What is 230? GM knows, but isn't saying...
The graphic above has been appearing all over the place -- television, billboards, elevators, baseball games, even people's shirts. It has a blog, Flickr and Facebook pages, and a YouTube channel. What it doesn't have is an explanation. Ad Age lined up the perps behind the online assets and discovered they all have a GM connection, and GM has a news conference scheduled for August 11.
The question is what that news conference will be about and how will the number 230 factor into it? Guesses so far range from the Buick PHEV announced last week (doubtful) to the Chevy Volt's mpg number (uhh, no) to, oddly enough, the Aptera. Feel free to add your own guess to the mix in the comments below... or to wait until Tuesday for the 230 wizard to speak.
[Source: Ad Age]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Kalle Andersson 8:19AM (8/09/2009)
Great, it's about time US make the switch to premium voltage.
The 120 V is a bit low for the world richest country... =)
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Dan 1:20PM (8/09/2009)
We already have 220/240v available its only installed when/where necessary.
ie: electric dryer, electric oven, AC's, workshop tools, etc...
Obviously most products dont require 220/230/240 volts to operate.
Maybe they are just announcing that a 220/230/240 volt charging option will be available.
They have primarily talked about using 120v using 6-8 hrs charge (perfect for overnight charging).
Obviously, quick charging via 220/230/240v at public charge points most likely.
dg 9:57PM (8/09/2009)
Maybe 230 is the number of seconds GM's new quickcharge will take to charge the Volt.
...wishful thinking.
soupy35482003 6:26PM (8/11/2009)
230 is mpg in city
David Martin 8:54AM (8/09/2009)
Why do people think it is 230, and not 23 with a picture of a plug?
So something happens about plug-ins at 23:00 hours on 08.11
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Nano2e 8:57AM (8/11/2009)
Maybe it's because the website name is whatis230...
scanner 9:24AM (8/09/2009)
2:30?
4:20 minus 1 hour 50 minutes
GM is going into a new, more profitable business
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Brent 3:51PM (8/09/2009)
Agreed, I think this would be their best move yet.
ivor.pdx 8:29PM (8/09/2009)
$230/mo lease or long term financing? Only $230 estimated for gas for a whole year's driving?
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Jason Jackson 9:55AM (8/09/2009)
230 mile range for there new EV. Maybe they are going to announce a new partnership with EESTOR?
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Joe Bonaparte 10:21AM (8/09/2009)
It is the top speed of thier new unlimited-range eletric supercar, which will be price competitive with the tata nano.
http://www.evalbum.com/2618
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jsantal 10:25AM (8/09/2009)
Obviously its the voltage, the current standard here in europe is 230V. You'll need a 230V plug to recharge it, whatever "it" is.
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Jon 11:49AM (8/09/2009)
I don't think GM would hold a press conference announcing that you need to fork out for a new type of outlet in your home. If the 230 does refer to 230V, it's more likely to be referring to a partnership with an energy company for a 230V charging network.
Andrey 11:30AM (8/09/2009)
I think it is day when space aliens are going to come and save GM from trouble. And a little plug in thing, is a picture of an alien. Funny eyes and "WE come in peace" smile. And "23" is actually alien writing saying “All resistance is futile. You will by GM again!!!”. Otherwise I do not know. Anyway, What is an advantage to switching to 230V?
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Chris M 2:33AM (8/10/2009)
Power is volts times amps, so doubling the voltage doubles the power for the same amperage. More power available means potentially faster charging. We could increase power by increasing the amperage, but that means thicker, heavier and more expensive wires. The only down side to increasing the voltage is that the potential danger of arcing increases, and more insulation is needed - but insulation is cheap compared to copper!
Alan 11:44AM (8/09/2009)
The advantage of 230v is that greater current can be drawn for a given resistance in a circuit. In a typical domestic scenario when taking a large current (e.g - 13 amps) you would be able to have a thinner less cumbersome cable to connect the device to a 230v socket, presumably the devices themselves also benefit from being able to have a higher resistance circuit.
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Jon 11:58AM (8/09/2009)
It would also charge quicker and you'd lose less energy in the process.
oollyoumn 12:16PM (8/09/2009)
Voltage does not change the current capacity of a conductor. If a wire can carry 13 amp at 120v it will only carry 13 amps at 230v. But at 203v there will be nearly twice the power (watts) transferred.
why not the LS2LS7? 1:06PM (8/09/2009)
Agreed, 230V doesn't automatically mean more current. But in practice in a US household, a 230V outlet has a dedicated circuit of 30A or more. Compare this to a 115V outlet where there will be multiple outlets on a single 15A circuit.
Alan 1:57PM (8/09/2009)
Sorry, mixed up current/amps power/watts. It's more efficient to use a higher voltage is I suppose the short answer. I hope that's right ;-)