Don't Call it a Hybrid - The 2011 Chevrolet Volt
GM’s car czar product specialist Bob Lutz was quick to clear this up at a recent GM Media Event: the Chevy Volt is not a hybrid, it’s a range extended vehicle. So what exactly does he mean by this? The 2011 Volt will use what GM calls the E-Flex powertrain architecture. The way it differs from typical parallel hybrids like Toyota’s Prius is that the Volt never uses the gasoline engine to directly power the vehicle. The Volt is solely propelled by the electric motor, and when the batteries run low, the gasoline engine kicks in as a generator to run the electric motor. Therefore, the Volt is actually a purely electric vehicle that also runs as a serial hybrid.
To further differentiate itself from the Toyota Prius and Honda’s new Insight, the Volt will use more technologically advanced lithium-ion (LI) batteries as opposed to the nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries used in today’s hybrid models. These are the same batteries that power your laptop computer, iPod, or cell phone. LI batteries are appealing because they charge faster and hold more power in less space, but they also have their drawbacks. For one, they are quite expensive, and second, they have never been used in such high demand automotive conditions. GM has been hard at work making sure these batteries will be safe and continue to hold their charge over the years, unlike your laptop. The battery pack in the Volt is comprised of over 220 separate cells and weighs in at 375 lbs and six feet long. The good news is that to the consumer won't even need to be tech savvy to run the Volt since charging the massive battery array will be as simple as plugging in GM’s intelligent control module into either a 120 or 240 volt household outlet. GM estimates that a full charge will take about 3 hours using the 240 volt outlet (the same outlet your clothes-dryer uses) and 8 hours using the more common 120 volt outlet.
The Volt is called a range extended vehicle because once the batteries are depleted, the 1.4 liter gasoline engine will be used as an electric generator to drive the electric motor, which in turn will power the car. GM is hoping their Volt will be able to run 40 miles without needing to turn on the gasoline engine. The significance in this is that GM claims that most people do not drive more than 40 miles a day commuting to and from work, and if they charge the Volt each night, they could go all week without spewing any CO2 into the air. Unfortunately about 50% of America’s electricity is derived from carbon heavy coal-fired power plants, so don’t think that the Volt is carbon-free, but few can argue against the fact that GM is doing its part.
It’s important to note that GM is taking a huge gamble on the Volt, and it’s hoping for it to be a game changer. At a time when auto sales are being crushed, GM is putting a considerable amount of time and capital behind this new technology, possibly to leap frog’s Toyota’s hybrid technology and prove that the post bankruptcy “New GM” isn’t the struggling bureaucrat it once was. The Volt’s technology is promising, partly because it will be easily adaptable to future changes. Since the car never runs directly from the gasoline engine, the engine could easily be replaced by a fuel cell stack to run the electric motor when the batteries deplete. All of this fits in with GM’s new promise to be able to adapt quickly to new technology and consumer demands.
GM insists that the Volt will be ready in November 2010, to be sold as a 2011 model. Expect the final production cost for the Volt to be around $40,000.
