Chevy Volt's gas tank gets downsized, range drops 300 miles
by Sebastian Blanco on Jul 8th 2008 at 7:10PM 
At the big unveiling of the Chevy Volt, GM said the vehicle would be able to hold 12 gallons of liquid fuel and be able to go 640 miles on that energy and what was stored in the batteries. Well, that announcement was 18 months ago and things have changed since then. The latest that we've heard about is that the liquid fuel tank will be something smaller than the original estimate.Kicking Tires quotes "a source" that says that the exact size of the smaller tank is not yet set but that, "We're working on that." The new goal is to give the Volt a range of 360 miles without any help from the initial charge, so that would imply a tank of maybe eight or so gallons - still plenty for most drivers most days in a PHEV like this. While the aerodynamics of the Volt have proven to be much more important than weight when it comes to increasing the miles per gallon number, every bit counts. We're waiting on a reply from GM to see if the smaller fuel tank move is official.
UPDATE: GM's response was that they will share "the detailed technical information on the production vehicle at the appropriate time."
[Source: Kicking Tires]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
rj 8:10PM (7/08/2008)
makes sense - 300 miles should be good enough for anybody
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axiom 8:52PM (7/08/2008)
yeah. But imagine being able to travel 640 on one fill up. 4 extra gallons capacity isn't that huge a weight addition. It looks like they are starting to handicap the Volt so it won't be scare the blood=oil cartel too bad. One has to wonder what other handicaps they are adding.... maybe to the parts to make them more "degradable" and profitable for their parts division? They're only leaving room for another automaker to claim the top hybrid/electric spotlight for the next decade...and putting GM's future at stake in the process.
640miles one fill up would last some people well over a month, easily over a month for those that live and work in the city. Most people stay very close to home (within 20miles), so if they have a job close by, this could eliminate the pump for while for them.
Cell Phone Study: We Never Stray Far From Home
The study was performed on 100,000 subjects outside the United States, whose movement habits have been tracked though cell phone records provided by an undisclosed carrier. Most people were found to oscillate between very few locations, on a few miles radius from their home.
Furthermore, statistics have shown that three quarters of the subjects moved within a 20-mile radius for half a year. Almost 3 percent of the people went beyond a 200-mile radius, and less than 1 percent moved within a 621-mile radius.
http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Cell_Phone_Study_We_Never_Stray_Far_From_Home_18568.html
wave54 1:34AM (7/09/2008)
** Most people stay very close to home (within 20miles), so if they have a job close by, this could eliminate the pump for while for them. **
Didn't you just trash your own argument for a larger gas tank? If people tend to stay within 20 miles of home, then they won't be needing much gas at all. Remember the 40-mile all-electric range?
Helloooooo!
Edmund 11:01AM (9/18/2008)
I am confused though. The "range" with the gasoline engine charging the batteries is "more that 300 miles". Does this mean that, even using gas, after "more than 300 miles" I would still need to plug it in? It won't run indefinitely on gasoline?
HoosierRon 11:56PM (7/08/2008)
The Volt is not a PHEV. It is an electric vehicle with a range-extending generator. You guys certainly know better.
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Sebastian 12:18AM (7/09/2008)
potato - potahtoe, right? (yes, I know the difference, but still...)
Chris M 3:01AM (7/09/2008)
It plugs in, it is a series hybrid with both gas and electric power sources, so it is by definition a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle, or PHEV. That it can also be described as an EV with an added gasoline fueled range extender doesn't change that fact.
tchamp 12:35PM (7/09/2008)
The Volt is not a series hybrid. In a series hybrid, the source of the electric power to the motor could come directly from the the gas engine's generator.
Source:
http://www.hybridcenter.org/hybrid-center-how-hybrid-cars-work-under-the-hood-2.html
The Volt is a REEV: Range Extended Electric Vehicle. The gas engine charges the battery, and the battery powers the electric motor. There's a difference.
GoodCheer 11:23PM (7/09/2008)
Argh! I'm being sucked in to the same old debate again!!!
tchamp, did you actually read the citation you provided?
"Series Drivetrain
(...) In a series hybrid, the electric motor is is the only means of providing power to get your wheels turning. The motor receives electric power from either the battery pack or from a generator run by a gasoline engine."
I have no problem with Tesla calling their battery an "energy storage system", so long as they don't deny that it is a battery. If they called it a "Cow that emits electrons", then I would have a problem with it because a cow is something else.
You can't call the Volt an EV, because EVs don't have gas tanks. If it gets energy from two sources (gasoline and electricity) then its a hybrid.
