truckerzero
100 W
here is the link to the news artical relased a hour agohttp://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080917/BUSINESS01/809170409/1210/BUSINESS
prodution version of chevy volt revealed here
- Thread starter truckerzero
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truckerzero
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Gotta start somewhere I guess.
Link
1 MW
Hey, it's a pretty good-looking car. 
I thought it looked nice, as well. I guess many people thought the original design concept looked better.
I wonder how much this is more of an indication of "variation" than "popular appeal" in terms of its aesthetic. Many of those originally interested may have left because they were mainly interested in the design, but it doesn't tell you how many new people are attracted due to the new design...
I wonder how much this is more of an indication of "variation" than "popular appeal" in terms of its aesthetic. Many of those originally interested may have left because they were mainly interested in the design, but it doesn't tell you how many new people are attracted due to the new design...
marvingalaxy
1 W
Finally! Someone figured out that the most aerodynamic typical car shape is a gradually-sloping hatchback. I think I saw this basic configuration finally given decent styling in the Euro Honda Civic diesel from about the 2006 model. There is a Mitsubishi Evo hatchback that is supposed to be coming out that looked good on paper. I think GM has even topped them with the new styling. I really like the combination of curves and polygons/angles. The best part is that I believe all the styling points are functional which what really makes something look good. I hate tacked-on junk that GM has been famous for in the last hundred years. I'm guessing that this car may be based on the Chevy Malibu as it is about the right size and has a few styling similarities. I'm sure we are all more interested in the drive train but styling is going to sell as many cars as the technology. I've always known there could be both and it seems like it is starting to happen. Form follows function and the function of most SUVs is ugly so they are ugly. When efficiency is a part of the mix the form becomes more harmonious.
mvadventure
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I've been putting off buying another car for several years. We have a 1957 model that I'll keep probably forever and a 2001 Lexus that I'd like to keep for awhile longer. With my bike I really don't need another all that bad but the requirements of grandkids are pressing so likely it'll be this winter sometime. I would gladly wait for the Chevy Volt and planned on doing so until an article in our local paper this week where it claimed a 40 mile range.
100 miles I could live with, Daytona is 30 miles S and St. Augustine 30 miles N so a trip to either one is a minimum of 60 miles. One end of our county to the other is more range than the Volt will deliver. Dressing a Prius is around 30K with no discounts and while probably smaller may have to do the job for me. It's be easier in a Chrysler Town and Country but I'm not willing to go along with the 16/23 MPG. For the moment the Volt is an urban vehicle. Damn gas gets any higher though and I may put a sidecar on my bike with an extra battery pack and make them pile on top of each other. So far only the six year old is in favor of that.
Mike
100 miles I could live with, Daytona is 30 miles S and St. Augustine 30 miles N so a trip to either one is a minimum of 60 miles. One end of our county to the other is more range than the Volt will deliver. Dressing a Prius is around 30K with no discounts and while probably smaller may have to do the job for me. It's be easier in a Chrysler Town and Country but I'm not willing to go along with the 16/23 MPG. For the moment the Volt is an urban vehicle. Damn gas gets any higher though and I may put a sidecar on my bike with an extra battery pack and make them pile on top of each other. So far only the six year old is in favor of that.
Mike
Brand loyalty bites me again as I'm holding out for a Subaru R1E. I have to have 4x4 where I live and have been driving GL wagons for the last 20 yrs... best car ever made in my opinion - you can repair 95% of their break downs with duct tape and super glue. Believe it or not I'm not even a hippie or ski bum. :wink:
marvingalaxy
1 W
"100 miles I could live with, Daytona is 30 miles S and St. Augustine 30 miles N so a trip to either one is a minimum of 60 miles. One end of our county to the other is more range than the Volt will deliver."
