Topic: First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Volt, pre-production model

[Autos_Editor]

CanadianDriver had a rare opportunity to drive a prototype of the highly-anticipated Chevrolet Volt electric car this week.  The production version is scheduled to go on sale in Canada in mid 2011, reports Editor-in-chief, Greg Wilson.

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[Bruce]

How will the car be heated in the winter?  Will the gas engine have to run constantly to keep the car warm?  Or will the batteries power a heater as well?
And, if the batteries aren't designed to be swapped out, what happens when they die, which they eventually will.

[tpl]

How will the car be heated in the winter?  Will the gas engine have to run constantly to keep the car warm?  Or will the batteries power a heater as well?
And, if the batteries aren't designed to be swapped out, what happens when they die, which they eventually will.

The article seems to say that the heater is electrical. 
Swapping out refers to the idea of going into a "gas station" and them replacing the battery in 5 minutes just like filling up a gas powered car.   Doesn't apply to the Volt.   From the description of the battery, replacing it after many years will be a dealer job...although by the time the first Volt batteries die it will probably be a Cdn Tire job.

[safristi]

..they say the battery is "AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE CHASSIS".................i can see Canadian Tire's wallahs RE-VOLTING..............................maybe this is the first true THROW AWAY CAR.............. ........imagine the RE_SALE if any say after 6 years or so..........GM should have a term for that too........ i suggest...."BANKBOOK ANXIETY".........

[tpl]

..they say the battery is "AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE CHASSIS".................i can see Canadian Tire's wallahs RE-VOLTING..............................maybe this is the first true THROW AWAY CAR.............. ........imagine the RE_SALE if any say after 6 years or so..........GM should have a term for that too........ i suggest...."BANKBOOK ANXIETY".........

Yes, Saf.  Just like the famously rusty subframes on the old Minis where an integral part of the chassis.  Or, if you prefer, Colin Chapman's first rear engined F1 cars where the Engine and Gearbox were integral parts of the chassis.   

[cargoman]

Artificial chirping noise to warn pedestrians?  I'm sure that will get annoying real fast...  Why can't pedestrians look both ways before they cross a street?  (Before I get flamed, please realize that I live in downtown Ottawa.  One of the main reasons I haven't moved out to the 'burbs is because I enjoy the pedestrian lifestyle.)

[safristi]

..and i "guest" it doesn't get much more Pedestrian than in Ottawa........... ..."Chirp"..."CHIRP".....CHIRP wow woz that a VOLT or a GOV CHAFFEURED VEHICLE!!!!!................oh that's RIGHT WE OWNS GM

[PJAvenger]

GM calls that “range anxiety”.

Does the Onstar system have online psychiatrists?

[safristi]

.....   UROLOGISTS ONLY.............................

[Que]

Hope this Volt aka EV-2 doesn't get killed like the EV-1.  Good job GM, follow through this time.  I drove the EV-1 @ an university SAE Formual comp 12 years ago, and let me tell you, 100% torque all the time, feels nice, and the lack of sound, just wheel noise, is an experience, like the Jetsons.

Imagine, if GM kept the EV-1 evolving, we would have had 3rd or 4th gen EVs on the road, they would have been ahead in the game, and still been the #1 Auto Manufacturer.  Only in my dreams...

[sirAQUAMAN64]

One of the most interesting articles in recent memory overall, and most complete and informative on the Volt specifically I've read.

More and more I'm getting excited beyond the hype in seeing and maybe even purchasing a Chevy Volt.

[Triple Bob]

One of the most interesting articles in recent memory overall, and most complete and informative on the Volt specifically I've read.

More and more I'm getting excited beyond the hype in seeing and maybe even purchasing a Chevy Volt.

I agree, I think it's a great car. 

[auto_enthusiast]

Artificial chirping noise to warn pedestrians?  I'm sure that will get annoying real fast...  Why can't pedestrians look both ways before they cross a street?  (Before I get flamed, please realize that I live in downtown Ottawa.  One of the main reasons I haven't moved out to the 'burbs is because I enjoy the pedestrian lifestyle.)

I guess it can be more an issue with vision impared/blind people as they often rely on sound to determine the proximity of a vehicle.

[ovr50]

Artificial chirping noise to warn pedestrians?  I'm sure that will get annoying real fast...  Why can't pedestrians look both ways before they cross a street?  (Before I get flamed, please realize that I live in downtown Ottawa.  One of the main reasons I haven't moved out to the 'burbs is because I enjoy the pedestrian lifestyle.)

I doubt you will get flamed on here for that - I suspect many of us agree with you. Pedestrians are just one more road hazard........

[aknutson]

So cool to finally read about this thing on the road after so much hype, but its hard to take anything away from the article when everybody says 'well, yeah, that'll be different when it's in production..." The one thing I did find interesting was the pricing breakdown for electrically charging the battery, less than a dollar is pretty impressive! Now how much is this thing gonna cost!?

[67 Piston Slap]

How much will it cost?

[G35X]

Like many other reviews that preceded Mr. Wilson’s article, there is no mention about how the Volt drove going up hill under the CS mode.  Certainly he could have tried going up to the parking lot of Cypress Mountain with his press credential.  Running around in downtown Vancouver or on the TC-1 is not a real test for a car with 53KW(71HP) ICE.  On a flat road you do not need even 90KW(120HP), which Mr. Wilson said of the Volt’s motor output most of the time.  When starting from a standstill, yes, you need all the power. But once settled down to a cruising speed, even with heater and lights on, probably you need less than 30KW. But going up hill is entirely different story.  Essentially speaking on the CS mode, your source of power is the 53KW generator.  For a short burst of power you can tap into the battery for more power in such a case as passing a slow going truck.  But, that is only for a short period of time.  Going up Cypress Bowl Rd. at 60km/h is another story.  Once the reserve energy in the battery is used up in a few minutes (you do not want to go below 30% SOC too long a time) your sole source of power is the anemic ICE. The Volt is rather heavy… probably close to 2000kg with four medium size Canadians onboard.

If my concern is proven wrong, then the Volt rewrote the whole notion of the car and its required power.  If 71HP is enough for a car of this size, why bother with 150, 200 or even 300HP engines even for a family car.

[msantos]

With all due respect, with with the knowledge that for the last 2 years GM's PR machine has been pushing the idea that the volt is not a hybrid, the architectural facts may bear otherwise.
 
Perhaps GM is still trying to position the car "as better" than the other higher profile hybrids from Toyota, Honda and Ford but the Volt is still a pure series hybrid as we have known them for the better part of the last century. 

I kindly suggest we resist the marketing push especially if it comes at the expense of accuracy.


Cheers;

MSantos

[toolatecrew]

Sounds like some positive review of the way the drivetrain works in real world. Good news.

I do continue to question why they keep using the numbers they do.

They say the TYPICAL person commutes less than 64 Km and that the Volt has enough range to satisfy the average commute on battery.

BUT while 64 or less may be the typical  commute meanning some are higher and some are lower they aren't comparing it to the TYPICAL Volt battery range...they are comparing it to the MAXIMUM battery range.

We all know that the maximum batter range is uner the best of conditons. Do people typically do their 64 km commute under optimum conditons?

I think its a little misleading to compare the typical commute to the maximum batter range. They have had enough testing done to come up with a typical range

[Steven A.]

Quick question: if the gas engine improves the range to 500km, what happens when you reach that limit? does it only mean that at that point, you have to fill up gas just like any other car? I assume so, but just checking.