FenwickHockey65's Great Thread of GM Knowledge

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by snizzle

Why haven't they put the powertrain in an SUV or Truck?

A truck needs 2-3 times the juice that a small car needs, which therefore means a battery 2-3 times bigger. The battery in the Volt weighs something like 450 lbs, I think. So scale that up by a factor of 3 and you're looking at something around 1300 lbs of battery. Thats a big chunk of the payload capacity for a pickup or SUV.


And I shudder to think how much such a battery would cost. People balked at the price of the Silverado Hybrid a few years ago, and that was just a normal hybrid not a plug-in.



All that said, look up what VIA Motors are doing.

[GretchenGotGrowl]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

2nd gen Volt is due next year as a 2016 model. Slightly upped EV range, smaller ICE generator, lower price. Plus they're supposed to be working on a full rear bench seat.

And evidently a new, more efficient inverter that allows them to keep the same range with a smaller battery pack.

[snizzle]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

A truck needs 2-3 times the juice that a small car needs, which therefore means a battery 2-3 times bigger. The battery in the Volt weighs something like 450 lbs, I think. So scale that up by a factor of 3 and you're looking at something around 1300 lbs of battery. Thats a big chunk of the payload capacity for a pickup or SUV.


And I shudder to think how much such a battery would cost. People balked at the price of the Silverado Hybrid a few years ago, and that was just a normal hybrid not a plug-in.



All that said, look up what VIA Motors are doing.

Never considered the engineering. Good point. Instead of a half ton, I was thinking a light weight small-mid SUV would be a better candidate. From a financial standpoint to gain economy of scale.

[KMPrenger]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

A 200 mile EV range for the Volt would kinda defeat the purpose of it being a hybrid in the first place. EVs need a long range because people might want to take on trips further than their normal commute now and then. In the Volt, you have the gas engine for that.
Plus, every kWh you add in batter capacity raises the cost of the car. And I don't think anybody has complained that the Volt is too cheap ...



What I would much rather see is a Volt with 2 different battery packs. A short 25 mile battery & one with a longer 50 mile range (or 30/60 or whatever). However it would work out, one is thousands cheaper than the other and is perfectly fine for people living & working in the city or just use it to scoot around town running errands. For those that want/need more they'd be able to get it while still having the range extender for actual long distance trips.

True...I can agree with this....I guess it would kind of defeat the purpose of being a hybrid with a distance that long, but it does sound impressive lol.

I think I've heard Fen or someone talking about two battery pack options in the past, but not sure if there is anything to that. I think two options with ranges a bit more than you mentioned would be good.

That...and offering at a lower price is what the Volt really needs.

[Camaro_Corvette]

Z06 Convertible looks nasty in person.

[mlee]

Originally Posted by Camaro_Corvette

Z06 Convertible looks nasty in person.

OK... expecting pics on that one too. My co-worker buddy is getting one.

[Camaro_Corvette]

Originally Posted by mlee

OK... expecting pics on that one too. My co-worker buddy is getting one.

I shot a couple

[Camaro_Corvette]

I love this freaking spoiler!

[Sapper12b]

Z07 ..... looks BAD A$$ !

[mlee]

Originally Posted by Camaro_Corvette

I shot a couple

WoW.... Love it!!!!

[FenwickHockey65]

2016 ATS-V.

[FenwickHockey65]

http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/n...-powermat.html

Wireless smartphone charging rolling out to Cadillacs this year.

[KMPrenger]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

2016 ATS-V.

Sweet.

[camaro2lt]

The ATSV will be killer!