Ask GM's Exec. Chief Engineer For Electric Vehicles Pam Fletcher a Question 229
Pam Fletcher was propulsion system chief engineer on the first Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid and is now executive chief engineer for electrified vehicles at GM. A racing enthusiast, Pam developed racing engines for GM , McLaren, and NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt Sr.. Her current role has her running a multi-national department overseeing electrified vehicles company-wide. Fletcher has agreed to take a moment out of her busy day to answer any questions you might have. As usual, ask as many as you'd like, but please, one per post.
State of the art of batteries (Score:2)
Are we doomed to use Ni-Cd batteries forever? Are there any interesting developments in rechargable batteries that you're excited about?
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Tesla has been using a 7,104 cell Lithium Ion pack for years.
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Tesla has been using a 7,104 cell Lithium Ion pack for years.
The Chevy Volt also uses a lithium ion battery [wikipedia.org].
Electric car progress (Score:2)
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A good thought, because it was the terrible Chevy diesels of the 1970s that killed the US market for diesel cars, No one would try a diesel, from any manufacturer, after Chevy screwed them up.
US auto manufacturers have earned a well deserved bad reputation on little cars. They won't make a decent quality little car. I like little cars, but I won't buy a little GM, Ford, or Chrysler, unless it's a rebranding of a Japanese or Korean car. Can GM overcome the American contempt of little cars, and actually
Re: Electric car progress (Score:2)
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I seriously considered buying a Fiesta. The current one is actually a European vehicle, not an American one. Most European small cars are actually decent, though they have had their share of lemons. Today, maybe a cut below the Japanese on quality, but good enough. I have a 1960s Ford Anglia and Ford Cortina, made in England, and they've been quality cars. Hopelessly obsolete by today's standards of course, but for their time, quite good. Once had a 1970 British Leyland Austin America, which was very
Opinions on the Koenigsseg Regera? (Score:5, Interesting)
Asking because it seems they've used electric motors in a more direct capacity to allow them to ditch a traditional gearbox altogether, and since electric vehicles and supercars are both points of experience for you, you're in a unique position to share insight on where this kind of technology might end up.
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Almost all electric cars don't have a traditional gearbox. A Fiat 500e doesn't. Also, gearboxes (or maybe a CVT) are something you want. I'm sure for $2 million it's nice, but it's not anything worth caring about.
Long range outlook: batteries or fuel cells? (Score:3)
Right now, based on current technology, American companies are developing battery-powered electric cars, while Japanese are introducing those based on fuel cells. Over the long range, say in ten or twenty years, do you see one technology overtaking the other?
Re:Long range outlook: batteries or fuel cells? (Score:5, Interesting)
Fuel cells are awful.
End of story.
Hydrogen is a volatile gas that is EXTREMELY difficult to store and transport, making it very impractical.
Fuel cells aren't terribly efficient.
They're equally bulky and weighty as modern batteries, considering the hydrogen storage.
They have to be replaced more often (because hydrogen is very hard on materials).
Not a fan..
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Hydrogen is a volatile gas that is EXTREMELY difficult to store and transport, making it very impractical.
That may not always be true with things like "micro-porous polymer" beads/fibers - see: New hydrogen storage material could be added directly to fuel tanks [phys.org]:
When the hydrides are trapped inside the polymers, the hydrogen can be rapidly desorbed (released) at low pressures and ambient temperatures. According to Cella Energy, the micro-porous polymers can store as much hydrogen for a given weight as high-pressure tanks.
The micro-beads, which also encapsulate hydrides, are especially interesting for vehicular applications. The micro-beads resemble a fine powder and could potentially be poured and pumped like a fluid into vehicles’ fuel tanks.
The company explains that the encapsulated hydrogen could be safely used in either an internal combustion engine or fuel cell. Once the hydrogen is desorbed from a bead, the empty bead is stored in a separate lightweight plastic tank in the vehicle. When the vehicle needs to be refueled, the waste beads are removed from the vehicle and taken elsewhere to be rehydrided and recycled. Unlike hydrogen stored in high-pressure cylinders, new micro-beads could be refueled into vehicles just like vehicles today are refueled with gasoline.
Re: Long range outlook: batteries or fuel cells? (Score:2)
End of story.
