I Don't know if these have been posted before. Here are photos of the new Chevy Volt. I'd love a test drive.

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Chevro...r944058166.jpg

 

Finally! An electric/hybrid/crossover/alternative fuel--whatever--car that doesn't look like crap. Now they just have to make it.

 

Nope, Tesla has already done a great looking, great performing electric car. OK, so it isn't real practical being based on the Lotus Elise chassis and all, but they've proven that electric vehicles can still be highly appealing to the true enthusiast.

 

I stand corrected. That is a great looking car. Of course, the 65k price range is kinda sticky. But it does look awfully sweet.

http://www.teslamotors.com/

 

Neat car - I like the rims - would look nice on a Crossfire

 

I'd love a Tesla.....just not at the going price of $109K w/ a 60K 'lock-in price & delivery time' deposit .
I like the looks of the Volt! Now, if they can just get all the production issues squared away maybe they'll have a seller here. I see they've been promo'ing the heck out of it during the Olympics. Time will tell; like all other concepts.
Right now they're talking about a 40 mile per charge limit with a 160hp electric engine combined with a turbocharged 3 cyl. gas "booster" engine mostly meant to charge the car while driving. That's a lotta weight (both engines) not to mention a gas tank & a whole crapful of batteries. It'll need a 160 horse just to move!!

 

its probably going to run like a slug

 

I don't get it.... it's a stupid design from an engineering point of view.

don't get me wrong it looks cool but the drivetrain is so GM retarded. ooh wow, I get a whole 20 miles on a charge, oooh wow! big effing deal... Just put 2 gallons less fuel in your crossfire when you fill up and you'll be at the same level of MPG.

GM's hybrids suck, only the EV1 had it's shiit together. GM just doesn't want to build electric cars it's that simple. we have the technology right now to where we can get 200 MPC "miles per Charge" yet GM knows that as soon as everyone drive electric all profits in parts, laybor, warrantees, and misc expsenses to the buyer will all be lost! it's the revolution and it scares them!

 

build your own

http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/08...ersion-coming/

 

Actually the site quotes $109K for the 2009 roadster.
Pretty funny... they state $.02 per mile - guess you dont count the cost of the car.

 

lets see ....buy another SRT and that only leaves about $90,000 for gas.

 

They had a story last week from the chief engineer of the Volt. He said that there were a few problems yet to be resolved: the weight of the batteries, their location, how to get power from these batteries to the drive train, and so on. What the hell is he thinking? With a car like this due out in a few years, these problems should have been solved long before now. It's so amazing how far behind US car companies are in this battle. Film at 11

 

From an engineering standpoint, he's being honest.

The batteries remain the single most inefficient part of electric and hybrid car design. No car company, US, Japanese, or European has solved battery issues. The fundamental physics require much more R&D and specialized knowledge than any automaker can achieve.

That's why even the Tesla is using 6,800 18650 Li-Ion battery cells inside its battery pack. That's like shucking your car with 6,800 AA batteries to make it go. They don't have any better way to store the energy.

One day we will all be converting household garbage to energy, but today, the battery and energy storage issues in the car afflict all carmakers.

 

I believe will be the plug in hybrid, extended range electric car will be the answer to the car of the future. The EREV will use batteries as an electric car, but has unlimited range because of the gas engine, which will power a generator for the electric motor. You will get about 50 MPG when the gas engine is running, but will cost about $1 a night to charge it for your first 40 miles on electricity.

Many people are critical of the Chevy Volt’s 40 mile range on batteries, but I’m actually waiting for the cheaper, 20 mile range Volt. Here is my logic:

I like the idea of having options for the battery pack range for the Volt, especially if you can add a battery pack module to the 20 mile battery pack, if your needs change. The 20 mile pack is the best option for me. Look at the math for a Volt driven 10,000 miles per year:

24 miles R/T to work

For work
Daily, 20 miles in electric, and last 4 miles in hybrid.
Annually, 5,000 miles electric and 1,000 hybrid @ 50 mpg

Annual gas to work, 1,000/50= 20 gal/yr. At $4/gal that’s only $80 per year to get to work.

Work will be 6,000 miles and I assume 4,000 miles on the week ends/vacation or about 52 x 2, or 104 days per year. The first 20 miles will be electric so, 102x 20 =2,040 miles electric and 1,960 on gas @ 50 mpg.

1,960/50= 40 gal/yr or about $160 per year for weekend gas.

Total annual gas cost for 60 gallons would be $240 for this case with the 20 mile Volt.
(Our existing car needs about 600 gallons per year.)

The 40 mile Volt could go the year in all electric mode in this example. (This would be cool!)

Lets, assume the battery packs cost $5,000 per 20 miles of range.

Is it worth it to add $5,000 more for the 40 mile range Volt, to save $240 per year? Not for me.

I think I would pick the 20 mile electric range Volt, because I’ve reduced my gas needs by 90% and I may be able to add a better, cheaper battery in the future.

The Crossfire will still be my fun car.

 

That's a great way to look at it.

As long as I have a gas engine as a backup just in case I have to go further than my standard 20 mile/day commute, then I'll be happy with a 20 mile-only electric range.

 

Take the amount of fuel you use on a monthly basis and figure that into the monthly car payment and they begin to look real good. I don't understand why nicad batteries won't work? Is their ability to hold a large enough charge the problem? Everything has recharageable batteries, where is the catch? Educate me!

 

Lithium-ion batteries are superior to Ni-Cads... no memory effect, better capacity by volume and/or weight, etc.

 

Now there is a business we need to build, a battery factory. I bet the EPA has a ball with them.