Interesting new trans for 2016 Chevy Volt

[nicobie]

Looks like they made quite a few changes. 2 motors plus the ICE. It now has a 50 mile electric only range. They added a 5th seat. 0 to 30 mph times reported to be close to the Tesla.

Hope the new trans is reliable. Looks like a lot of parts to fail.

http://gmauthority.com/blog/2015/02/secrets-of-the-2016-chevrolet-volt-transmission-deep-dive/

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1096942_2016-chevrolet-volt-powertrain-how-it-works-in-electric-hybrid-modes

 

[doctorGONZO]

Hope the new trans is reliable. Looks like a lot of parts to fail.

Yeah. Them big factories only test that kind of stuff 1.98 times before they throw it on the factory floor.


GONZ

 

[Punx0r]

If testing and validation before introduction prevented failures, as you suggest, then an ICE car would never be subject to any warranty claim. This is clearly not true.

Complexity, high part count, innovative design all indicate inherent reliability problems compared to something like a direct-drive BLDC or induction motor.

 

[fechter]

The transmission looks very similar to a Toyota Prius.

 

[nicobie]

The transmission looks very similar to a Toyota Prius.

I didn't know that.

The one on the Volt uses a series of clutches to hook up the planetary gears in 6 different driving modes

 

[liveforphysics]

It's so needlessly complex to allow the electric motors to work around the limitations of the ICE engine sadly coupled in there to waste space and cost that could have gone towards a more useful pack.

 

[neptronix]

It's a cool car, but i'd never own one for the same reason i stopped driving a BMW.
In terms of looking into future repairs... no thanks!

I have a feeling that the BOLT will outsell it.. a 200 mile range for such a low cost is really tasty.

 

[Hillhater]

Many of the drivers that could benefit from using an EV , City dwellers, ironically are prevented from doing so due to practical charging solutions. I suspect the majority of city/suburban dwellers are living in units or apartments with no dedicated parking facility's and even those that do (basement parking) probably do not have a suitable power supply if any.
Random street parking is all too common in our cities with owners living in multi story unit blocks.
Hence , these Volt/Prius/Camry type hybrids are the best compromise for anyone wanting to reduce their dependence on oil and benefit from electric drive

 

[parabellum]

Many of the drivers that could benefit from using an EV , City dwellers, ironically are prevented from doing so due to practical charging solutions. I suspect the majority of city/suburban dwellers are living in units or apartments with no dedicated parking facility's and even those that do (basement parking) probably do not have a suitable power supply if any.
Random street parking is all too common in our cities with owners living in multi story unit blocks.
Hence , these Volt/Prius/Camry type hybrids are the best compromise for anyone wanting to reduce their dependence on oil and benefit from electric drive

So, installing parking meters is easy, charge stations difficult, righ?

 

[Hillhater]

Parking meters are already there.....charger power points are not.
I suspect installing 50-100 high current charge points in every street may pose a few issues ?

 

[Ykick]

Once there's a reliable mechanism to make money from street side charge points and perhaps parking meters, logistic issues will become opportunities.

 

[Dauntless]

I suspect the majority of city/suburban dwellers are living in units or apartments with no dedicated parking facility's and even those that do (basement parking) probably do not have a suitable power supply if any.

So the guy who comes to visit at a house near me lives in an apartment and says he rarely gets to charge his volt, but he's happy with it anyway. I wonder if those batteries are going to hold up.

And the parking meters don't need serious underground wiring to the curb as it would take to put a charger there.

 

[parabellum]

I suspect the majority of city/suburban dwellers are living in units or apartments with no dedicated parking facility's and even those that do (basement parking) probably do not have a suitable power supply if any.

So the guy who comes to visit at a house near me lives in an apartment and says he rarely gets to charge his volt, but he's happy with it anyway. I wonder if those batteries are going to hold up.

And the parking meters don't need serious underground wiring to the curb as it would take to put a charger there.

And now, calculate how much, in your country, is 3m trench 80cmx70cm deep lv trench, pvc tubing and 3x4awg+1x10awg wires and 2.1m2 asphalt over it. It is just for bulk per charge point calk. Transformer is usually electricity distributors concern, connection is also covered normally. Will try to not forget to calculate this for DR tomorrow, need my work computer to do that. No needed data on my tablet

 

[liveforphysics]

Often the of the conductor is an insignificant cost compared to the labor of laying the wiring.

If some mayor wanted to reduce the amount of cancerous and mutagenic effects and birth defects and respiratory and organ failure related deaths in there city, they could convert every other parking meter to an electrical outlet for free charging and free parking for EVs.

I would imagine the return on investment in reducing medical expenses would happen in under a year, not to mention the long term benefits of not lethally poisoning the folks who compose your city over time.

