Earlier this week, GM revealed the full details on the drivetrain of the Chrevrolet Volt. This highly-anticipated vehicle has simultaneously been subjected to one of the most transparent and secretive development programs in recent memory. While automotive journalists and the mainstream press were brought out to R&D labs, prototype test-drives, and carefully scripted and handled interviews with engineers and PR reps, key details of the vehicle's systems and drivetrains were kept nebulously vague. All the while, GM was making such grand pronouncements as 230 miles-per-gallon, and repeatedly stressing that it is a pure "electric vehicle" despite the obvious presence of the on-board gasoline-powered range-extender.
For a long time, GM claimed, either implicitly or explicitly, there was no direct mechanical connection between the range-extender and the drive wheels. The engine was there strictly to keep the battery charge levels topped up. Now comes news that at around 70 miles per hour and above, there can be a direct mechanical connection between the engine and drive wheels.
This has gotten certain auto-journos all up-in-arms claiming this makes the Volt in fact no different than regular parallel hybrids that have been around for more than a decade. Although such contrived indignance makes for great Twitter traffic generation and chain-blog headlines, the fact of the matter is, it doesn't fundamentally change the overall principle of the Volt's powertrain.Read the rest of this article here.
No comments:
Post a Comment