Gen 1 GM Volt Plug-In Hybrid (2011-2015)

[Wennfred]

Thanks for the info, I guess I will just keep saving until the Tesla Model E comes out, hopefully by then the Chevy Volt will have seen major improvements to be competitive. And for sure I will just buy new with those great incentives.



Fred

 

[scottf200]

Using the NADA guide, it should retail for $23,650-24,750. But you can get a brand new 2014 Volt for $27,495 after tax credit and before haggling on price. Also options make a big difference - fully loaded that may not be a bad price.

Good info, thanks. Any chance they will upgrade the battery packs to lets say 50 Miles? Fred

In the summer, I get 45 reasonably easily in Chicagoland on my 2011 (16kWh). Numerous people have got 50 on later models with 16.5kWh). Quite a few people drive 50-60-70 miles per day in it and use just a fraction of the gas they have used in the past. i.e. mostly battery and then seamlessly transition to gas for the end of their day.

 

[cwerdna]

As I posted in another thread while taking a test drive of the Volt at the SF Auto Show (I'd test driven the Volt a few times before):

I heard some Volt misinformation from the GM ride-along rep such as: "no transmission" (yeah right, planetary gearset w/2 motor generators + 3 clutches == "no transmission" :roll: ), some wild figure of "61 mpg" :!: :roll: and the claim that it's driven only by the electric motor (wrong). Sigh...

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

I would agree with the statement that the volt has no transmission, at least in the traditional sense. Unless you have hub motors even pure evs have some gears.

 

[scottf200]

I heard some Volt misinformation from the GM ride-along rep such as: "no transmission" (yeah right, planetary gearset w/2 motor generators + 3 clutches == "no transmission" :roll: ), some wild figure of "61 mpg" :!: :roll: and the claim that it's driven only by the electric motor (wrong). Sigh...

It is telling about you that you actually bring up the 'driven by electric motor' non-sense at this point. Who cares? More efficiency is the name of the game.

I drove over 300 miles yesterday in my Volt. I started with full battery and 3/4 tank of gas. I needed to add gas on my leg back home. Funny thing was that I bought gas in Normal, IL which is where a Tesla SC/supercharger is so if I had a mode X then I could have just stopped there for 10 minutes to get plenty to get home.

 

[cwerdna]

I heard some Volt misinformation from the GM ride-along rep such as: "no transmission" (yeah right, planetary gearset w/2 motor generators + 3 clutches == "no transmission" :roll: ), some wild figure of "61 mpg" :!: :roll: and the claim that it's driven only by the electric motor (wrong). Sigh...

It is telling about you that you actually bring up the 'driven by electric motor' non-sense at this point. Who cares? More efficiency is the name of the game.

The GM rep said it, not me. It's annoying that they continue to echo misinformation, YEARS after the Volt went on sale.

I didn't ask if those folks were contractors, but that often is the case w/auto show reps. Many work for some agency the automaker hires. I'd imagine they're given a "facts"/talking points by the automaker's marketing dept and directed to stick to it. Garbage in, garbage out.

I would agree with the statement that the volt has no transmission, at least in the traditional sense. Unless you have hub motors even pure evs have some gears.

Some have argued that the Prius has no transmission either. But the Prius' power split device doesn't have 3 clutches that the Volt's transmission has.

I've seen the videos at http://www.plugincars.com/exclusive-video-want-know-exactly-how-chevy-volt-powertrain-works-95344.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; before (possibly in a longer single video). When the news came out that the Volt wasn't a true serial/series plug-in hybrid, there was discussion at http://priuschat.com/threads/volt-drivetrain-patent-and-info.85572/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, amongst many other places.

Also no carpool stickers on the 11 (and maybe early 12s?).

Yep, definitely no CA HOV stickers on the '11 Volts. It wasn't until enhanced AT-PZEV versions were ready.

http://green.autoblog.com/2011/11/16/new-enhat-pzev-chevy-volt-ready-for-california-hov-access-extra/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://green.autoblog.com/2012/02/24/gm-starts-deliveries-of-2012-hov-lane-eligible-chevy-volts-in-ca/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You should be able to identify eligible/ineligible Volts via the VIN guide at http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

 

[scottf200]

"no transmission" (yeah right, planetary gearset w/2 motor generators + 3 clutches == "no transmission" :roll: ), some wild figure of "61 mpg" :!: :roll: and the claim that it's driven only by the electric motor (wrong). Sigh...