 

[parabellum]

My job is actually connected to monitoring and negotiating construction costs proposed by engineers, residential projects inclined, labor cost is low in DR if you want to dig 1 hole, but if it comes to global projects and scale US is leading by far, after China. Due to automatisation, labor cost should be lower than material cost on executors level at least.

 

[nicobie]

It's so needlessly complex to allow the electric motors to work around the limitations of the ICE engine sadly coupled in there to waste space and cost that could have gone towards a more useful pack.

That is very true. I wonder how much more battery you could get after subtracting what the ICE and transmission cost?

But it really wouldn't matter because you'd still be putting the cart before the horse. I regularly take trips of more than 1K miles, so until there are as many quick charging stations as gas stations, I'm still stuck with at least one ICE in my garage. I'm thinking that it will be at least 5 more years before that happens. Hotels would have to have at least 120V available too.

However I think maybe I'll buy a Bolt (~200 mi. range) for my wife and we can use it for our local trips. I'll have to wait until I see the prices. I'll also have to figure in the cost of a few more solar panels too.

Times are changing...

 

[wineboyrider]

The Bolt is going to have 238 miles of EV range?

 

[Warren]

A group of auto journalists got to drive them recently, on a 240 mile trip up the California coast. The worst just made the 240 mile trip. Everybody else had miles to spare on the guess-o-meter.

 

[Hillhater]

Gm have now openly stated thay will not be producing a RH drive option for this version of the Bolt/Ampera for markets such as UK, Australia, Japan,S Africa, etc.
That suggests one of several possibilities..
They dont want to sell too many ?
They cannot make enough to satisfy all markets ?
They have a new version in the pipeline for those markets ?
They just dont give a shit about those markets !

So , nothing changes in their proven busness strategy

 

[bigmoose]

Gm have now openly stated thay will not be producing a RH drive option for this version of the Bolt/Ampera for markets such as UK, Australia, Japan,S Africa, etc.
That suggests one of several possibilities.....

Perhaps that are trying to get us all to drive on the right?

 

[Hillhater]

Gm have now openly stated thay will not be producing a RH drive option for this version of the Bolt/Ampera for markets such as UK, Australia, Japan,S Africa, etc.
That suggests one of several possibilities.....

Perhaps that are trying to get us all to drive on the right?

that might well be a good suggestion, but sadly it no longer a practical option for any developed country with significant modern road infrastructure.Too many freeway intersections, junctions etc that are custom built to suit LH lane use.
...but even if we did change, i would be willing to bet GM still would not offer the Bolt to Australia, fo rht same reasons they dont let us have the Volt !.....there is no local legislation to force them to !

 

[Warren]

I think GM has a pretty realistic view of EV uptake. In a few years it will be obvious that most drivers don't give a rat's ass about electrics. Tech geeks, and tree huggers, like me, hate ICE, and have wanted to see it die for decades. We are a tiny percent way down on one end of the curve. It will take scientific data, pounded out on the news month after month, for years, to get governments to act...probably much too late to matter.

I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that cars are not phones, and the idea that vast numbers are going to want them in 5-10 years is a fantasy.

 

[wineboyrider]

I think GM has a pretty realistic view of EV uptake. In a few years it will be obvious that most drivers don't give a rat's ass about electrics. Tech geeks, and tree huggers, like me, hate ICE, and have wanted to see it die for decades. We are a tiny percent way down on one end of the curve. It will take scientific data, pounded out on the news month after month, for years, to get governments to act...probably much too late to matter.

I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest that cars are not phones, and the idea that vast numbers are going to want them in 5-10 years is a fantasy.

I think people will eventually adopt them, because they will be far superior to ice cars. Just look at how lithium garden tools are far more easy to use and operate than ice lawn equipment? I think anyone who buys a 2 stroke weed whacker is an idiot if they have ever tried the higher end lithium weed whackers like greenworks? Once electric cars get 300-400 miles of range the days mass adoption will happen very quickly.

 

[spinningmagnets]

My son drives 16 miles round trip to work each day, drives a GM Volt. Plugs it in every night, it's full every morning. They also gave an ICE mini-van.

I tried the 18V cordless weed-wacker, because I was happy with my 18V cordless drill...was very disappointing. Never bothered when they went to 24V, 28V, 36V, etc...based on data here at ES, I tried the 56V (14S lithium)...for weed-wacking? I won't be going back to ICE, works great.

As far as the transmission on the Bolt, "when you are trained to use a hammer, everything looks like a nail". modern transmissions are fairly reliable, but...they are frequently the part that wears out at 200K miles. Perhaps that's the time around when the battery will crap out too?

If designed properly, the electric part (motor and controller) should last over a million miles.