Until a NY Times blog reported that the Chevy Volt was designed to treat range anxiety, I didn't even know I had it. Thank goodness there's a cure!
What's range anxiety?
Frank Weber, the Chevy Volt's chief engineer, says range anxiety is that uncomfortable feeling that your electric car's battery pack is running out of charge. Me, I'm thinking it's more likely that uncomfortable feeling that General Motors took such pains to plant in the American psyche (back in the '90s when it crushed the EV-1) that we SHOULD be worrying about the range of our electric car's battery pack, so much that we probably shouldn't buy an electric car at all. With the Chevy Volt's new design, they've cured the disease two different ways!
Just in case you were thinking of it as a plug-in series hybrid, you're wrong. WRONG. The Chevy Volt, according to Frank, is a range-extended electric vehicle...which is a series hybrid, yes, only this one's approved by the FDA to treat range anxiety. It's got a 12 gallon gas tank fueling an ICE generator, which is bigger than my old college-car Corolla had, and if you still manage to get stranded, it's got a limp-home mode.
As in, the battery pack has a mysterious reserve of juice reserved especially for MORONS. It presumably works like a donut spare, forcing you to drive 30 mph all the way back to the ranch as a punishment for ignoring the dashboard SOC meter, then the gas gauge, until you drained every last amp.
Still got that giant check with all the zeros on it that we all saw in the movie, Chelsea? GM's hoping you've still got it.
They're ready to suck up to you now, because - little known fact - if Plug In America loves the Chevy Volt, we ALL love the Chevy Volt. (You can read it here, just in case you didn't know.) It's true, though: we do, we do. It might be ugly as a wart on a goat's backside, but we've never been too picky anyway (the EV-1 was way overkill, wasn't it?), and we're standing around with the little cash we've got left in our mattresses, just waiting for rollout on something respectably electric. Anything.
Turns out we aren't really married to General Motors so much as we're married to the Chevy Volt, and whatever else they manage to build on the E-Flex (now called Voltec) platform. And since the Volt isn't likely to pay the bills for a long, loong while...
...GM, you're still headed for bankruptcy. Apparently the flowers and chocolates aren't going to work this time, not even if you spend your whole paycheck on them.
But thanks for the Volt, anyway.
Under the Hood
Series Plug in Hybrid. There's a gas engine on board, but it doesn't move the wheels at all, it is only there to generate electricity for the battery pack, aka The Diva. This means that no matter what, the wheels will be moving by the power of an electric motor. The Voltec platform - the Volt's powertrain system - is flex-fuel capable, so that's a nice step forward, too.
Which Electric Motor? A 3-phase AC induction motor. 120 KW, 160 HP, 320-350 volts. Apparently this is plenty, since the reporters who've driven the Chevy Volt prototype all stood up and sang the hallelujah chorus together. That's a good sign, since they didn't all love electric cars to begin with.
Direct Drive. ...in case you were wondering about that. (I was.) There's a shifter like a typical automatic transmission gas-guzzler, but with only forward, reverse, and low - for hills, but there is no transmission in the Volt.
Li-Ion Batteries. A123 Systems has been working with GM for quite a while on the battery solution for the Chevy Volt. According to this Autobloggreen interview with A123, Continental will be supplying the batteries for the Volt, and Cobasys will be supplying the batteries for the Saturn Vue, providing the Vue hybrid is not DOA.
Charging. The batteries can be fully charged in 6 hours or so using a standard 110v outlet. You can plug in to either side of the car for convenience. The fast-charge option using a 220v outlet has been scrapped, not because the batteries aren't up to it, but because the grid isn't up to it.
4-passenger, 4-door, Compact Sedan. There was some talk of five passenger capability, but they needed that space for the batteries.
Battery Central. The batteries are located in a "T" shape in the center of the car, and low. Those happy reporters who've driven the Chevy Volt mule are saying it handles very nicely because of this placement.
Regenerative Braking. The 3-phase AC induction motor is typically very adept at regenerative braking, with it's sophisticated inverter, and it's no surprise that the Chevy Volt does have regen braking.
Car Seatable. The Volt is completely child-seat compatible.
So when's the Volt coming to your Chevy dealer?
If you live in San Francisco or Washington DC,look for them in November 2010. They will start to dribble them out to the dealerships in those two metropolitan areas first, watching to see how the grid handles the extra load.
Looking forward to it!
Sometimes we stare so long at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open. - Alexander Graham Bell
