Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, GM
Volts should come with generators?
Click above for high-res gallery of the 2011 Chevy Volt
While perusing the interwebs for interesting stories, we stumbled upon a letter to the editors at Automotive News that suggests the Chevy Volt should come with a generator. We're pretty sure that they are not talking about the built-in generator that the car uses to recharge its batteries on-the-fly. Rather, what's being suggested is that General Motors package the Chevy Volt with a gas-powered standalone generator that could recharge its batteries if the need arises. Um, where should we start on this one. First of all, that would be defeating the point of the car in the first place, but the biggest reason that this makes no sense is that the car will already come with a gas-powered generator built-in. If the grid goes down, the car will still run if it has gas inside its tank, as the on-board generator will recharge the batteries anyway. This serves as another reminder that the public at-large (including those who work for competing dealerships in Texas) doesn't quite seem to understand how the Volt technology works.
Gallery: 2011 Chevy Volt
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
BillySharps 7:54PM (10/13/2008)
If only there were a website that collected information about the world around us and presented it to us for free.
Seriously, ten minutes on Wikipedia would have given them all the information they'd need. Sometimes I wonder about people.
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rwcmick 2:05PM (10/14/2008)
Now, what would be handy in an ice storm is for the ability of the Volt to provide power to your house just like a backup generator. Many cars today come w/ a built in inverter to power up video games and what not, but what about a higher amperage socket located somewhere that junior couldn't stick his finger into it?
Lad 2:13PM (10/14/2008)
The Volt is a early to market, compromised automobile. Even when starting with a clean sheet of paper, the engineers have been hamstrung by management's need to make a profit. Thus, what you have is a management PR program to convince the Public that a serial hybrid with a 40 mile battery backed up by a heavy genset is "good." I don't think so!
The Volt is a transition auto at best, a platform initially designed to recoup development costs. Hopefully however, it can eventually become the platform to develop the car that's really needed--a light, 300 mile, freeway speed, battery only car that can be recharged fully in 5 to 10 minutes while on long distance trips.
BillySharps 2:40PM (10/14/2008)
@Lad
"The Volt is a early to market, compromised automobile. Even when starting with a clean sheet of paper, the engineers have been hamstrung by management's need to make a profit. Thus, what you have is a management PR program to convince the Public that a serial hybrid with a 40 mile battery backed up by a heavy genset is "good." I don't think so!
The Volt is a transition auto at best, a platform initially designed to recoup development costs. Hopefully however, it can eventually become the platform to develop the car that's really needed--a light, 300 mile, freeway speed, battery only car that can be recharged fully in 5 to 10 minutes while on long distance trips."
See this is what I'm talking about. Your post is full of ignorance. I shouldn't be surprised, but I am.
1. How is the Volt Compromised? It is a good balance of the best of all possible technology. Up to 80% of all driving miles could be done on electrons.
2. That you think the Volt was built to make a profit is laughable. GM will lose money on each Volt sold for the first few years, not to mention the millions GM has invested in developing this platform in the first place.
3. As it turns out, something like 70% of Americans drive 40 miles or less per day, so it looks to me like 40 miles will be adequate for the majority of American drivers. There is even the potential to improve the range of the battery with a simple software update if GM decides the batteries are durable enough. Also, why do you call the genset "heavy"? It is a small 1.4l engine. The genset provides highly desirable range extension. I wouldn't want to be without it.
4. Of course the Volt is a transition vehicle. It's also a brilliant transition vehicle. It gets electric cars into the market without many of the disadvantages - limited range, slow recharge, high cost, and so on. And it will help provide incentive to develop a quick-charging infrastructure for fully-electric vehicles. Most of the time it will operate as an electric car, but it will not be limited in the same way that electric cars normally are.
Please take the time to learn about what the Volt actually is and the issues surrounding its development.
Eric 5:17PM (10/18/2008)
Would you be happy with a 20 mile battery and sockets for 3 additional 20 mile batteries?
I still want an electric car with 20 mile range and sockets on back to connect a generator trailer. Trailer would have luggage rack on top and contain engine, generator and fuel tank. I would only use trailer for trips to big city or grandmother's house. My wife's electric would never need trailer. All standard genset trailers should have outlets to provide house power after storms and fit most electric cars. One diesel generator might outlive 3 cars, so why sell it with car?