Hydrogen is a volatile gas that is EXTREMELY difficult to store and transport, making it very impractical.
Sound like you got the Reader's Digest version of the story. Methanol fuel cells are the practical version because we already know how to handle liquid fuels. You can even make it from air+water+solar by running the cells in reverse (scaled to factory levels). Look into George Olah's work.
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There are like 100 types of fuel cells that don't work with hydrogene.
Your ideas about the awfullness of storing hydrogen is like 20 years outdated ...
The rest of your post makes even less sense "They have to be replaced more often (because hydrogen is very hard on materials)." Are you mixing up high pressure or super cold hydrogen with modern storages?
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One of the very few electric vehicles sold in the US, including the first one that was sold in the US (as a daily driver, not a 20mph neighborhood car) was the Nissan Leaf, a Japanese car company.
Not all the Japanese are going fuel cell. They are expensive, hydrogen storage is a nightmare and they are only doing it because they get more CA pollution credits for them than they do for electric vehicles. Fuel cell cars aren't going anywhere, they will never be sold outside California and will likely never sell
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One of the very few electric vehicles sold in the US, including the first one that was sold in the US (as a daily driver, not a 20mph neighborhood car) was the Nissan Leaf, a Japanese car company.
I've been driving a Leaf for 2 years and still love it. Huge credit to Nissan for taking a chance on a pure EV, and for moving production to Tennessee.
Somehow, GM managed to make their upcoming Bolt even goofier looking than the Leaf. But if they can get the range up to 200 miles and can keep it under $38k, I will probably get one.
Charging at every Gas Station. (Score:3)
If a quick charger was as ubiquitous as a gas pump I think it would go along way to defeating range anxiety when traveling long distances.
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Has GM looked into developing a partnership with any of the major gas station chains (Exxon/Mobil/BP) to provide recharging services?
Charging a car is nothing like fueling it with gasoline. The chargers can be located anywhere you can put a parking meter, so there is no reason to have dedicated "stations" like we do with gas. It would make far more sense for GM to partner with McDonalds, KFC, Walmart, restaurants, and shopping malls. That way people have something to do while their car recharges.
Where I live (San Jose, California) my local Walmart, and Costco, already have EV charging stations. I have never seen one at a gas station,
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This. Range anxiety isn't just about not having enough amp-hours to go there and back again - it's also about cooling your heels and doing nothing while waiting for your car to charge.
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I'm not sure that I see the point of a charging station at Wal-mart or Costco -- are you traveling more than half a charge in order to get there?
If you have a pure electric Tesla, probably not. If you have a Volt hybrid with a 38 mile battery range, then it is likely that you are.
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Has GM looked into developing a partnership with any of the major gas station chains (Exxon/Mobil/BP) to provide recharging services? If a quick charger was as ubiquitous as a gas pump I think it would go along way to defeating range anxiety when traveling long distances.
Yes, putting very high voltage/current sources which a consumer has to connect and disconnect to a car in close proximity to volatile gasoline is such a grand idea.
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When you connect/disconnect them, the high current circuit is off. There's only a limited-current control circuit available, and I'm not sure if that circuit isn't designed for inherent safety in explosive environments. It certainly could be.
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The problem is that even current "quick" charging is like a half hour. To get that to more like 5 minutes, the voltage and amperage get crazy. Battery swap stations are possible, but there are serious legal and engineering issues involved. A cool technology being developed is a charged slurry. You would pull up to a station, a robotic arm would connect to a tank similar to a gas tank, suck out the old depleted slurry and replace it with new charged slurry.
I've had an EV for 2 years and have never change
Why no "skateboard" designs? (Score:5, Interesting)
the GM "skateboard" platform design was the most innovative system I have ever seen from GM, why are we not seeing the engineering that was put into that used for new car designs?
I understand the siren song of just putting electrics in a standard ICE car, but all the advances from the Skateboard would put GM ahead of Tesla if they were put into use.
Why has GM ignored the platform they spent so much money researching?
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Because GM can never really innovate they are simply too large. They've come up with a LOT of really cool ideas that they totally submarine because they made more money selling gas guzzling SUV's.
