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There's not much in the way of driving impressions here, but it does show that GM is still moving ahead on the Volt program despite its occasional money problems. Some interesting cutaways and shots of the working interior too if you're interested in that kind of stuff.
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firstwagon says:
12:24 PM, 04/15/09
It's an interesting bit of hardware but I have 2 concerns.
The big one is price. I can't see it doing well unless it's priced close to the Prius. The numbers I've heard are far higher.
My other concern is after you've done your 40 miles, how well will the car perform?
The electric motor seems to be around 130 to 140 kW but the generator that the gas motor is driving is only 53 kW. Will the gas motor have to constantly run at it's power peak once you've drained the main battery pack? Will the computer have to cut performance way back?
I'm really curious to see an extended road test to see how well it works.
brn says:
01:45 PM, 04/15/09
"I can't see it doing well unless it's priced close to the Prius."
To play devil's advocate, this vehicle is like no other on the road. The Tesla Roadster is just another (really cool) EV. The Volt has much more to offer (coolness and fun aside) than the Tesla Roadster at a fraction of the price.
As to your other concern, if you're running the electric motors flat out, the gas motor won't be able to keep up. For normal (not light) driving, the average should be well within the gas motors capacity. As long as the average doesn't exceed 53KW, you're fine.
I am curious to see what kind of mpg this thing really gets once the battery is "depleted".
GT5000 says:
01:58 PM, 04/15/09
I'm waiting to see if there will be a less expensive version based on the Cruze. The powertrain obviously fits inside of it.
firstwagon says:
02:33 PM, 04/15/09
brn
I'm curious about the mileage too. As you said if you average less then 53 kW then the generator should keep up. However I read that the gas motor is desiged to run at a constant speed around it's power peak in order to generate the 53 kW.
Does that mean you will have a gas engine roaring away at fairly high revs all the time once the battery is depleted?
Even when stopped at a light?
It sounds like that's the only way it could make up for the power shortfall unless then driver is very conservative.
I also agree it's a unique car, at least in the way the mechanicals are arranged. However to the average buyer it's just a hybrid that goes alot further and faster on electricity then a Prius does. People will pay a premium for that but how much?
It should get better mileage then a Prius but a Prius doesn't jack up your home power bill.
Of all the new cars coming out, this is the one I'm most looking forward to seeing an extended roadtest. Once all the hype and PR is stripped away, is it a real car?
hondacura4 says:
03:54 PM, 04/15/09
I like seeing the various measures taken by Honda, GM and Toyota (to name a few) to significantly improve fuel consumption and environmental pollutants.
However, Im still being patient with manufacturers like Honda and BMW to take hydrogen powered technology further.