Oh never mind...
P.S. Have you heard about the Extended Range Electric Locomotives that GE started building last year? They have a 4000hp diesel generator, a sodium battery, and pure electric final drive.
www.greencarcongress.com/2007/05/ge_introduces_h.html
Chris M 2:52AM (7/10/2008)
tchamp: The link you provided has a very good and accurate comparison of hybrid types. Thank you. Both the diagram and the description of the Series Hybrid matches the Volt design.
Somehow, you've got the bizzare notion that all the power for the electric drive motor must come only from the battery, and the generator cannot provide power directly to the drive motor but must only recharge the battery! Such a scheme would be less efficient, as there is a small energy loss in charging and discharging the battery. It would also require that the motor be disconnected from the battery whenever the generator was running, requiring the unfortunate driver to have to stop and wait for the battery to be recharged! Can you provide even one good reason why GM wouldn't send any electrical power from the generator directly to the drive motor? (cue crickets)
No, when the Volt is in "charge sustaining mode" the generator provides electrical power direct to the drive motor, and the battery is only recharged when there is a surplus of electrical power available.
When GM said "the internal combustion engine never drives the wheels directly" they were referring to the IC engine having no mechanical connection to the wheels. They didn't realize some would get confused about the electrical power connection to the motor that drives the wheels.
AlexNC 8:27PM (7/08/2008)
the trimming continues :(
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tankd0g 8:39PM (7/08/2008)
Make no mistake, it's not the size of the tank that smaller it's the range. They realized 50MPG in this thing is going to be impossible.
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BillySharps 9:23PM (7/08/2008)
Really? How do you know this? Where is your math?
pacer 10:06AM (7/09/2008)
It's funny. The only time I ever see a tankd0g post on this site or the main Autoblog site is in posts about the Volt. And surprise, surprise; they are all nothing but bashing GM and the Volt.
You have no credibility. You will say anything to try to make this vehicle look bad and it's obvious.
Mike!!ekiM 11:29PM (7/08/2008)
The funny thing is the EV1 doesn't need a gas tank. Zero Gas Tank weighs less then One gas tank of n capacity. The EV1 needs 1/2 the battery capacity, and should be substantially cheaper to equip with batteries. The EV1 would have a lower price point, meaning more people could AFFORD to buy one. More Sales are usually better for a business, at least when I went to school.
They sure could sell a lot of EV1's with $4.11 regular gas....
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Bill 11:35PM (7/09/2008)
Almost all EV1s used the 1310 lb lead-acid battery pack, which is just a smidgen heavier (and 3x the volume) of the 375 lb lithium packs currently being tested for the Volt (same capacity for both, roughly 18kWh)
So moving to the Volt saves you almost 1000 lb curb weight and gets you 4 seats (all 2-seaters sold in the U.S. are niche market vehicles)
Also, the lead-acid batteries used in the EV1 were not ones you can pick up at Costco or even your regional battery supplier ($$$)
Mark 12:38AM (7/09/2008)
Ugh, again with these "But..but what if someone has to go more then 300 miles?" arguments again.
These comments make me think they are coming straight out of Big Oil.
How many times DO YOU HONESTLY need to drive 300 miles?
Once a week? once a month?
The majority of drivers don't need 300 miles ALL THE TIME. They drive on average 40 miles a day.
If you 'oh so badly' need to drive more then 300 miles on a regular basis, obviously this car isn't for you. This car isn't for that purpose!.
For people who need to drive on long trips once a month, then RENT a car which can do so.
This "oh, I MIGHT need it." mindset is what is preventing electric cars from coming out in the first place!.
Very few people NEED to drive more then 300 miles in one shot.
We want an electric car so we don't have to continue to be giving half of our money to Big Oil. If you 'Oh, I might NEED the long range' guys want to continue being fucked by Big Oil, go ahead, keep giving them your paycheck. The rest of us want out.
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SomeDude 3:40AM (7/09/2008)
What if you just filled the tank back up if you needed to go over 300 miles. It's mpg outside the electric range is still very competitive.
andy 11:01PM (5/31/2009)
my work is 50 miles away, so I am doing 100 miles a day plus my errands that I do at home. so I would drive 40 miles on electric and 10 from gas generator, plug in at work for like 9-10 hours and hope for enough charge on the return trip before the gas generator is used. will save me on gas I hope, what do you all think of that plan.
Volt Unbeliever 10:11PM (7/09/2008)
Made from unobtainium.
Draw yourself your own picture of the Volt. That's as good as GM will deliver you. Blah Humbug
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