This thing is such a better design than the tesla. 4 seats, small gas engine to run a generator to charge the batteries so you have unlimited range. If they get the battery technology down in cost to where normal people can afford this I can see this technology bringing fuel cell research, at least for cars, to a halt.
40 mile range on charge alone, 150 mpg, and no need to build all new fueling stations and fuel delivery systems like we would need for hyrdogen.
IMHO fuel cells have a lot more potential for small home electricity generating stations where you can store the large pressurized tank easily.
as long as it gets 150+ MPG on the test loop that will help the fleet average and allow them to post the sticker on the side of the car, thats all they really care about.
Maybe if they haven’t had it in commericals for it 6 years before production and making a news story about it every step of the way, it would be news worthy. Once again GM creating demand long before it has a product to offer. Cough Camaro Cough
“Posawatz said the Volt’s lithium-ion batteries can store about the same amount of power (16 kilowatt-hours) and provide nearly the same vehicle range (40 miles or more) as the EV1’s lead-acid batteries. However, the lithium-ion batteries, located under the Volt’s chassis and are about a third the size of the EV1’s, should last the vehicle’s lifetime.”
^ One major problem with your math. The battery holds 16 kilowatt-hours but that won’t be how much is required to charge it. They don’t allow the battery to be run down anywhere near 0 percent. Plus I’m sure no charger operates at 100% efficiency so that’s an unknown too.
Until they show one plugged in being charged from 50% to 100% and show how many watts it actually took it’s hard to sepeculate.
Vehicle testing is around-the-clock Richard Truett Automotive News
April 3, 2008 - 4:54 pm ET
DETROIT – General Motors wants the gasoline-electric Chevrolet Volt on the road by 2010 so badly that program managers have been given a blank check.
They can get as much manpower and resources as they need.
" The Volt is the No. 1 priority project we have at GM. There are no resource shortfalls," said Frank Weber, Volt global vehicle line executive. " Whatever it takes, we will do. We are working with incredible speed."
Speaking today to reporters at an event to update the Volt’s progress, Weber said GM aims to have the innovative gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid in Chevrolet showrooms by November 2010. He also said that engineers are on track to reach the Volt’s goal of driving the first 40 miles on electric power alone.
But, Weber said, those won’t be full-speed highway miles. Instead, the Volt should be able to reach 40 miles of electric-only range in city and highway driving.
Other managers working on the Volt’s systems echoed Weber’s comments about how quickly GM brass wants the Volt ready for production. Denise Gray, director of the Volt’s hybrid energy storage systems, says GM vice chairman Bob Lutz is working with the Volt team to ensure the car hits its development targets.
" He’s calling on me and asking what I need," she said.
Bob Boniface, the Volt’s design director, said the message from Lutz to the Volt’s engineers and designers is this: Don’t slow the program down by asking for approval at critical junctures. Trust your instincts and do the right thing.
GM’s inside glimpse at the Volt showed the car is making quick progress:
• Batteries: Testing to simulate 10 years and 150,000-miles of usage is going on around the clock in labs in Detroit and Germany. GM says the lithium ion test batteries from two suppliers are performing well. But the batteries are one item that could be a show-stopper. They have to run cool. GM has developed cooling and monitoring systems to detect any problems early.
• Powertrain: It has changed dramatically since the Volt concept car debuted at the 2007 Detroit auto show. Instead of a separate gasoline engine and electric motor, both are mated together and look like a conventional front-wheel drive powertrain. The electric motor and generator are housed where the automatic transmission would be.
• Styling: The production version will not look like the concept car. It’s morphed into a fairly conventional looking four-door sedan with a sloping roof and a high rear-end treatment that has a built-in spoiler. The interior features a twin-cockpit look that is not unlike the current [Chevrolet Malibu](javascript:var n=1).
The goal is to be able to build the Volt on the same production line as regular versions of GM’s next-generation Delta platform cars.
Gas = expensive and the oil it’s made from comes from the unstable middle east.
Electricity = cheap (compared to gas) and it comes from coal and natural gas, both of which come from much friendlier areas.
But i thought the whole idea was to not have to change the current fuel delivery system. Even you said that was the problem with the fuel cells. If they make a battery only car, or attempt to eliminate the need for gas, then there would be the same amount of research to make it charge a lot quicker and while not a huge deal, setting up ‘charging stations’.