Canadian Driver: First Drive: 2011 Chevrolet Volt

I am very curious to see how the Volt will perform in a winter, this is a great read....
Review and photos by Grant Yoxon

Detroit, Michigan – While driving silently through Detroit on a cold day in January, I am reminded of a comic book quote from my childhood, “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Superman!”
In this case, the Chevrolet Volt is neither a bird nor a plane. It is not a hybrid, although it does have both an electric drive unit and a gasoline engine. But it is not a battery electric vehicle either because it does have that gasoline engine on board.

The Chevrolet Volt is an electric vehicle with extended range, meaning it is propelled by an all-electric drive unit, but with the assistance of a gasoline engine that generates electricity for the electric drive system, can be driven without a recharge or fill up for up to 610 kilometres. Amongst electric vehicles, it truly is Superman.

The Chevrolet Volt is powered by GM’s unique Voltec propulsion system which, in simple terms (for a more detailed explanation, see the accompanying feature, “Deeper into the technology: the Voltec electric drive system”) consists of a 16-kWh lithium-ion battery pack and 149-hp electric drive unit that propels the car exclusively on electricity for up to 80 kilometres, depending on terrain, driving style and climate. When the car’s battery reaches a minimum charge, a 1.4-litre gasoline engine starts up to maintain the minimum charge of the battery enabling the Volt to continue on its way for an additional 530 kilometres, give or take.

On this blustery winter day, we drove approximately 40 kilometres before the driving mode graphic in the driver’s display indicated we had switched from pure electric to extended driving range mode. Not until we came to a stop light, however, did we hear the engine.

Once tuned into the sound of the engine, you realize that it seems to operate with a life of its own. Unlike a gasoline powered car or a hybrid, the rise and fall of the engine speed is not related to the action of your right foot. RPMs increase or decrease according to the needs of the battery pack. It is an unusual feeling to be sitting at the same stop light and hear the engine accelerate while the car is sitting still!

While driving exclusively in electric mode, the driver’s display indicates that we are achieving 250+ miles per gallon (the display can be easily switched to metric) or infinity in other words, but once the car switches to extended driving mode, the fuel consumption figure begins to drop. Over a full 610 kilometre drive, it is expected that the Volt will achieve, according to the US EPA, 37 mpg (6.3 L/100 km) in extended range mode and 60 mpg (3.9 L/100 km) in combined electric and extended range modes. However, if used locally and charged regularly, the Volt will use little to no fuel at all.

The Volt can be charged using either a household 120-volt plug in or a dedicated 240-volt charging station. The Volt comes equipped for the former with a 20-foot charging cord stowed in the back. Charging time takes 10-12 hours on 120V, but only four hours on 240V. Owners can schedule immediate charging or coordinate the charging for their departure time or to take advantage of lower-cost off-peak electric rates. If the vehicle is plugged in, recharging can be controlled remotely using an OnStar mobile app for iPhones and Android smart phones or by accessing an application at MyVolt.com.

While the Volt may not be range limited, our time in the Volt was, with about an hour and a half inside the car, so naturally our driving impressions are somewhat limited. Our drive took us on Detroit’s freeways and suburban streets on our way to GM’s Hamtramck Assembly Plant where the Volt is built along side the Cadillac STS and the Buick Lucerne (although it shares nothing in common with these two).

The Volt has three drive modes – ‘normal’, ‘sport’ and ‘mountain’. The latter, which limits electric range and maximum drive output – the Volt has a maximum speed of about 160 km/h – ensures the Volt has the power to drive up sustained grades. ‘Sport’ mode reconfigures the accelerator settings to provide quicker accelerator response, with zero to 60 mph (96.5 km/h) estimated to be less than nine seconds. Although maximum output is unaffected, the Volt feels more powerful and accelerates quicker. Call this the ‘fun’ mode.

The transmission has a ‘low’ setting, which is not low in the conventional sense of selecting a lower gear for descending steep grades. It is no different than the normal ‘drive’ setting with one exception – regenerative braking, where electrical power is captured and stored in the battery, is dramatically increased. The car decelerates rapidly when the accelerator is released. When combined with ‘sport’ mode, it is the perfect combination for stop-and-go driving.

