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Climate Assist Plug-In Hybrid Car from Chevrolet Should Help Climate
www.autobloggreen.com/2007/01/07/detroit-auto-show-its-here-gms-plug-in-hybrid-is-the-chevy-v/
Detroit Auto Show: It's here. GM's plug-in hybrid is the Chevy Volt Concept Posted Jan 7th 2007 12:
07AM by Sam Abuelsamid Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Detroit
Auto Show For several months now rumors have been rampant about an electric vehicle that General
Motors would unveil at the Detroit Auto Show. That vehicle is now real, in the form of the Chevrolet Volt.
The Volt is the first vehicle application of the GM's new E-Flex platform. Volt is a C-Class sized four door
sedan roughly the size of a Cobalt. In spite of the presence of an internal combustion engine, GM does
not call this vehicle a hybrid. In fact, they consider it an EV with range extending capability. The engine
is a turbocharged, 1.0L three cylinder engine with 71 hp that has no mechanical connection to the
wheels. The ICE runs at about 1800 rpm and drives a 53 kW generator that charges the lithium ion
battery pack. The engine starts and stops automatically as needed to charge the battery. All the
detailed information you've been waiting for on the Volt is after the jump. Click on the photo above of the
small images below to enter the high-resolution gallery with 27 pics.
The battery pack provides power to a 161 hp (120 kW) electric motor that's connected to the front
wheels to provide the motive force. It's the same motor that's used in the fuel cell Equinox. The LiIon
battery has a peak output of 136 kW and a total capacity of 16 kWh. The battery can be charged by
plugging it in to any standard 110 V outlet and is fully charged in about 6-6.5 hours. There are two
plugs, one on each side of the car, to facilitate home charging. The Volt has a range of about 40 miles
on the battery alone which might not seem like much. But, considering that most people drive fewer
miles than that per day, it should mean that a lot of drivers will never use a drop of gas on their daily
commute. However, when the fuel tank is filled to it's capacity of 12 US gallons of gas, the Volt has a
range of 640 miles. In addition, the Volt ICE is fully flex fuel capable and can run on any combination of
gasoline or ethanol up to E85. The power-train is sized to achieve 0-60 mph acceleration of about 8.5
seconds. The styling of the Volt is intended to give aesthetically pleasing proportions, with short
overhangs and a sporty look. With the small motor sitting low between the front wheels and ICE sitting
above and behind that, there is virtually nothing mechanical extending ahead the wheels. That leaves
just the front bumper and radiator sitting there and the body almost shrink wrapped around the cooling
system and wheels. The short overhang and front mid-engine layout give the impression of a classical
sporty long hood appearance even on a relatively short car. The roofline of the car is cut low, giving a
tiny slit of a windshield, but the innovative door glass treatment helps avoid the sitting in a bathtub
feeling of cars like the Chrysler Crossfire or Audi TT. The sides of the Volt have a definite shoulder,
flowing out from the base of the windows and the down the sides. The windows themselves are relatively
short, but the top part of the outer door skin including the shoulder is glass, allowing for and airy feel
and much better visibility. Whether this look is practical for production is debatable, but it sure looks
unique. The wheel wells bulge out over the tires which combined with the almost non-existent overhangs
gives a powerful, aggressive stance.
http://gm-volt.com/
As the race to mass produce electric cars heat up, GM competitor Nissan has teamed up with NEC to
form a lithium-ion battery company called Automotive Energy Supply Corp.
The company is producing lithium-ion batteries for automotive use which rely on Manganese-spinel for
the cathode, the same chemistry that LG Chem is using.
GM Exploring Supercap Li-Ion Combination for Next Generation Energy Storage for EREVs
16 May 2008
GM is exploring combining supercapacitors for power with high-energy lithium-ion batteries for a next-
generation energy storage system for the E-Flex EREVs. Click to enlarge.
General Motors is actively exploring the concept of combining supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries
in a next-generation energy storage system (ESS) for its E-Flex series of extended range electric
vehicles (EREVs).
Although the primary objective of the project is to explore using supercapacitors for peak shaving the
power capacity requirements of the lithium-ion battery pack, such a combination of ESS technologies
also has the benefit of addressing the low-temperature performance issues of lithium-ion batteries, said
Dr. Mark Verbrugge, Director, Material and Process Labs at GM’s Tech Center, during a presentation at
the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference (AABC) this week in Tampa, FL.
The concept is especially suited for the EREV vehicles—such as the Volt—because of the combined
requirement for high energy and high power. This is not for the coming Volt in 2010, Verbrugge
stressed, “but we’re thinking beyond.”
Some initial results of the supercap-Li-ion combo (in green) compared to two conventional Li-ion
chemistries. The upper grouping is plotted against the left vertical axis; the bottom three against the
right vertical axis. Click to enlarge.
To keep the system complexity down, they are eliminating the DC/DC converter. The initial system being
explored, partly as a way of developing and validating the method for subsequent work—consists of 6
100F Nesscap supercapacitors and two Kokum high-energy lithium-ion batteries.
Initial results show augmented power delivery for the ESS, at lower battery surface temperatures, with a
slight sacrifice in energy density. GM has not yet evaluated the effect of the lower battery temperature
on cycle life (higher battery temperatures degrade the performance of the cells)—a potential positive
trade-off against the decreased energy density.
We’re running the Volt power versus time profile through this combination with and without the
supercaps. We wanted to show it [the early work], perhaps it will be compelling to those who want to
provide ESS to the automotive industry.
