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Sitarro
01-06-2008, 09:37 PM
For all that think that nothing has been done to slow the use of oil..... check out what GM has been working on....... it looks pretty good too.


http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=119088?mktcat=volt-price&kw=chevrolet+volt+price&mktid=ov28354134#

General Motors' first plug-in hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt concept, introduces GM's new family of electric-drive propulsion systems
By Michelle Krebs Email
Date posted: 01-07-2007

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General Motors has unveiled the Chevrolet Volt concept, the company's first plug-in hybrid vehicle, at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The Chevrolet Volt concept is the first vehicle to use GM's new E-flex family of propulsion systems. GM claims the Volt delivers triple-digit fuel economy and can travel up to 640 miles without a fuel fill-up or a battery recharge.

How the Volt works
By its own admission, GM is late to the party on hybrid vehicles. Yet the Volt still manages to turn conventional hybrid thinking on its ear. While current hybrids employ a battery-powered electric motor to supplement or complement a gasoline-powered engine, the Volt runs only on electric power until the battery runs down. Then and only then does the internal combustion engine kick in but not to propel the car but to feed the onboard generator that produces electricity while the car is operating. The electricity is then stored in the battery. Energy normally lost in braking also is recaptured and sent to the battery. The batteries can also be recharged by plugging into an electrical outlet.

The specs for triple-digit fuel economy
The Volt features a front-mounted electric motor that generates 120 kilowatts of power (160 horsepower) and 236 pound-feet of torque. Lithium-ion batteries are housed beneath the Volt's floor. Also onboard is a 53-kilowatt electric generator. The turbocharged, 1.0-liter three-cylinder gasoline engine also fits up front, while the 12-gallon fuel tank is in the rear.

The Volt will drive about 40 miles on pure electric power. Vehicle Line Director Tony Posawatz (whose name rhymes with "kilowatts"), says GM arbitrarily picked this distance because Department of Transportation studies show that half of U.S. households travel less than 30 miles per day, while 78 percent of commuters travel no more than 40 miles per day to work.

"Most Volt drivers would use little or no gasoline," Posawatz notes.

By the numbers
By GM's calculations, the Volt would save the typical driver 500 gallons of fuel a year, amounting to a net cost savings of $900 (assuming gas costs $2.40 a gallon). The addition to a home electric bill would be about $300.

In the bigger scheme of things, the Volt saves the environment some 4.4 metric tons of carbon dioxide that might otherwise be emitted into the air in a year, GM claims.

Flex for flexibility
The "flex" in the E-flex name stands for "flexibility." GM promises more concepts using the E-flex system will be unveiled at future auto shows. The automaker hints those could incorporate diesel generators, biodiesel and pure ethanol or E-100.

Further into the future, the E-flex system could accommodate hydrogen-powered fuel cells. GM confirmed it is working on a fuel-cell variant like that in the Sequel concept. Instead of a large battery and small engine like in the Volt, it would have a fuel-cell propulsion system with a small battery to capture energy from a regenerative braking system, and would need only half of the hydrogen storage of the original Sequel concept to achieve 300 miles of range.

5stringJeff
01-06-2008, 09:43 PM
I want one. Now.

manu1959
01-06-2008, 11:46 PM
i would buy one...TODAY.

Sitarro
01-07-2008, 12:12 AM
It is definitely the first vehicle that I have seen that has a propulsion system that doesn't give up much as far as performance but also has the ability(if it does what they say) to save in every aspect (fuel, pollution, money)and yet be simple to use. And it is really nice to look at unlike that ugly ass Prius. Now if they would just make a topless version you could put me on the list. Then again, that roof line is beautiful.

You could save even more by running an extension cord from your neighbor's house.:laugh2::laugh2::laugh2:

82Marine89
01-07-2008, 12:18 AM
I saw it at the San Diego car show and it was better looking in person than in pictures. The photos do it no justice.

I also liked these three cars...

Little-Acorn
01-07-2008, 12:38 AM
Flashy, good-looking car. Very 67-Camaro like.

Conspicuous by its absence, hough, is... THE PRICE TAG.

How much is it?

Considering that the Toyota Prius costs almost twice as much as the simpler gas-engined econocar such as the Echo, which gets excellent mileage on its own, this becomes a concern. How many years do you need to drive the Volt, to pay for the price difference?

Keep in mind, too, that the pollution it produces, comes mostly out of the smokestack of your city's power plant rather than the car's tailpipe. Is that somehow "better"?

These high-tech wonders always look good, until the bill arrives. And until you look out the window and notice that the smog is just as thick.

BTW, that engine is interesting. A 1.0 liter, 3-cyl turbocharged engine? They didn't happen to buy that from Suzuki, did they? Same engine used in the very-high-mileage Geo Metro, with a turbocharger added? That's a tough little engine. I had one (no turbo) in an experimental aircraft, and it was tough as nails, never missed a beat.

Sitarro
01-07-2008, 01:26 AM
Flashy, good-looking car. Very 67-Camaro like.

Conspicuous by its absence, hough, is... THE PRICE TAG.

How much is it?

Considering that the Toyota Prius costs almost twice as much as the simpler gas-engined econocar such as the Echo, which gets excellent mileage on its own, this becomes a concern. How many years do you need to drive the Volt, to pay for the price difference?

Keep in mind, too, that the pollution it produces, comes mostly out of the smokestack of your city's power plant rather than the car's tailpipe. Is that somehow "better"?

These high-tech wonders always look good, until the bill arrives. And until you look out the window and notice that the smog is just as thick.

BTW, that engine is interesting. A 1.0 liter, 3-cyl turbocharged engine? They didn't happen to buy that from Suzuki, did they? Same engine used in the very-high-mileage Geo Metro, with a turbocharger added? That's a tough little engine. I had one (no turbo) in an experimental aircraft, and it was tough as nails, never missed a beat.


What type of aircraft?