On the freeways and streets we drove on, the Volt performed no differently, although much more quietly, than any other mid-sized sedan. Power is excellent, although, the more rapidly you accelerate, the more quickly the battery will deplete. Driving style is one factor that affects electric range. (kinda figured that)

The driver is presented with a full range of information and functionality displayed on two seven-inch screens, one behind the steering wheel, the other mounted on the centre stack. A full-colour, high resolution display replaces the speedometer and other gauges found in conventional vehicles and provides information on the battery state of charge and electric range, speedometer, fuel level and extended mode range, driving efficiency, trip information, tire pressure, oil life, and vehicle system messages. The second screen is the primary interface for infotainment, climate controls and efficiency. This latter function is multi-faceted including information on energy usage and energy efficiency, power flow and charging routines. Through this screen the owner can select a charging mode – immediate, delayed departure time and delayed rate and departure time mode, in which the Volt calculates the charging start time based on utility rates, rate preference and the programmed departure time. In this mode, the Volt will charge during the least expensive rate periods.

Surrounding the centre stack screen is a variety of touch-sensitive redundant controls for infotainment and climate, selecting drive modes, programmable charge modes, power door lock and unlock and the electric parking brake actuation and release.

The Volt’s advanced technology is not simply under the hood, but evident throughout the vehicle. Touch-sensitive controls, full-colour graphic displays, Bluetooth connectivity, navigation radio with 60-GB hard drive (30 GB for music storage), AM/FM/DVD-ROM/MP3 playback capability, voice recognition, XM satellite radio with XM NavTraffic/Weather, premium energy saving Bose sound system with six speakers and sub-woofer is the kind of technology one would expect in a premium, near luxury sedan.

The Volt is equipped with standard Jet Black premium cloth seats with Ceramic White accents, but can be ordered with leather seating and heated front seats. Only two option packages are available – a rear camera and park assist package and a premium trim package consisting of leather seating, premium door trim, leather-wrapped steering wheel and heated front seats.

In the US, the Volt starts at $41,695, not unexpected for a premium sedan. The rear camera option is priced at $695 while the premium trim package can be added for $1,395. While the Volt is available now in select U.S. markets, it will not be released in Canada until mid-summer 2011. Canadian pricing will be announced closer to its release, but expect a base MSRP in the mid-forties.

Some may balk at that kind of pricing, but the Volt is not a compact battery electric commuter or just a well-equipped hybrid. It is an extended range electric vehicle that is also a premium sedan, one that you will use 365 days of the year, a vehicle that you will drive to work or to a city 400 miles away, that is equipped with luxury appointments and the latest information and entertainment technology as well as the only range extending electric powertrain available on the planet.

If the battery electric vehicle is the bird and the hybrid is the plane, the Volt really is Superman.

Source;
http://www.canadiandriver.com/2011/01/17/first-drive-2011-chevrolet-volt.htm?page=all

Car and Driver: 2011 Chevrolet Volt Full Test - Road Test

I gotta say, this new Volt is a great looking car, I really hope it takes off....
BY DAVE VANDERWERP, PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROY RITCHIE
October 2010

Mass-produced electric cars are finally here. And, this time around, it appears they’re here to stay.

It’s irrelevant that, depending on how their electricity is produced, electric vehicles don’t come very close to living up to the zero-emission label they often receive. Also irrelevant is the point that battery packs with enough capacity to power a vehicle for any significant range are prohibitively expensive today. That’s because the trump card already has been played: It’s called government intervention. The Obama administration has started to unleash part of a planned $69 billion to thousands of clean-energy companies—through tax credits, loans, and grants—as well as to consumers, with a $7500 federal tax break for buying a car that has at least 16 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy stored in a battery pack. Do you think it’s a coincidence that the Chevrolet Volt’s lithium-ion pack contains exactly that amount?

But beyond the commonality of large battery packs, the Volt sets itself apart from the Nissan Leaf and the forthcoming EV crowd: It also has a gas engine that can step in to extend the Volt’s range when the battery’s energy is depleted.

This is why GM calls the Volt an “extended-range electric vehicle,” and the dual-power-source arrangement makes a lot of sense at a time when there’s precious little charging infrastructure.

Currently, 48 of 50 states have fewer than 10 charging stations, and even California’s relative abundance of 422 pales in comparison to its roughly 10,400 gas stations. In other words, it’s going to be some time before charging while at work or out on the town becomes the norm; for now, EVs’ batteries will be replenished largely at home. And with maximum ranges in the 100-mile neighborhood, good luck with any long- or even moderate-distance travel. And forget about having a pure electric as your only vehicle.

What if your family in California needs you to visit? While a pure EV—needing long recharging sessions every 70 miles or so—will transport you back to the era of the monthlong road trip, the Volt could easily drive across the country on gas when there’s no time or electricity available for recharging. Closer to home, if this writer had been driving a Leaf instead of a Volt, I would have had to deal a blow of rejection to a five-year-old nephew  whose birthday party was 60 miles distant, due to the lack of a place to charge while there. Do you think he would have understood?

