[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by Number 3

Actually GM never said the engine recharges the battery either. The ICE turns a generator which maintains the battery stete of charge at it's minimum level. Using the engine to charge the battery is possible, it's just not how it is currently set up to operate.

The Volt is really difficult to classify. Is it a Hybrid? an EV? Not sure I care. I know GM would prefer it be called an EV to differentiate it from the Prius. But with the Leaf out and others to follow, perhaps something else is more appropriate. I don't care.

What is important is what the Volt does. No one is asking what does a leaf do at 70 mph on the worst grade in North America? Can it maintain 70 mph like the Volt can? I don't know but am now interested to find out. As I understand it, the Volt has Mountain Mode which is what enables the Volt to maintain 70 mph on these severe grades. But if you don't select it, you just get degraded performance. So it's an EV unless you select "don't be an EV just now" mode.

To say GM "lied" to me really shows the negativity around the company right now. If Toyota did this it would spun as a product enhancement.

Is it bad to have eliminate not only Range Anxiety, but performance anxiety as well? For those living in Colorado this could be very important to that customer.

But I'm backing out of this as you guys already know where I come from and where I work. I actually got to work on the Volt several years ago when it was being bubbled up. This car is an invention and was being invented the entire way. The final solution wasn't known at the start of the program, of that I can assure you. So did it end up different than when they started? Yes. Does it do things better than when they started? Absolutely. So because they figured out how to make the car work better and be more efficient along the way does that make it a lie? You tell me, but I vote no. I've worked with all the players, sat in meetings with them. None of them are liars and I don't think this is any grand deception. It's just to maximize performance for more customers, the car makes use of inherint possibilities in the design.

No Hybrid can do what the Volt can do. Period. No EV can do what the Volt can do. Period. Marvel at the technology and don't get sucked into this GM bashing.

I can rationalize a lot of the decisions that GM makes while disagreeing with them. But this is from GM's website (http://archives.media.gm.com/volt/eflex/works.html). I can forgive them on some of the details, such as electric only driving range because I can accept that that will vary for a number of reasons. But there are other things that are either untrue or extremely misleading

I've highlighted the important bits

• The Volt is an electric vehicle with extended-range capability.
• Electricity powers the Volt at all speeds.
• It operates in two modes: electric and extended-range.
• In electric mode, the power to drive the car comes from electricity stored in a lithium-ion battery. The battery can be re-charged safely by plugging into a household outlet. It takes less than 3 hours to recharge the battery on 240 volts or about 8 hrs on a standard 120-volt outlet.
• On a fully charged battery and a full tank of gas, you can drive more than 300 total miles. You can drive gas-and tailpipe emissions-free for up to the first 40 miles. Like gasoline driving, the range of gas-free driving will vary and depend mostly on your driving habits.
• Once the battery is depleted of energy, the Volt automatically switches to extended-range mode by seamlessly turning on the engine generator. The engine creates electricity to power the Volt for several hundred additional miles.
• This eliminates the worry of being stranded by a dead battery. As long as you stop to refuel with E-85 ethanol or gasoline, you can drive the Volt like a traditional car until you can stop to plug in and re-charge the battery.
• Electricity powers the Volt - and that power comes from the battery in electric mode or the generator when driving in extended-range. When peak performance is needed, like during high speed acceleration on steep inclines, the engine/generator and battery work together to deliver the ELECTRIC power required.
• The great thing about the Chevrolet Volt is that when you’re driving in EV mode, you’re using no fuel and your car is producing no tailpipe emissions. That means if you’re like most drivers who commute 40 miles or less a day, you’ll be able to travel gas free for most of your daily driving. And for most trips, you’ll eliminate stops at gas stations, filling up instead with inexpensive electricity in your own garage, at a cost of around a dollar per full charge. On a monthly basis, that’s less expensive than most cell phone plans.
• So go ahead - head out on the open road. The Volt’s ready when you are.
• With the Chevrolet Volt there are no compromises. You won’t have to adjust your life around the battery’s charge level because the Volt’s extended range mode offers peace of mind. You can drive independent from foreign oil. It’s better for the environment, cleaner and less expensive than gasoline.
• There it is. The Chevrolet Volt.
• A better electric vehicle.

It sure sounds like they're saying that its solely electrically driven and they definitely call it an EV. They also make it sound like the purpose of the engine is to generate electricity, in order to power the electric motors.

I still think the Volt is an amazing car. I don't fault the engineers one bit. They were trying to make the best car possible through the most appropriate means. Thats great. BUT the PR and media people need a swift kick in the arse about this one.