The Volt is a hybrid. It can go a bazillion gazillion miles on gasoline, just like the Prius. The advantage is that it has a more powerful electric motor and battery pack so it can rely more on grid power than even the "plug-in" Prius mods. The Volt is powered solely by the electric traction motor so it goes highway speeds on all electric. The Prius MUST use gasoline at highway speeds. If the Volt was going to be used within it's 40-mile range, the gas engine could be removed. The Prius can not operate without the gas engine except at slower speeds (I think it tops out at 30mph on electric).
The Volt is a hybrid. It can go a bazillion gazillion miles on gasoline, just like the Prius. The advantage is that it has a more powerful electric motor and battery pack so it can rely more on grid power than even the "plug-in" Prius mods. The Volt is powered solely by the electric traction motor so it goes highway speeds on all electric. The Prius MUST use gasoline at highway speeds. If the Volt was going to be used within it's 40-mile range, the gas engine could be removed. The Prius can not operate without the gas engine except at slower speeds (I think it tops out at 30mph on electric).
AussieJester
1 TW
truckerzero
100 W
tesla is 100,000 dollars no one can afford that for a 2 seater plus the volt is unlimited range and 100% electric for the first 40 miles
lutz said styling changes were all to get the 40 mile range and they had to do it to get the drag coefficent they needed to get the 40 mile range
lutz said styling changes were all to get the 40 mile range and they had to do it to get the drag coefficent they needed to get the 40 mile range
dogman dan
1 PW
40 mile range would be perfect for me. Unfortunatley the payment on it would not. I'll be waiting for the battery packs to hit the junkyards. I'm thinking of a chevy Aveo, as a car to drive till lithium gets cheap enough to convert it. The subaru is just too heavy to convert.
docnjoj
1 GW
pwbset said:
Roger that on the Subaru! Great car and mine is still going since 1998!
otherDoc
mvadventure
1 kW
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Well, well, well...the newspaper article I read failed to say it was a hybrid, it focused on it being an electric vehicle. The last I had read about it or had seen when GMs' CEO talked about it at the Detroit (I think, could have been NY) car show was it being ALL electric. Looks like it is time for me to do a little more research.
To the best of my knowledgeTesla has yet to go into any actual production with the exception of a handful of delivered prototype units. They have been hampered with upper management problems and trying to overcome some technical situations. It is looking likely that they will produce vehicles but it's very difficult to determine when any sort of mass production will take place. The folks with deposits in seem confident they will get cars. Look at http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/ for more info.
Mike
To the best of my knowledgeTesla has yet to go into any actual production with the exception of a handful of delivered prototype units. They have been hampered with upper management problems and trying to overcome some technical situations. It is looking likely that they will produce vehicles but it's very difficult to determine when any sort of mass production will take place. The folks with deposits in seem confident they will get cars. Look at http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/ for more info.
Mike
marvingalaxy
1 W
Well, you weren't entirely wrong. It is all electric in the drive train. The traction motor is electric and the gas engine is only connected to the road via the electric drivetrain. This system is called a series hybrid as opposed to the parallel hybrid of the prius and other systems. The volt will be the first hybrid that drives entirely on it's electric motor. The 1.4 liter gas engine is only a generator to produce current to keep the battery charged on longer than 40-mile trips. If I had my choice I would toss out the gas engine and get more lithium. Of course, I live on an island so a 40-mile range is just about right anyway.
mikereidis
1 kW
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- 343
pwbset said:
Subarus are still nice and relatively reliable IMO, but they aren't as reliable as they were 20 years ago, IMO. 2.5 liter engines have problems and auto trans needs rebuild/replace at 100k miles. My wife has 2.2Liter engine in her 99 Legacy and it's almost bullet-proof. Duct tape doesn't help much for engine or tranny rebuilds or electronics issues.
Still, I love the idea of 4 wheel drive with 1 motor at each wheel. I'd love to spin a car without moving it like a tank can, and the snow gets bad enough here sometimes in Ottawa, Canadas' capital, that 4WD, esp. on a lighter vehicle, is VERY helpful when the going gets rough.
TylerDurden
100 GW
Make that a motor on the inner end of each drive-axle and you get better durability and less re-tooling.mikereidis said:
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