They actually sold the first electric car, developed the whole platform, leased them out then refused to sell them to the people that wanted to buy them and crushed all the cars when the leases were up. The GM culture is next quarters profits, not innovating the next revolution in the automotive world. Toyota is in
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Exactly, I'm just curious as to what the corperate spin will be and why they are hell bent on not making electric cars but regular cars with electric shoehorned in.
There is zero reason for a transmission and motor, 4 motors at the wheels is where they need to to be but, it's far more profitable to just slap an electric drivetrain in an existing car and sell it.
And profitable is job #1 at GM.
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Part of it is their tie to dealers IMO. When you create a car like the Tesla Model S you've eliminated all maintenance and destroyed the entire service division of your dealers. People seem to forget, with an electric car you will never change the oil or coolant, replace a belt or change a starter motor, you won't need to have 90% of the maintenance activity that a gas car needs.
About the only maintenance item on a Tesla is new tires and windshield wipers.
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Motors at the wheels actually don't make much engineering sense. They only look sensible if you haven't run the numbers and haven't done real design work. Most electric cars out there are not gas platforms, and would make very poor gas platforms. So you kinda made your problems up.
Why not? (Score:2)
I note that the Porsche 918 uses two electric motors, one for each axle.
Putting an electric motor at each wheel would eliminate the transmission, allow the use of smaller motors, and allow for active torque control at all four wheels (instead of just being able to break you could accelerate each wheel too).
I suspect that to minimize unsprung weight you'd want to have a small driveshaft at each wheel.
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The problem with the skateboard design is switching bodies. Who has a electric winch that can take that kind of weight just sitting around to swap the bodies, and who wants to store the bodies not in use?
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Do you not understand what the skateboard concept was? This is a skateboard powertrain that you swap the body on (truck, van, car, etc). Also, it is Hydrogen, not electric, though would work just fine as an electric. They have had a demo model at the test track ride in Epcot for years:
https://www.google.com/search?... [google.com]
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The skateboard design will force the vehicle to be taller. But even if that is desired, it is still not practical for a plug-in hybrid because you still have to deal with things on the bottom of the car like exhaust channels, gas tanks, etc.
What's ip with fuel cells? (Score:2)
Has America given up on hydrogen fuel cells?
Do direct methanol fuel cells offer any competitive advantage
If DMFCs offer enough benefit, when would we expect to see them on a commercially available vehicle?
Racing as a testbed (Score:3)
Many times we have been told that developments in motor racing eventually trickle down to consumer products. So my question is where is the electric racing happening, and are improvements being made in this manner? In asking this I'd like to point out the Formula 1 teams that are now using super caps as a part of that series foray into hybrid technologies - which is a technology that could easily be applied to consumer hybrids right now.
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Formula E?
OK .. looks interesting, but then I looked into the regulations:
ePrix
Races will begin by standing start and last for approximately one hour with drivers making one mandatory pit stop in order to change cars. Power will be restricted to 'race mode' (150kw / 202.5bhp) but for those drivers with FanBoost, the power output can be temporarily increased to 180kw / 243bhp for 5 secs per car
FanBoost
Fans can give their favourite driver an extra speed boost by voting for them prior to the race. The three drivers with the most votes will each receive a 5-second ‘power boost’ per car per driver, temporarily increasing their car’s power from 150kw to 180kw. Just click here to cast your vote. You can change your mind as many times as you want until voting closes a short time before the start of the race.
Seeing that made me cringe big time. What ever happened to man and machine simply doing battle head to head?
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o god, i had no idea.......I wasnt promoting Formula E, i think its silly, but what you posted takes silly to a whole other level.
Well I didn't know about the race, and if I could go I would be interested. But FanBoost?!?!? That is indescribable.
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The people telling you this are salesmen, trying to attach race-car prestige to a $40,000 coupe with incremental upgrades.
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The other reply links to Formula E. The race in Long Beach, CA on April 4th is free admission if anyone wants to join me there in a few weeks.
Tesla and Elon (Score:5, Interesting)
Elon Musk sounded less than impressed by the electric cars from other companies like Toyota, Mercedes and GM.
What do you think of the Tesla as a competitor? Do you feel like you are playing catch-up? What things can GM bring to the table that Tesla cannot?
What about batteries? Have you considered that you may end up needing to source batteries from Tesla themselves in the future? Are there plans for gaining access to suppliers in this field as there will likely be a persistent shortage of good batteries for cars in the future?