And although the Volt has both a gas engine and two electric motors—one primarily to power the wheels and a second to generate electricity from the gas engine—it is unlike any gas-electric hybrid on the road today: If charged sufficiently, it can operate continuously, at any speed, as an EV, without ever needing to switch on the gas engine. Of course, this raises a whole new set of questions, ranging from: “Won’t the fuel go bad at some point?” and “Isn’t it beneficial for longevity’s sake to start the engine once in a while?” to “Hey, boss, when can we start expensing our home electricity bills?”

This is but a glimpse into the Volt’s complexity and why, after six weeks of electric-only operation, the Volt will start to ask the driver via the instrument panel if it’s okay to switch on the gas engine for a bit to keep it fresh. And the Volt makes sure to burn through a tank of fuel each year to ensure it never gets stale. Plus, in order to extend the life of the very expensive battery—sources say it costs as much as $10,000; GM won’t comment—it uses only about 9 of its 16 kWh for propulsion and requires its own coolant circuit in order to heat or cool the 288 cells to keep them in the optimal temperature range (32° to 90°F). There’s yet another circuit to cool the electric motors. Things get even more complex in the powertrain, more so than we were initially led to believe [see download].

Behind the wheel, however, it all operates seamlessly. Hit the glowing blue start button, and the seven-inch LCD-screen instrument panel, like the one used for the standard navigation, comes to life. It presents an estimated electric-only range, a gas range, and a total of the two. To the right is a graphic that provides driving feedback; the Volt is operating most efficiently when the spinning, green ball of leaves stays in the middle. Hit the gas too hard, and the ball elevates, shrinks, and turns yellow. Go for too much brake, and the ball does the opposite, slinging downward because energy that could have otherwise been recaptured regeneratively is being wasted. It’s a very straightforward and easy-to-follow setup. The center screen above the array of touch-sensitive controls on the dash keeps track of electrically and gas-driven miles separately, displays fuel economy (more on that later), and rates the efficiency of your driving.

Whether or not the gas engine is running, the Volt always has an EV-like demeanor. Which is to say there’s almost no waiting—and no downshifting—as it responds swiftly to throttle inputs. Acceleration is one continuous ooze of thrust—sort-of CVT-like, only without the engine drone. In fact, although the Volt isn’t slow compared with its peers—its 9.2-second 0-to-60-mph time beats both the Leaf and the Toyota Prius by 0.8 second—it feels quicker than the numbers suggest because, off the line, no matter what the driver does, the electric motor’s 273 pound-feet of torque rolls out modestly and averts wheelspin. The immediacy you feel shows up better in the 3.7-second 30-to-50-mph time, which is just a couple of ticks slower than a V-6 Mazda 6.

There’s not much noise, either. In EV mode, the cabin is as quiet as a Lexus RX350’s at 70 mph, and even with the engine running, it matches the Prius at 72 dBA. The point at which the engine fires is barely discernible—the reconfiguring of the digital dash when it transitions is far more obvious. When the driver hammers the Volt in range-extending mode, the engine revs more assertively but is never harsh or intrusive.

Beyond its impressive powertrain, the Volt drives surprisingly well, with a reassuringly steady suspension. The electric power steering is light but direct on-center, adding weight in proportion to angle. It’s neither totally natural nor terribly off-putting. Ditto the regenerative brakes, which work well at moderate levels, though they’ll never match the feel of a good ol’ vacuum booster. At low speeds and during near-limit applications, the brakes can feel disconnected and very nonlinear.

Naturally, the Volt sports various mileage-extending features, including the anticipated wind-swept shape and a front apron to help aerodynamic efficiency. That said, its coefficient of drag is 0.29, worse than the far-more slippery Prius’s 0.25. The forged aluminum wheels wear low-rolling-resistance Goodyear Fuel Max tires, which squeal loudly as they approach the limit but are surprisingly capable, delivering a solid 0.83 g on the skidpad—same as the frisky Honda Accord. The stability control can’t be disabled, but it operates deftly so as not to intrude on smooth excursions to the limit, where the Volt is actually reasonably balanced.

Another interesting tidbit is an automatic seat-heater function. Warming the car’s cabin can be a significant energy draw—at times even more than powering the wheels—so the Volt will sometimes heat the seats instead of cranking the HVAC system to save power. And the Volt is the first vehicle to feature Bose’s new Energy Efficient Series sound system. The seven-speaker stereo uses amplifiers that rapidly switch on and off to conserve power rather than always-on linear amplifiers, and—combined with higher-grade neodymium magnets—the Bose system is both lighter and uses 50 percent less energy than before. But, most important, its clean and punchy sound quality is competitive even with that of cars costing far more.

For the rest of the article, see the link below, with a lot of extra photo's too!;

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/10q4/2011_chevrolet_volt_full_test-road_test