This second version, however, will pair that battery with hydrogen fuel cells rather than a gasoline engine...
This version of the Volt will be GM's first application of a system, called E-Flex, which matches battery power with several different energy sources.
"The beauty of the strategy is that it allows us to package various propulsion systems into the same space depending on what energy is available locally," said Larry Burns, GM's vice president of Research and Development and Strategic Planning.
Full story here.
"The beauty of the strategy is that it allows us to package various propulsion systems into the same space depending on what energy is available locally," said Larry Burns, GM's vice president of Research and Development and Strategic Planning.
Full story here.
estreka says:
08:43 AM, 04/19/07
Why must everything hybrid be called "Flex" in the US?
jerrywimer says:
09:12 AM, 04/19/07
Uh, examples please estreka. I might be just uninformed, but the only "Flex" I know about is "Flex Fuel", which specifically involves the ability to use different types of fuels (aka Flex Fuel vehicles can use regular pump gas or E-85). In that vein, the E-Flex system is tied directly to that usage- the system means that while the vehicle uses electricity for the actual propulsion, the alternate backup energy source is, guess what? FLEXible, or able to be adapted to what's available (just like the current Flex Fuel vehicles can use either gas or E85). But maybe there's another "Flex" term in use somewhere for something I've missed?
ateixeira says:
06:13 AM, 04/20/07
Funny thing is the Ford Flex is not a hybrid, it's a plain old 3.5l gas engine.
The term is used widely in Brazil, where both ethanol and gas are widely available. So it's an industry standard that was established overseas.
We here in the US tend to think everything is invented here, but the term was born elsewhere.
flicmod says:
10:28 AM, 04/20/07
Another reason why Ford is making a boo-boo naming their crossover the Flex.
There has to be some kind of standardized lingo structure. When I think Flex-Fuel, I automatically equate that to E85. This long-range Volt may truly be a "flexible fuel" vehicle, but I think the average public associates the term "flex" with E85 ethanol. This may cause more confusion on what exactly the word "flex" is supposed to mean.
estreka says:
02:54 PM, 04/20/07
Jerry - Yeah, I've got nothing. "Flex" seems so cliché all of the sudden. It's hard to tell whether a "flexible" vehicle runs on ethanol, is a hybrid, or is just another generic name for a new CUV.
jerrywimer says:
05:35 AM, 04/23/07
Heh. No problem estreka. The others found one, at least, with the new Ford "Flex". I'd forgotten about it, though I'm sure I'll eventually see a few on the road to remind me.