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Holy crap, and the GM of Toyota probably doesn't go on record as being a fan of Ford's latest offerings, either.
compliance cars (Score:2)
It seems like most pure EV's from the major manufacturers are so called 'compliance cars' built to meet (largely nonsensical) regulatory requirements. They are not widely advertised and no one buys them because they are so expensive compared to their IC counterparts and have significantly less range. The Tesla model S, an EV designed for its own sake, is a wonderful exception, but the price point puts it out of range for 95% of consumers.
Given the slow incremental improvement in battery technology, do y
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Surely this is what GM had in mind when they produced the Bolt EV concept car. It's quite obvious they are indeed working on it...
GM skateboard (Score:3, Interesting)
What's the deal with the Spark EV? (Score:4, Interesting)
Pardon the Seinfeld title... The Spark seems like a good candidate for an electric car. Small, lightweight, city car. Indeed there is an electric version! But only for sale in CA and OR... What's up with that? I am in the market for a tiny city car and I am already considering a Spark. I would totally get the EV version if it was for sale in GA. There are electric cars coming out the wazoo in the area I am in, but no Spark EV for me? Seems like a missed opportunity especially considering the marketing potential of the Sparky Spark.
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If you have the opportunity to acquire a Spark EV, do it. I love mine. Fast, fun, 4-door. It's a great car.
hardware or software performance (Score:2)
Battery tech on 2500 and 3500 pickups? (Score:4, Interesting)
GM has tried a decent hybrid system on their 1500 Silverados.
Where a hybrid system would be very usable, would be on the heavier duty pickups like the 3/4 and one ton models:
First, electric motors provide their best torque at near 0 RPM, which is quite useful.
Second, on a rural jobsite, if a PSW inverter is available, this would allow the truck to completely replace a generator in the field. Just plug the welder, saw, or other tools into that and use the onboard battery for that, perhaps running the IC engine to keep everything topped off.
Third, for farms, it might be economical to have the trucks charge and run on batteries, as it saves on fuel.
My question: Would we see this technology being used on the heavier duty series of pickups?
Silverado hybrid (Score:2)
GM has tried a decent hybrid system on their 1500 Silverados.
"Decent"? It was the biggest afterthought you can imagine. It only improved the fuel efficiency by a few MPG, had a negligible effect on power and was basically a battery box retrofitted under the rear seat. Oh and it added about $7-10K to the cost (I forget the exact number but it was a lot). My current gas only pickup cost almost $15,000 less and has similar features. I looked at the hybrid silverado semi-seriously but decided it was economically insane.
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I was going to ask pretty much this question, but expand it a little.
Where are all the Diesel electric serial hybrid trucks? This would be a great tow vehicle; electric motors have great torque, and the weight of the batteries would counter the trailer's tendency to push the truck around. This is already done in trains, so it makes sense at that size, why not with trucks? Maybe making a truck last forever just doesn't work for car companies. :)
BTW, It looks like the Silverado 1500 can haul as much as 2kl
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The hybrid didn't have that much towing capacity, I think it was 3500 to 5000 pounds.
The 1/2, 3/4, and 1 ton truck designations tend to be there for name only, and to deal with some municipal codes (where a 3/4 ton and heavier is a "commercial vehicle", and a 1/2 ton can be a POV.)
However, with most of the truck lines, the 1/2 ton is a different model, and the 3/4 and 1 ton are very similar. For example, the difference between a F-250 and a F-350 from Ford is a leaf spring in the rear and a different GVWR/
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I have not experienced this, but it could be accurate. My understanding of the 150 - 250/350 comparison is that the 250/350s when hauling can be over 7500 lbs, this is considered the commercial truck range. Under 7500 lbs GVWR is considered consumer.
It supposedly costs more to register a 250/350 commercial vs consumer, but it allows you to legally haul more weight in the bed. Discussing with the salesperson when I bought my Tundra, he said the 3/4 ton 1 ton etc had to do with the hauling capacity of the
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My uncle worked at a Buick/GMC dealership when those were offered. I asked him how many he sold, told me zero were sold. This dealership had a customer base that was largely farmers and factory workers looking for a middle of the line reliable ride. These people aren't the kind to buy the new shiny tech so perhaps a poor example.
