Chevy Volt Powertrain Deep Dive | Part 2

What makes the Chevrolet Volt Powertrain tick? Find out how it all works in this incredibly complex piece of engineering from a presentation given by Chevy's Chief Engineer for global Voltec and Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles, Pamela Fletcher, during the Volt's national media launch on October 18, 2010.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• Volt
• Chevrolet
• GM
• General
• Motors
• powertrain
• drive
• unit
• voltec
• plug-in
• hybrid
• Chevy
• Pam
• pamela
• fletcher

[WDPlumbing]

@DanFrederiksen to be approximately 50 cents per gallon of gas used. I haven't seen that price point since the early 1970's, so much for your pathetic "inefficient" theory.

[WDPlumbing]

@DanFrederiksen Actually your lack of intelligence has shown through so very brightly with your previous comments, and yes I have seen it. I'm not claiming the Mercedes is cost effective, but what I am showing is comparable build quality with a significant reduction in operating costs, my daughter could figure out that simple comparison, why not you? I think you've awarded yourself to much credit. Heck I even figured out that my "inefficient" Volts cost per gallon of gas replaced by.....

[DanFrederiksen]

@WDPlumbing have you seen the impatient 2006 documentary 'Who Killed the Electric Car' ?

a Mercedes is hardly a measure of cost effectiveness and an electric car can still be quite inefficient even though it doesn't use any gas.

I know what I'm talking about, my standpoint is born from intelligence and knowledge. yours is not.

[WDPlumbing]

@DanFrederiksen My "inefficient" Chevy Volt has not burned a drop of gas since I have owned it, all while being cheaper to buy than my Mercedes, with just as smooth of a ride and even quieter, with just as good fit and finish, and what part of that is inefficient? But again you expect magic, typical impatient, and spoiled outlook. I guess you were expecting it to produce it's own gasoline too? But what could I expect from someone that can't have an original opening line.

[DanFrederiksen]

@WDPlumbing ugh, really, it's not a matter of requiring magic to do better than the Volt. the problem is a akin to getting republicans to be reasonable and honest. although that would ironically require magic, it's not a matter of iterative refinement, it's that their are thoughtless and incompetent at designing efficient vehicles. they've spent so long being unintelligent and indifferent that they just made an electric version of an inefficient car.

[WDPlumbing]

@DanFrederiksen ugh, really, I mean every new technology starts off not as good as it ends up. This is not going to be miraculously perfect out the door. Eventually has been the answer through out time, VCR's EVENTUALLY came down in price and better in picture, DVD players EVENTUALLY came down in price and better in performance, television EVENTUALLY came down to affordable prices, I could list 100 things items, now you expect magic from EV's? Earth to Dan... come in. Ps, love my volt!

[DanFrederiksen]

@AndrewNCook eventually is just not good enough. their incompetence wastes 5 years of everybody's lives. that's 30bn man years globally.

but perhaps you live forever that wasting 5 years of your life is perfectly ok

[AndrewNCook]

@DanFrederiksen We can quote numbers all day, and arguing over it is kind of silly anyway. I've read $8000 for the batt, but $5000 could be reasonable too. I haven't driven it, nor have I seen the interior etc. to know if it's on par with other $40k cars, but regardless, as the technology enters higher production and auto makers see how in-demand these cars become over the next few years, I'm sure the prices will all come down.

[DanFrederiksen]

@AndrewNCook that's just not true. it has 16kWh (it would need much less if it weren't so pathetically engineered and overweight) but lithium batts cost from 250-400 max pr kWh. that's around 5000$ for the batteries.

[AndrewNCook]

@DanFrederiksen Haha, yeah, that's true. But all the cost is really in the battery, motors and power electronics etc. A smaller engine and losing a few gears wouldn't get you too far cost-wise. If you don't want one of these or a Leaf, save your money and buy a plug-in Prius or Focus EV when they come out. This should be a really cool decade for cars.