Comments on: 2011 Chevrolet Volt First Impressions Review – Yes, it drives like a real car

By: Derek

Derek — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 22:30:58 +0000

@Donald – let us know your thoughts AFTER you have researched the engineering that went into the Volt and have driven it more than 5 minutes. Quite possibly your opinion will change.

By: Donald Espeut

Donald Espeut — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:24:12 +0000

Quite simply, if the volt is designed and built by GM it is bound to suck suck just like their Diesel cay of the seventies. The have yet to build a car. Obama should have let them die!!

By: Derek

Derek — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:30:23 +0000

CarReview had the Volt for a few days of testing. Read about how some of the adjustments we made living with an EV and how it compared to a Toyota Prius that we use a family vehicle.

http://reviews.carreview.com/blog/2011-chevrolet-volt-review-our-weekend-with-chevys-new-evhybrid-and-a-prius/

By: Derek

Derek — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 03:23:32 +0000

I learned that lots of work was put into making the batteries safe, reliable, and worthy of many, many, many recharge cycles. GM over-engineered the Volt and their battery system is more robust than the Nissan Leaf’s. Example: heating AND cooling the battery pack is handled better than anything on the market today to ensure that the Volt will work in extreme environmental conditions since a battery’s performance drops rapidly when subjected to temps outside its normal operating range.

By: Derek

Derek — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 03:17:28 +0000

If you cannot connect to a SMART charging station, recharging the battery using a 110V source takes approximately 8 – 10 hours.

Apartment dwellers, users that have detached parking, and workers where a plug-in isn’t available at their place of employment have to wait until the infrastructure to support electric vehicles is built up.

GM may be losing some money up front being on the leading edge of the EV market, but the hard fact is that we need to reduce our dependency on fossil fuels because there is a limited supply and growing China is going to consume a lot more. Plus, we really need to reduce the amount of CO2 being pumped into the atmosphere and stop destroying the environment in which we live. This is a huge investment by the carmakers who have put a lot of research and production dollars towards EVs and they know it is a risky business in the beginning. The carmakers aren’t the only ones involved with EVs. There is a huge movement on several fronts (political, energy providers, recyclers) that are working towards making this a success because hybrid cars have been on the market for 10 years now and they only make up less than 2% of the total cars on the road today – hence FAIL!

By: francois

francois — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 03:08:21 +0000

40 miles on a full charge? That’s it? How long to fully charge it back up?

Also, I heard you need to spend $2000 for a charging station at the house? What if you live in an apartment or other detached parking?

It’s $41k and GM loses money on each car sold? What is the point?

Shouldn’t we be focusing on a hybrid-diesel car?

By: francois

francois — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 03:03:07 +0000

Lithium Polymer and Lithium Ion batteries are wayyy more powerful than Nimh or Nicad batteries (per weight or volume). But they are finicky and dangerous. In an all-electric car, they are the only way to go. But in a hybrid, I guess there are choices. The big downside to the older safer batteries is they’re way heavier and take away a lot more storage/luggage room.

info:
http://www.mpoweruk.com/chemistries.htm

By: Derek

Derek — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:46:31 +0000

A prime example of a hybrid using leading edge battery technology is the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid which uses a Lithium-Polymer battery. Learn more about the Sonata Hybrid watching the behind-the-wheel review video by Driving Sports TV.

http://reviews.carreview.com/blog/2011-hyundai-sonata-hybrid-video-review-by-driving-sports-tv/

By: Derek

Derek — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 06:43:10 +0000

The nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery packs used in all Prius models are expected to last the life of the car with very little to no degradation in power capability.

The hybrid system does not allow the battery to fully charge or discharge,and that helps maximize the life of the battery pack. I haven’t heard of any issues with “memory” problems, nor has Toyota replaced any battery packs due to a malfunction or wearing out.

By: Twain

Twain — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 05:17:10 +0000

Awesome review, Derek. It is interesting/cool that it uses lithium-ion batteries. I believe the Prius uses Nicad which have “memory” problems, correct?