Also, being a largely rural community the customers tended to need to drive considerable distances regularly. Battery electric does not do well with that.
From what I've seen tho
Why don't you make a nice looking electric car? (Score:2)
Everybody started out producing electric cars that look like they were designed by a 1960's team predicting the future (except for Tesla). My question was going to be if GM is going to produce a fun, sporty car that happens to be an electric. And then I remembered - you're GM, you don't currently produce any fun, sporty cars. The closest you come is the redneck cruiser, the Camero, and the septuagenarian crowd pleaser, the Corvette.
Can GM produce a really enticing body, and will you put an electric drivetra
Tesla's open patents (Score:3)
Has Tesla's decision to open its patents had any impact on your work?
Idea for an option. (Score:3)
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I like the way the volt fixes range anxiety by allowing serial hybrid/generation. That makes it the only electric vehicle for sale that can easily be taken on long travel.
The forthcoming BMW i3 [caranddriver.com] has an option (and an empty space under the hood) for a range extender. This vehicle looks seriously sweet. I am very much hoping that this new competition encourages GM to up its game with improvements to the interior and performance of its EV line. While I have admired the drivetrain tech in the Volt, I found the interior design and performance to be lacking, more econo-box than flagship. Owning a Volt needs to make the driver feel great, but too often car companies build-in the
Putting the Voltec system into other vehicles... (Score:3)
Question #1. What is Chevy's plans to extend the Voltec system into other models such as the Trax and/or the Equinox? I ask because my wife's current vehicle is an AWD SUV and I'd like to replace it with a like vehicle that's a EREV but is still AWD and has cargo room. I know the 2016 Volt has a square battery pack and thus a 5th seat, I can only assume that's to make it fit better in other chassis?
Question #2. Why does Chevy not promote the Volt?!? You never see a Chevy commercial that has the Volt in it. They had the "low battery" commercial a couple of years ago and then nothing. When I go places I have people constantly coming up and asking "A volt? What kind of car is this? Chevy? Wow, this thing's awesome! I had no idea..." My wife's joked I should become some sort of Chevy Volt Ambassador!
Thanks!
How can I get a SparkEV outside California? (Score:4, Interesting)
"Scyclone/Typhoon" version of a production EV? (Score:2)
Ultracapacitors for Storage? (Score:4, Interesting)
Does GM have any plans to leverage ultracapacitors for primary energy storage in place of batteries?
Thank you!
Why was the EV1 killed the way it was? (Score:2)
Seriously, a line of test vehicles that every test driver loved and wanted to buy- likely the best test run of a vehicle model ever. All gathered up and destroyed, including millions in litigation to force the lease owners to abandon their purchase option.
Such actions reek of covering something up. So, statute of limitations is over. Spill the beans. Why?
Insourcing (Score:2)
GM has been in-sourcing the production of many of the key components of their electric vehicles in recent years. What have the benefits and successes been of using that approach?
Charger Size (Score:3)
To date, all GM Electric cars have only supported 3.3kW Level 2 charging. Do you think 3.3kW charging plus CCS quick charging is sufficient for longer-range vehicles that might be used for road trips, like the forthcoming Bolt?
Has Diesel ever been considered in the Volt? (Score:2)
I always wondered why the volt was not diesel-electric, like a submarine.
Is meeting the EPA NOx to cost prohibitive?
I would think that the engine would have less load variance than a conventional car.
(The power plant could be run in some optimized range for charging the battery and fro hi-speed use)
How will you enable long distance EVs? (Score:2)
Tesla has invested a lot of capital in building a comprehensive network with banks of superchargers capable of providing 135kW to make long distance EV travel possible. Lacking such a network other manufacturers are currently limited to producing limited range city EVs and plug-in hybrids.
Most Chademo and sae+combo chargers max out at 50kW and offer power for just 1-2 vehicles at charging locations are poorly located for interstate travel.
How will GM work to enable long distance EV travel with their vehicle
Advertised versus real range (Score:2)
Around the SF Bay Area it feels like the biggest contribution to range anxiety isn't the range, but the delta between claimed range and real range. Lots of folks here have driven (or own themselves) the Leaf or the 500e. The most common expression of dissatisfaction is that there's a large delta between claimed and realized range. This problem seems to have been largely solved on the petrol side of the house (EPA ratings of MPG have gotten a lot more accurate recently).
