Five Things You Need to Know About the 2011 Chevrolet Volt

[msirach]

The nuances of a Volt

Chris Poole - HOWSTUFFWORKS - September 07, 2010

There is more to a Volt than meets the eye. It is not a hybrid. Or is it???? --Ed.

1. It's an Electric, Not a Hybrid

General Motors can't say this enough because many people think the 2011 Chevrolet Volt is a gas/electric hybrid. It isn't. True, it has a gasoline engine and a battery-powered electric motor like a Toyota Prius. But where most hybrids use one or both power sources to drive the wheels, the Volt moves only on, well, volts like a battery-only electric vehicle (EV) such as the 2011 Nissan Leaf. GM calls it an extended-range electric vehicle or E-REV.

Here's how the 2011 Chevrolet Volt works. The front wheels are turned by a 150-horsepower "electric drive unit" motor--and nothing else. For the first 40 miles or so, the motor gets its energy from a 16 kW/h lithium-ion battery pack that can be recharged by plugging-in. After the first 40 miles, a gasoline-powered "engine generator"--a modified 1.4-liter 4-cylinder found in conventional GM cars--kicks in to power the motor. This is called "extended-range mode." The engine does not drive the vehicle directly. It does keep the batteries juiced, but won't bring them up to full strength (which isn't desirable for various technical reasons). That can only be done by plugging-in.

The thing is, GM says the 2011 Chevrolet Volt can be driven in E-R mode for up to 300 additional miles before the engine-generator would need refueling (depending on speed, terrain, temperature, and other factors). And since gas stations are most everywhere, you could drive in extended range all day, as you would a conventional car, then plug-in when the day is done. In contrast to Volt's approximately 340-mile total range, the Leaf can go only 100 miles or so before it needs recharging, an hours-long process that makes cross-country trips impractical if not impossible, regardless of whether you can find places to plug-in. ... [Read More]

[ksstathead]

Quick, somebody call the EPA! The Volt is not a hybrid.

How would the author define a serial hybrid, then? I am not aware of a requirement that the second energy source be directly connected to the wheels.

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

1 should really be "It's not a parallel hybrid" or "It's a serial hybrid" or "It's not like other hybrids".

It's Prius-equals-hybrid syndrome.

[WriConsult]

It might be a different kind of hybrid, but it IS a hybrid. I wish GM would stop playing this stupid semantic game. They're obviously playing on latent anti-hybrid sentiment.

I just overheard a coworker talking about the window sticker on the Volt, and saying that it shows an EPA rating of 140mpge in EV mode and 43mpg in CS mode. Can anyone confirm this? Have official EPA ratings finally been released?

[Right Lane Cruiser]

No, official ratings have not been released yet. You can be sure they will appear here immediately after they are announced.

[TheForce]

From http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hybrid

b : something (as a power plant, vehicle, or electronic circuit) that has two different types of components performing essentially the same function

So with the Volt do I have to go to the gas station to fill it up with gas?

[WriConsult]

Originally Posted by TheForce

From http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hybrid
So with the Volt do I have to go to the gas station to fill it up with gas?

Nahh, just back it up to the nearest pipeline and open the valve.

The Merriam-Webster definition is pretty vague. The conventional definition of a hybrid vehicle is one that can be operated from more than one power source. Seems to me that the Volt can be operated off battery power or gasoline. That makes it a hybrid. The fact that the wheels are most immediately driven from an electric motor is irrelevant to the definition.

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Originally Posted by TheForce

From http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hybrid



So with the Volt do I have to go to the gas station to fill it up with gas?

That's actually a good question. GM have said the generator will run at least once per month for maintenance reasons. They didn't say what'll happen if it's run out of gas.

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Originally Posted by WriConsult

It might be a different kind of hybrid, but it IS a hybrid. I wish GM would stop playing this stupid semantic game. They're obviously playing on latent anti-hybrid sentiment.

I really don't think it's playing on anti-hybrid sentiment. I think it's emphasizing the EV. The Prius is a great piece of engineering, but it's running engine off that makes it special.

If there's any anti-hybrid aspect to it, it's in the stupid sedan shape.

I just overheard a coworker talking about the window sticker on the Volt, and saying that it shows an EPA rating of 140mpge in EV mode and 43mpg in CS mode. Can anyone confirm this? Have official EPA ratings finally been released?

Maybe it was from one of those example stickers and people got over-excited.

[RobertSmalls]

GM failed to produce a product that is competitive in terms of price, mpg, and Wh/mi, so they're pretending it's in a different market segment altogether from other PHEVs.

GM ought to be emphasizing the Volt's strong points: better AER than the competition, electric-only top speed high enough for any highway, and the fact that a PHEV is more versatile than an EV.

But won't you look like an ass when you fill up your Volt at the gas station.