It is telling about you that you actually bring up the 'driven by electric motor' non-sense at this point. Who cares? More efficiency is the name of the game.

The GM rep said it, not me. It's annoying that they continue to echo misinformation, YEARS after the Volt went on sale.

You still don't get why this reflects poorly on you. With the fact you needed to post it in multiple threads and add your "yeah right...:roll:". Adding you to my ignore list.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

The GM rep said it, not me. It's annoying that they continue to echo misinformation, YEARS after the Volt went on sale.

You still don't get why this reflects poorly on you. With the fact you needed to post it in multiple threads and add your "yeah right...:roll:". Adding you to my ignore list.

I dont understand Scott's need to protect the Volt at every turn, on every website. He still doesn't get why this reflects poorly on him. Its bad enough on gm-volt.com where he moderates. It still seems that there must be an employment relationship.

The Volt's transmission is fairly complex, certainly when compared to most EVs which have nothing but a reduction gear. Two motors, several clutches, planetary gear, etc. You could argue that is the "innovation" in the Volt. Not sure why that would offend someone unless they're trying to misrepresent the Volt as a pure EV.

 

[TomT]

It's too bad that GM pushed the new chassis and genset back as I believe that would make the Volt truly competitive...

Thanks for the info, I guess I will just keep saving until the Tesla Model E comes out, hopefully by then the Chevy Volt will have seen major improvements to be competitive. And for sure I will just buy new with those great incentives.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

The Volt's transmission is fairly complex, certainly when compared to most EVs which have nothing but a reduction gear. Two motors, several clutches, planetary gear, etc. You could argue that is the "innovation" in the Volt. Not sure why that would offend someone unless they're trying to misrepresent the Volt as a pure EV.

At first glance it seems complex but after a little more study it doesn't seem that bad to me. The prius uses a planetary gear thingy too afaik. Compared to an eight speed automatic like some cars have these days the Volt seems relatively simple with just three clutches, particularly when you consider there is no torque converter. Plus it seems the software synchronizes things so when clutches engage there is no jerk.

Maybe there are better ways it could have been designed, but I'm not qualified to offer any suggested alternatives. Perhaps others here are.

 

[MTNRanger]

I wouldn't mind a simpler and cheaper solution that uses the Spark EV electric motor/drivetrain with a smaller ICE (Atkinson with size in between the Volt and the i3 REx). I'm wondering how much GM will optimize Voltec in version 2.0.

 

[TomT]

There are advantages to the Volt approach over the Spark approach and I still consider the Volt system to be an elegant design, regardless of what label you give the vehicle... In actuality, the "transmission" is very simple and inherently very robust and reliable...

I wouldn't mind a simpler and cheaper solution that uses the Spark EV electric motor/drivetrain with a smaller ICE (Atkinson with size in between the Volt and the i3 REx). I'm wondering how much GM will optimize Voltec in version 2.0.

 

[pkulak]

The Volt's transmission is fairly complex, certainly when compared to most EVs which have nothing but a reduction gear. Two motors, several clutches, planetary gear, etc. You could argue that is the "innovation" in the Volt. Not sure why that would offend someone unless they're trying to misrepresent the Volt as a pure EV.

At first glance it seems complex but after a little more study it doesn't seem that bad to me. The prius uses a planetary gear thingy too afaik. Compared to an eight speed automatic like some cars have these days the Volt seems relatively simple with just three clutches, particularly when you consider there is no torque converter. Plus it seems the software synchronizes things so when clutches engage there is no jerk.

Maybe there are better ways it could have been designed, but I'm not qualified to offer any suggested alternatives. Perhaps others here are.

I think the better design is what the new Accord Hybrid is doing. Pure series hybrid until highway speed, then one clutch that locks the wheels to the engine for better fuel efficiency.

 

[RegGuheert]

In actuality, the "transmission" is very simple and inherently very robust and reliable...