It seems like there needs to be a real
Why was the Volt not a pure series hybrid? (Score:3)
After learning the intricacies of each system, I tend to lump them into three categories for my convenience (plug-in capability being a sub-category itself).
Weak parallel hybrids; those with very minimal battery storage and no all-electric mode like the 1st gen Ford Escape.
Strong parallel hybrids; those with large battery capacity, all-electric mode, but the internal combustion engine still drives the wheels often like the Toyota Prius, Honda Insight, etc.
Series hybrids; AC Propulsion T-Zero with trailer generator (or any all-electric with a generator on a trailer for that matter), Chevy Volt, etc.
So I've lumped the Chevy Volt in the series hybrid group, although technically it can provide some power to the wheels mechanically via the internal combustion engine. With the Volt being so close to a pure series hybrid, I'd like to know why the leap to a pure series hybrid wasn't made completely? There must be one or a few solid reasons. Was it a serendipitous capability due to the packaging? What is necessary to satisfy focus group complaints? Was it to ensure a completely dead battery or charging system wouldn't side-line the vehicle? What was the thinking there?
Cheers!
Why do all cars now have a proprietary tablet? (Score:2)
Why do all cars now have a proprietary tablet in the dash?
These tablets are so integrated that they cost the car manufacturer big $ and the customer even more.
Why not use a stock android or iPad tablet and create a custom app to talk wirelessly to the car?
Corvette (Score:2)
Will there be an e-Corvette, or perhaps a hybrid, or will some new electric performance vehicle be added to the lineup?
When will Volt tech be used for an SUV? (Score:3)
Alas, the only car that comes close to fitting my requirements (cargo space, chargeable + hybrid tech) is the Audi A3 e-tron, which isn't available in the States yet (and it's really only a hatchback). The only other (distant) contender IMO is the Lexus RX450h, which, while roomy enough, isn't chargeable, gets not-too-stellar mileage, and is priced absurdly.
Those of us who need a commuter car with extra space that has the option (not the requirement, the option) of running on battery power for a decent stretch have been left behind. The Volt's technology would be awesome in a small SUV form factor.
Why hasn't anyone bothered to look into this?
An old question (Score:2)
What happened to the EV1 and with the push for new hybrid's and all electric vechiles, why haven't we seen the EV1 re-emerge yet?
Economics of the Chevy Bolt (Score:5, Interesting)
Options (Score:2)
Electric or hybrid sports car? (Score:2)
I was wondering if GM had plans to create a sporty vehicle that's either an EV or hybrid?
It seems like the Volt is a nice car, but very family oriented. A camero body with an electric would be awesome!
Range and Charging (Score:2)
Every RC car enthusiast solved that problem a few decades ago by using standardized modular battery packs.
Why can't the car industry "invent" batteries that are of a modular form factor and easily swappable at a charging station? (perhaps using multiples of a standard size which can be configured in different locations and numbers to fit a vehicle's needs.)
Yes, Tesla has done
Premature charge cable failure. (Score:2)
Why did the electronics in my charge cable fail 6 months after the two year warranty ran out, costing me more than 600$ (the bill says EUR 578.99) for a replacement ?
$600 is more than a year worth of electricity driving my otherwise awesome Better-Looking-Volt-Than-A-Volt (Opel Ampera).
Electronics not subject to end-user abuse should be designed to last the lifetime of the car. If they don't, they should be replaced under warranty.
Mission requirements (Score:2)
Put simply, electric vehicles don't meet my mission requirements: a midsize SUV or station wagon (think Chevrolet Equinox, Lexus RX, Subaru Outback) enclosed carrying capacity for stuff and/or people, able to travel 300+ miles at 70+ MPH away from the Interstate Highway System, and able to do it again in 15 minutes, indefinitely.
How far away from being able to do that are we?
EV and being "green" (Score:2)
I assume GM has done studies on how much electric vehicles save on carbon emissions. How does GM defend itself against claims that electric vehicles are no better, or worse, for the environment than diesel or gasoline engined vehicles? In the USA a large portion of utility electricity comes from coal and natural gas. In some places electricity comes from burning fuel oil, a very dirty source of electricity.
