solar panel will not add all that much to the power generation capabilities of the current design, which derives its battery charge from (1) plug-in charging, (2) on board, gas powered generator and (3) regenerative braking, it remains that a solar option would still be useful in terms of range extension in remote areas, particularly remote desert areas. As fuel prices rise (and they will rise profoundly in the near future despite the current price decline) due to US Dollar devaluation, fuel exploration costs, scarcity, dismal US Government energy policies and OPEC politics, gas stations will decline in number and hours of operation because of resultant economic pressures, lack of supply and general, permanent decline in the US economy. This will mean that it will be a longer drive between fueling stations and this may become a critical factor during long trips. A full roof solar panel will add approximately eight miles to the total operating range of the Volt on a full tank of gas. While that is not much when compared with the Volt's estimated optimal range of approximately 640 miles, those eight extra miles could prove critical in certain situations when making long trips through the Southwest or Midwest during a period of low gas station availability. Also, the solar panel can be utilized to run air circulation fans when the car is parked to keep the internal temperature within tolerable limits, thus reducing the need for air conditioning if the car is returned to operation after being parked in the sun. They can even provide a renewable "limp home" recharge of the batteries in extreme situations where no fuel is available. The solar panels are not economically beneficial in that the fuel payback period would be very long indeed and probably extend well beyond the vehicle's useful life. But what they afford in comfort, convenience and some additional travel range and shortening of charge times may make a solar roof option desirable for a certain percentage of buyers, if GM offers them at a reasonable price. For GM to do that, it will have to take advantage of the latest developments in higher efficiency solar cell materials that are just entering the market.
Besides, a solar cell roof is way cool.
In answer to other questions on here, the mileage is estimated to be 150 miles to the gallon of gas, but this number is very sensitive to driving conditions. This affords an estimated range under ideal conditions of about 640 miles, but, again, that number is very sensitive to driving conditions. The range without use of gas is somewhere between 30 and 40 miles depending on driving conditions (which is within the range of most automotive trips taken, meaning that gas usually will not be used at all on these daily short hops).
The car can be plugged into 110 AC or 220 AC, charging faster on the latter. Charge time on 110 is approximately 6.5 hours. This is in addition to the charge received from the gas engine, regenerative brakes and optional solar roof. The car also has a GPS-enabled feature that minimizes gas usage by calculating how much gas engine charging is needed to allow the car to get back to its home location, so that no more gas is burnt than necessary to get the car back to a recharging socket.
While there can be little question that Toyota build quality is higher than GM's and that this will probably remain the case as between the Prius and the Volt, the Volt seems to offer a more technologically sophisticated solution with greater capability than the Prius. Of course, Toyota may have more tricks to come by fall of 2010, when the Volt is slated to appear (assuming that GM's imminent bankruptcy does not derail the Volt rollout). It's a pity that GM, Ford and Chrysler did not make alternate energy vehicles more of a priority in earlier years so that the Japanese would not be driving them to the poorhouse.