

Newly built car will be used for critical testing








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By bildan on 5/28/2009 10:01:21 AM , Rating: -1
I sincerely hope it works for GM, but I worry that once the main battery is discharged at around 40 miles, the tiny IC engine will just provide a "limp home" mode.

RE: Performance?
By mdogs444 on 5/28/09, Rating: -1
RE: Performance?
By VashHT on 5/28/2009 10:23:43 AM , Rating: 2
Kind of depends how they implement it. Considering the engine is just used to recharge the battery I would think it would kick on when the battery got below a certain point, say 20% or something.

RE: Performance?
By bildan on 5/28/2009 7:57:18 PM , Rating: 2
There's no free lunch.

The energy to propel the car comes from the battery and ultimately from the engine/generator (genset). If the genset is providing current for charging the battery AND propelling the car, then the car's a slug in limp home mode.

If you pull more energy from the battery than the genset can make up, you further discharge the battery.

Ultimately, at some range, the battery is discharged and the car is totally propelled by energy from the genset and is a slug in limp home mode.

I suspect GM will set up the software so performance slowly degrades the further you drive it so the driver isn't surprised by a sudden loss of performance.

You MAY be able to drive it 400 miles but I'll bet few owners will have the patience to do so.

If I were selling a Tesla against this thing, I'd have a field day. The Volt is neither fish nor foul but probably the worst of both.

RE: Performance?
By rcabor on 5/28/2009 10:23:49 AM , Rating: 3
I dont see how it would limp home. The same powertrain is still moving the car, just the source of electricity changes.

RE: Performance?
By GWD5318 on 5/28/2009 10:26:42 AM , Rating: 3
There is no "limp home" mode. The batteries are never allowed to be fully discharged. They are kept charged by the on-board generator once they reach they are drained to a predetermined threshold. The gas engine is solely a power source for the on-board generator.

RE: Performance?
By Bateluer on 5/28/09, Rating: 0
RE: Performance?
By rcabor on 5/28/2009 10:46:55 AM , Rating: 2
The car will go over 300 miles on one tank of gas(7gals if i remember correctly). I would say its intended to be like any other car, just with an advantage of using no gas on regular work days for many people.

RE: Performance?


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A tank is just about 17 gallons.


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