Agreed. Still, I have to say that what is found in the Volt is an automatic transmission.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_%28mechanics%29" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Often, a transmission has multiple gear ratios (or simply "gears"), with the ability to switch between them as speed varies. This switching may be done manually (by the operator), or automatically. Directional (forward and reverse) control may also be provided. Single-ratio transmissions also exist, which simply change the speed and torque (and sometimes direction) of motor output.

By that definition/explanation all cars have transmissions unless they have hub motors.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_%28mechanics%29

Often, a transmission has multiple gear ratios (or simply "gears"), with the ability to switch between them as speed varies. This switching may be done manually (by the operator), or automatically. Directional (forward and reverse) control may also be provided. Single-ratio transmissions also exist, which simply change the speed and torque (and sometimes direction) of motor output.

By that definition/explanation all cars have transmissions unless they have hub motors.

Agreed. I don't know why someone would be worried about saying the Volt has a transmission. Why would such a statement be a bad thing? Is there some image that GM is trying to maintain? Seems that they're trying to portray it as a pure EV. Definitely not a hybrid.
The label doesn't seem important. I'm ok saying the LEAF has a transmission. Its a simple reduction gear but there is one.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Agreed. I don't know why someone would be worried about saying the Volt has a transmission. Why would such a statement be a bad thing? Is there some image that GM is trying to maintain? Seems that they're trying to portray it as a pure EV. Definitely not a hybrid.
The label doesn't seem important. I'm ok saying the LEAF has a transmission. Its a simple reduction gear but there is one.

One of the things I like about both the Volt and the Leaf (and point out to others) is that there is no "shifting". To the uneducated masses a transmission may be thought of merely as the thing that jerks your neck back and forth when you accelerate, so in that sense the Volt does not have one. These are the same simple folk who want to know how much it costs to get a "220 charger" installed... almost none of whom see the lack of a gas engine backup as an advantage.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

Agreed. I don't know why someone would be worried about saying the Volt has a transmission. Why would such a statement be a bad thing? Is there some image that GM is trying to maintain? Seems that they're trying to portray it as a pure EV. Definitely not a hybrid.
The label doesn't seem important. I'm ok saying the LEAF has a transmission. Its a simple reduction gear but there is one.

One of the things I like about both the Volt and the Leaf (and point out to others) is that there is no "shifting". To the uneducated masses a transmission may be thought of merely as the thing that jerks your neck back and forth when you accelerate, so in that sense the Volt does not have one. These are the same simple folk who want to know how much it costs to get a "220 charger" installed... almost none of whom see the lack of a gas engine backup as an advantage.

That's not a clear line. CVTs don't shift in the traditional sense, instead it's a constantly variable transmission ratio. Likewise the Volts transmission acts like a variable gear ratio by using the second motor to alter the effective gear ratio. Throw in the clutches to engage and disengage the engine and secondary motor and it is possible so have some jerking, although GM has done a good job in making this not happen via software.

 

[cwerdna]

There are advantages to the Volt approach over the Spark approach and I still consider the Volt system to be an elegant design, regardless of what label you give the vehicle... In actuality, the "transmission" is very simple and inherently very robust and reliable...

I wouldn't call the Volt's transmission simple. It's certainly much more complex than the Power Split Device found in Toyota HSD hybrids. It also has 2 motor/generators and no torque converter but no internal clutches.

See https://picasaweb.google.com/105684180251177299188/PriusConnectionSanFrancisco2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCILH8tvp-8_pjQE#5509989020238176194" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://eahart.com/prius/psd/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Volusiano]

There are advantages to the Volt approach over the Spark approach and I still consider the Volt system to be an elegant design, regardless of what label you give the vehicle... In actuality, the "transmission" is very simple and inherently very robust and reliable...

I wouldn't call the Volt's transmission simple. It's certainly much more complex than the Power Split Device found in Toyota HSD hybrids. It also has 2 motor/generators and no torque converter but no internal clutches.

See https://picasaweb.google.com/105684180251177299188/PriusConnectionSanFrancisco2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCILH8tvp-8_pjQE#5509989020238176194" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://eahart.com/prius/psd/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not sure why you think the Volt's transmission is much more complex than the Toyota's PSD. Below is the image from a GM-Volt article showing how the Volt's transmission is basically the same planetary gear used by the Prius, but simply with different connections to the drive trains on the same planetary gear concept.