Can GM defend an electric vehicle as being "green" when the potential buyer lives in a place where
Prices (Score:2)
Most people think of the battery pack as the only reason why electric cars tend to be expensive, but I remember in the Volt's early days when Lutz admitted that the main reason for the price rise from the projections was that the powertrain turned out to be so expensive. To people with experience with EV hardware, the cost of powertrain components was no such surprise. In true mass production they should be cheap due to their simplicity, but in low volumes they're often anything but.
How much progress has GM
Power (Score:2)
By and large, GM's electric offerings certainly haven't been slow, but they haven't been exceptional performing, like one might see with a Roadster or Model S. Why is this? Of course there are costs to increasing performance, but it's not as extreme of a curve as getting more power out of an internal combustion vehicle. Little tiny motors [enstroj.si] can put out the power output of whole large ICE engines. Why not make a higher power output more standard or at least give more performance options?
Wheels / motors (Score:2)
While using multiple motors is of course more expensive than a single larger motor, how much does it increase the overall cost, after considering how it lets you simplify elsewhere? For example, one engine front and one rear can give you 4WD / AWD without a driveshaft and a differential or transfer case. An engine on each pair of driven wheels (not talking in-wheel) lets you omit an axle and differentials (two of each in the case of 4WD / AWD). Given the advantages of individually-driven wheels, how much mo
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The generation 1 Volt (2011 - 2015 model years) has several drive modes. It's not a parallel hybrid under most circumstances, though it's hard to say how often my Volt operates this way. The motor only runs in CS or "Hold" modes, and the theory I think is that at certain speeds the engine is more efficient when driving the wheels directly.
It certainly has nothing to do with power--when I have enough remaining charge, the motor never runs (unless driving in temperatures below 15F), and I can drive any spee
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Absolutely agree. Once the infrastructure is in place. As it is, I still can't even charge my Volt at work...
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Yes, but unless GM decides to build all those stations - which would cost more than their entire net worth - there's no purpose in building cars for them.
Might as well start building cars with a mini reactor that use U/Pu/Th as fuel. That would be even more awesome. And just as practical for the end user.
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Hmm, a pebble bed thorium reactor powering an electric vehicle...that would be cool. It would last like 5 years between refuels, I'd pay like $100k for that.
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( X) technical ( ) legislative ( ) market-based ( ) vigilante
approach to fighting spam^h^h^h^hrange anxiety. Your idea will not work. Here is why it won't work. (One or more of the following may apply to your particular idea, and it may have other flaws which used to vary from state to state before a bad federal law was passed.)
( ) Microsoft will not put up with it
( ) The accountants will not put up with it
(x ) Requires immediate total cooperation from everybody at once
Re: (Score:2)
Volt does not have a "traditional gasoline drivetrain", nor anything close. There's no conventional transmission and a generator is utilized to supply power from an internal combustion engine. What differences specifically do you want to elaborate on?
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Re:The General Motors EV1 (Score:5, Insightful)
Exactly. As Elon has noted many times, when you have to forcefully recall your product from unwilling customers who then go on to hold a candle-light vigil for the destruction of their cars, the "market" is not a barrier to your product... you're doing all this because you want to kill it, pure and simple.
Perhaps the market was small and upscale, but it existed, and it was strong. GM could have pursued development in this space, but it vehemently decided not to. Tesla just picked up that residual demand and built on it.
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You can't post sense here. This is Slashdot.
Re: (Score:3)
My hunch is that they won't because there is no advantage to be gained in doing so.
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Hey fellow Leaf owner,
I think that the Leaf's 6.6 kW (no /hr) charger is based on the limitations of the wiring in most people's homes. The electric dryer type circuit I had installed is 220V 30A. I'm no electrician, but I think that's the most heavy duty circuit that can be easily added. There's no point in increasing the price and weight of the car with a 12kW charger if most people can only provide it 6.6kW.
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The problem is you wouldn't be able to lift the charge cable to plug it in.
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If I was trying to figure out a way around the problem, I would maybe resort to the way gas stations do it now.
Instead of a large tank in the ground holding gas you could have a large battery on site and charge the battery 24/7 or even buy the electricity cheaper at off peak times?
Then have onsite conversion to what ever you needed.
At least that is what my ignorant of all the facts solution would be.