So for those that didn't see it (I would imagine anyone who visits this site would have, though,) Chevy just announced that the Volt is not a "Battery Electric Vehicle" with an onboard gasoline range extender.
It is rather a very Plug-In-Prius-like Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle with EV mode.
When Chevy first announced the Volt, the idea was that the power train was 100% electric, with a small gasoline engine onboard solely to recharge the battery when the power runs out. (AKA a "range extended" electric vehicle.) Well, today they announced that this is not the case. That they hid the actual power train while they filed patents. Now that the patents are filed, they can reveal that it is....
A Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle. A vehicle where the batteries will power the vehicle for the first 25-50 miles (at up to 70 MPH,) but beyond that, the gasoline engine will both provide direct motive force as well as electric power generation to run the electric motor. It will accomplish this using a planetary gear set.
In other words, it has a transmission remarkably similar to the Prius; only able to go 70 MPH on electric-only. (I haven't seen, what will the PHEV Prius do on EV-only?) Basically, it's now an overpriced plug-in Prius. While that's not a bad thing, it does stink of bait-and-switch. The Volt also seems to be getting less distinctive looking, and more "blah" with each revision.
Volt story for reference.
It is rather a very Plug-In-Prius-like Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle with EV mode.
When Chevy first announced the Volt, the idea was that the power train was 100% electric, with a small gasoline engine onboard solely to recharge the battery when the power runs out. (AKA a "range extended" electric vehicle.) Well, today they announced that this is not the case. That they hid the actual power train while they filed patents. Now that the patents are filed, they can reveal that it is....
A Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle. A vehicle where the batteries will power the vehicle for the first 25-50 miles (at up to 70 MPH,) but beyond that, the gasoline engine will both provide direct motive force as well as electric power generation to run the electric motor. It will accomplish this using a planetary gear set.
In other words, it has a transmission remarkably similar to the Prius; only able to go 70 MPH on electric-only. (I haven't seen, what will the PHEV Prius do on EV-only?) Basically, it's now an overpriced plug-in Prius. While that's not a bad thing, it does stink of bait-and-switch. The Volt also seems to be getting less distinctive looking, and more "blah" with each revision.
Volt story for reference.