—Mark Verbrugge
Next
www.autobloggreen.com/2007/01/07/detroit-auto-show-its-here-gms-plug-in-hybrid-is-the-chevy-v/
Detroit Auto Show: It's here. GM's plug-in hybrid is the Chevy Volt Concept Posted Jan 7th 2007 12:
07AM by Sam Abuelsamid Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Hybrid, Chevrolet, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Detroit
Auto Show For several months now rumors have been rampant about an electric vehicle that General
Motors would unveil at the Detroit Auto Show. That vehicle is now real, in the form of the Chevrolet Volt.
The Volt is the first vehicle application of the GM's new E-Flex platform. Volt is a C-Class sized four door
sedan roughly the size of a Cobalt. In spite of the presence of an internal combustion engine, GM does
not call this vehicle a hybrid. In fact, they consider it an EV with range extending capability. The engine
is a turbocharged, 1.0L three cylinder engine with 71 hp that has no mechanical connection to the
wheels. The ICE runs at about 1800 rpm and drives a 53 kW generator that charges the lithium ion
battery pack. The engine starts and stops automatically as needed to charge the battery. All the
detailed information you've been waiting for on the Volt is after the jump. Click on the photo above of the
small images below to enter the high-resolution gallery with 27 pics.
The battery pack provides power to a 161 hp (120 kW) electric motor that's connected to the front
wheels to provide the motive force. It's the same motor that's used in the fuel cell Equinox. The LiIon
battery has a peak output of 136 kW and a total capacity of 16 kWh. The battery can be charged by
plugging it in to any standard 110 V outlet and is fully charged in about 6-6.5 hours. There are two
plugs, one on each side of the car, to facilitate home charging. The Volt has a range of about 40 miles
on the battery alone which might not seem like much. But, considering that most people drive fewer
miles than that per day, it should mean that a lot of drivers will never use a drop of gas on their daily
commute. However, when the fuel tank is filled to it's capacity of 12 US gallons of gas, the Volt has a
range of 640 miles. In addition, the Volt ICE is fully flex fuel capable and can run on any combination of
gasoline or ethanol up to E85. The power-train is sized to achieve 0-60 mph acceleration of about 8.5
seconds. The styling of the Volt is intended to give aesthetically pleasing proportions, with short
overhangs and a sporty look. With the small motor sitting low between the front wheels and ICE sitting
above and behind that, there is virtually nothing mechanical extending ahead the wheels. That leaves
just the front bumper and radiator sitting there and the body almost shrink wrapped around the cooling
system and wheels. The short overhang and front mid-engine layout give the impression of a classical
sporty long hood appearance even on a relatively short car. The roofline of the car is cut low, giving a
tiny slit of a windshield, but the innovative door glass treatment helps avoid the sitting in a bathtub
feeling of cars like the Chrysler Crossfire or Audi TT. The sides of the Volt have a definite shoulder,
flowing out from the base of the windows and the down the sides. The windows themselves are relatively
short, but the top part of the outer door skin including the shoulder is glass, allowing for and airy feel
and much better visibility. Whether this look is practical for production is debatable, but it sure looks
unique. The wheel wells bulge out over the tires which combined with the almost non-existent overhangs
gives a powerful, aggressive stance.
http://gm-volt.com/
As the race to mass produce electric cars heat up, GM competitor Nissan has teamed up with NEC to
form a lithium-ion battery company called Automotive Energy Supply Corp.
The company is producing lithium-ion batteries for automotive use which rely on Manganese-spinel for
the cathode, the same chemistry that LG Chem is using.
GM Exploring Supercap Li-Ion Combination for Next Generation Energy Storage for EREVs
16 May 2008
GM is exploring combining supercapacitors for power with high-energy lithium-ion batteries for a next-
generation energy storage system for the E-Flex EREVs. Click to enlarge.
General Motors is actively exploring the concept of combining supercapacitors and lithium-ion batteries
in a next-generation energy storage system (ESS) for its E-Flex series of extended range electric
vehicles (EREVs).
Although the primary objective of the project is to explore using supercapacitors for peak shaving the
power capacity requirements of the lithium-ion battery pack, such a combination of ESS technologies
also has the benefit of addressing the low-temperature performance issues of lithium-ion batteries, said
Dr. Mark Verbrugge, Director, Material and Process Labs at GM’s Tech Center, during a presentation at
the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference (AABC) this week in Tampa, FL.
The concept is especially suited for the EREV vehicles—such as the Volt—because of the combined
requirement for high energy and high power. This is not for the coming Volt in 2010, Verbrugge
stressed, “but we’re thinking beyond.”
Some initial results of the supercap-Li-ion combo (in green) compared to two conventional Li-ion
chemistries. The upper grouping is plotted against the left vertical axis; the bottom three against the
right vertical axis. Click to enlarge.
To keep the system complexity down, they are eliminating the DC/DC converter. The initial system being
explored, partly as a way of developing and validating the method for subsequent work—consists of 6
100F Nesscap supercapacitors and two Kokum high-energy lithium-ion batteries.
Initial results show augmented power delivery for the ESS, at lower battery surface temperatures, with a
slight sacrifice in energy density. GM has not yet evaluated the effect of the lower battery temperature
on cycle life (higher battery temperatures degrade the performance of the cells)—a potential positive
trade-off against the decreased energy density.
We’re running the Volt power versus time profile through this combination with and without the
supercaps. We wanted to show it [the early work], perhaps it will be compelling to those who want to
provide ESS to the automotive industry.
—Mark Verbrugge
Next
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