Your electric car might better have sockets for 3 additional 20 mile batteries.
Steve-O 8:17PM (10/13/2008)
Yep...Insert Brain Here.
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rob 8:38PM (10/13/2008)
Perhaps the writer of the letter sells generators and was hoping to drum up business? cough* cough* Honda cough* cough*
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jpm100 8:43PM (10/13/2008)
Maybe he meant to say Tesla. ;)
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ivor 9:40PM (10/13/2008)
Perhaps they were thinking that it's gas engine could double as a generator for your home electrical needs if the power goes out? That *would* be a neat feature.
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Chris M 11:37PM (10/13/2008)
Theoretically, it would be possible to design the gas engine, generator, cooling system and fuel tank in one unit that could be removed when not needed, so the owner could convert from battery only to plug-in hybrid and back. The engineering challenges would be huge, and the effort and hassle of removing or installing the generator unit would hardly be worth it.
But the idea of having a 120 volt AC output for backup power, as Ivor suggested, would be really neat and worthwhile. Perhaps as an extra cost option?
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CDTi 8:04AM (10/14/2008)
Yes, but what if that generator was in a small trailer? You could use it on long trips and leave it at home (95% of the time). Probably better...you hire a generator trailer and return it when you are done.
cwj 11:45PM (10/13/2008)
I reject your journalism and substitute my own!
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tankd0g 12:08AM (10/14/2008)
Since that site requires a login I'll have to take your word for it as to what the letter said. However, while a gasoline powered generator would be....retarded...one that runs on CNG would make sense and be quite useful in places where rolling blackouts occur and are only going to be more frequent as people start charging their gas on the grid.
Then again, I don't think this car needs another $10,000 on top of the $40,000 price tag right now.
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immrc 6:04AM (10/14/2008)
It should come with a grill for making cheeseburgers too, because I like cheeseburgers and I buy cars sometimes. Cheesburgers!
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john riley 8:36AM (10/14/2008)
"Yes, but what if that generator was in a small trailer?"
AC Propulsion did one of these as a range extender for their Tzero electric sports car in 1977. Scroll down on this page:
http://www.acpropulsion.com/vehicles/all.htm
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Phil 8:51AM (10/14/2008)
Why does the Volt have such a big 'range extender'?
1.4 litres is a huge engine.
To me a range extender would be a 2 cylinder engine of about 750 cc. It doesn't need much torque, rather to run at high load for long periods to recharge the battery. It should be *just* capable of providing the running current for driving at 60 mph on the highway (allowing theoretical unlimited distance).
Around town, the ICE can run while you are parked up to recharge the battery, so really doesn't need to be very big.
I have often considered a small diesel generator that could be carried in the trunk of an electric car to recharge while parked. This would have a massive benefit in the UK because 'off road' diesel is half the price of road diesel (less tax).
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GoodCheer 9:17AM (10/14/2008)
I agree, 1.4 is pretty huge for this application. I believe ACP used a 750cc or so motorcycle engine in their trailer.
The reason GM is using such a big engine is because they already produce them. The costs of building a dedicated 750cc would be huge, and they would never buy a generator from some other engine manufacturer.
DasBoese 9:33AM (10/14/2008)
While I agree that a smaller engine would suffice (the original Volt concept had a 1 liter engine), just think about it... it's not viable for GM at this time. It would add development and manufacturing costs and most importantly, more time, to the Volt project. The car is already behind schedule and over budget, so the most sane approach is to take an off-the shelf GM engine that can be modified for maximum efficiency with reasonable effort.
That said, the perfect range extender IMO would be a smallish direct injection two-stroke engine (possibly run on diesel). Two-stroke engines have a lot of benefits regarding weight and complexity, and the scavenging system is well suited to optimization for constant rpm. With direct injection emissions are not a problem either.
Gary 11:35AM (10/14/2008)
A 750cc range extender may work for flat land, but not hills. If it was used, it would work at crazy high RPMs and people would balk at the "unrefined noise".
Also keep in mind that if 750ccs would work in a car, why didn't manufacturers put one into a car a long time ago?
Gary.
tankd0g 4:29PM (10/14/2008)
Ya that would be great, 25 mph top speed just like a real electric car! You're going to find out real quick that the 1.4L is actually too small for this car.