Chevy Volt’s Lithium-Ion Batteries Road- Tested By Month’s End
GM’s plug-in hybrid electric car, the Chevy Volt, will have its lithium-ion batteries road-tested by end of the month. Engineers have already been testing the Volt’s electrical hybrid system, the so-called E-Flex architecture, but only with nickel-metal hydride hybrid batteries in place. The newer, more advanced lithium-ion batteries are seen as the key to to the vehicle, since they store energy more efficiently than other batteries of the same size.
Last week, GM engineers worked to replace the nickel-metal hydride batteries with lithium-ion batteries in three different test-vehicle “mules”. These trial vehicles have allowed engineers to fine tune and improve components of the vehicle system, before putting it all together into something that more closely resembles the final Volt production model. GM hopes to complete road-testing for the Volt by November 2010.
For the last 6 months they’ve been driving their well-guarded secret around underneath the skin of a 2005 Chevrolet Malibu.
GM’s vision is to create a vehicle that can drive on pure electricity for 40 miles before an onboard gasoline generator kicks in to recharge the battery pack. After that, according to GM-Volt.com, the car will get about 50 mpg, which could iron out to a total equivalent of 150 MPG. The Volt will have a range of about 400 miles per tank, down from the original 640 mile estimate due to a smaller, lighter fuel tank going into the production model.
Since most of us don’t drive more than 40 miles per day, the Volt could usher in a new era of plug-in hybrids that save a lot of gas and significantly increase fuel economy. GM is betting on the Volt to help them meet the new CAFE standards, which require an average fleet fuel economy of 35 MPG.
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Source: Freep.com (April 4, 08): Volt battery to get test-drives, Lithium-ion power to get trial run
Photo Credit: GM-Volt.com
They need to refine the concept–maybe cost and technology relating to lithium-ion batteries will have to evolve. The car needs the following capability.
100 mile + range
Small turbo diesel or direct injected gasoline engine for 70 MPG
say 1.2 to 1.4 liters and 150 horsepower.
Weight under 2500 lbs
cost bogey not too far off of $20,000
None of this should be earth shattering –the only breakthrough required is related to Lithium-ion battery cost to produce.
control of charge rates, discharge depth and cooling of the Battery pack will be tricky but should be within the reach of competent engineers.
Where do I sign up ??
Regards,
William Rothamel
How much h.p. will be required to run the generator for recharging the Volt’s batteries? Are we talking less than 100 h.p.? Also, what is the voltage and amperage output of the generator? Mark, what is continuous gravitational magnetic power? If it is what I think it is, I’ve been working on a similar concept for over 30 years. Think I may have it close to a prototype soon. At least, I will be able to test the concept. If that works as well as I think it will, I’ll be looking at building a working model that could replace the internal combustion engine in the Volt.
fusion
Post (GRD) great republican depression, the remaining working population of America will drive Buick LeSabres and Cavalier-like cars made in China. These cars are a current-day reality on the streets of China, and await export to the U.S. on the docks of Shanghai as we speak! The elitist uber-rich shareholders of GM had GM America teach GM China how to build these cars using 85 cent and hour, Chinese peasant women, the supply of which is unending and self-regenerating in China. The Uber rich chose these women over the North American car builders for quite apparent economic reasons! The current “bail-out bullshit” is a smoke-screen devised by the Uber-rich bastards, to foist liablility for the large number of unemployed they intend to create, from the private sector, over to the public sector to relieve themselves of any undue expenses, before they collapse expensive North American operations in favor of highly profitable Chinese and Asian operations. Remember, they now own both, are dumping the American white elephant, and the workers, liabilities and all, for more profitable Asian production centers, so that they can be truly competitive with Honda, Hyundai and the like! It is a good, sound business strategy for the uber-rich shareholders, and by selling American stock and buying Asian stock, they slide away to new fields of immense profits, liability free as they collapse American corporations, and Yankee doodle gets it up the brown spot, hard, once again, and is left, smarting and holding the bag! Any truly innovative and advanced ideas will be incorporated into the new Chinese built, highly profitable for shareholders, cars. The “Volt” is a 1969 chevelle body, complete with sheet metal and hydraulic support, engine removed, battery pack added, nightmare of 1930’s greasepit engineering - no servo’s, no drive by wire, no plastics, no carbon fiber, no magnesium parts, no aluminum, no advanced polymer composites - Hell, even Hyundai is trying to make better lighter bodies from recycled soda bottles, and Henry Ford did a number with Soy-plastics way back when! There is no way in Hell, that a major corporation in the country that put a man on the moon can be so backwards, unless they have other motivations.
[...] is currently betting on battery technology becoming the future, not hydrogen as many in the auto industry believe. Bob believes that hydrogen [...]
Chevy Volt? Maybe Chevy Boat. What good is a car that will only go 40 miles and costs 25 to 30 grand? No wonder they are going down the toilet with those kinds of ideas. Will they ever learn? I doubt it. And to top it off, they have a glass roof that should make it the most expensive sweat box on record. No wonder Japan owns the world when it comes to car production. It think it’s time for the ?Big Three? (now Two), should go down the toilet and let some new ideas and people have a shot. Between the unions and overpaid management, the US auto makers are dead. Someone just needs to throw them in the hole and put up the head stone. Do I sound bitter? Hell yes. I know we can do better. I know that a lot of “Japan” cars are built in the good old USA and are keeping the quality that Japan is noted for. How, no unions, fair treatment of the employees and management that cares about what comes off the assembly line.