Q&A: What happens if the Chevy Volt sleeps with the fishes?
Chevy Volt water testing - Click above to watch the video after the break
Ever wonder what will happen if an electric vehicle is submerged under water? It seems to be a valid concern, what with all those amps seemingly ready to discharge at a moments notice into the ocean blue. Worry not, electric car fans, automakers like General Motors have got your backs.
Our friends at GM-Volt.com sat down with Lance Turner, who currently acts as lead engineer in the Volt battery lab after previously working on the EV1 project, and he did his best to lay those watery fears to rest. According to Turner, the Volt's battery pack will be sealed up tight with special attention paid to the high voltage lines between the battery pack and the inverter.
Apparently, The General has been down this road before with the EV1. An entire electric car was placed inside a container and seawater was slowly added. When the water reached the battery, a series of protective measures shut the car down and sensors placed on dummy occupants proved that no harm had been done.
Just for fun, click past the break for a video of a Volt IVER prototype being water tested for leaks. You'll also see an image of a Mitsubishi iMiEV being tested in the water for safety, proving GM's not the only automaker testing its EVs in this manner.
[Source: GM-Volt.com]
VIDEO:
Mitsubishi iMiEV water testing - Click above to enlarge
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
paulwesterberg 12:33PM (8/26/2009)
The video shows a heavy rain type of test, not a New Orleans type test.
Does the volt have a 12V battery to run ancillary systems like the prius? If not then good luck rolling the windows down to escape a submerged vehicle once the battery has been disabled.
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nasaman 12:44PM (8/26/2009)
Yes, the Volt has a separate 12V battery for electric windows, door locks, wipers, sound system, etc, etc. Other than providing redundancy in emergencies such as submerging in a ditch or canal, it eliminates the need to route high voltage (360V or so) to the doors, instrument panel, etc.
Mel 2:49PM (8/26/2009)
Shouldn't it be possible to seal off the electric drive train in a way that it can operate under water. There are plenty of watertight connectors used on industrial grade equipment. That way you wouldn't get stuck in water. As for the fear of electrocution, isn't the car body providing a faraday cage of sorts, protecting you from the voltage anyways?
p.s. : Greg Blencoe and Gorr: please grow up, we all know by now you found the copy-paste command, and we all know you love hydrogen cars, just go buy one and enjoy! Find new toys - please!
Chris M 11:33PM (8/26/2009)
Mel, yes it is possible, as the exotic Rinspeed "Squba" concept car demonstrated. It is a fully submersible electric sports car, the type you'd expect James Bond 007 to drive.
DasBoese 11:49PM (8/26/2009)
@gslippy
The Volt won't help them return to profitability, it'll be the foundation for their profitability ten or twenty years from now and through the rest of the century.
Long-term thinking FTW.
Greg Blencoe 12:46PM (8/26/2009)
The YouTube video of the water testing is actually quite interesting!
It's good to see that this won't be a problem for the few thousand or few tens of thousands of people that end up buying the Chevy Volt.
Three things everybody should know about the Chevy Volt
http://hydrogendiscoveries.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/three-things-everybody-should-know-about-the-chevy-volt/
It also won't be a problem for the many, many millions of people who buy a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle either.
7 reasons to love Toyota hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
http://hydrogendiscoveries.wordpress.com/2009/08/17/7-reasons-to-love-toyota-hydrogen-fuel-cell-vehicles/
Greg Blencoe
Chief Executive Officer
Hydrogen Discoveries, Inc.
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Ignatius 12:55PM (8/26/2009)
Look, no one here agrees with you. Spamming your links to a wordpress blog over and over isn't the way to get fans.
The Other Bob 1:38PM (8/26/2009)
I am sure Toyota appreciates the sloppy kisses you keep giving them, but you are clearly full of it.
Your site states that the Volt won't be cost effective. No shit? I think everyone knows that NONE these eco cars are cost effective. (Especially your beloved hydrogen pwered cars.)
A ZR-1 isn't cost effective either, but people still buy them becuase they see a value.
meme 2:22PM (8/26/2009)
PRINCE GREG BLENCOE.
His Royal Highness Palace.
45 Marina St.,
V/I,Lagos-Nigeria.
Atten: Managing Director.
Dear Sir,
I am Chief Accountant with the Hydrogen Discoveries (No/Oil) and member of 5 MAN Contract Executive Review Panel (comprising 2 Snr.Staff of CBN and 3
Snr,Staff Of (No/Oil) set up by present Civilian Regime of President Obasanjo. So far we have come across a surplus of the sum of US$27M.(Twenty-seven Million
Dollars) which was as a result of deliberate over-invoicing of certain contracts awarded by Contract Award Committee of the cooperation.
The last installments due has been paid to the various Contractors, while the said surplus still floats in our Apex Bank waiting Off-shore remittance which we want to carry out right now. As civil servants we not allowed operate foreign account, therefore seek your assistance in providing enabling Bank Account where the Fund would be lodged. 25% of the total Sum is for you 5% for expenses during transaction, and 70% for my colleagues and me.
A friend who is a Staff of World Trading Center (WTC) here in Lagos made your contact available. Please notify me of your acceptance to carry out this transaction through the above E-mail address or fax number.
I decided to contact you base on the fact that I have no foreign partner to assist me in executing the transaction. If you accept to carry out this business with me, please note that my colleague and me will be in your Country to receive the fund together with you,
the moment we secure all the necessary approvals. You should also note that the transaction would only take (14) fourteen working days.
you can also reply me to my private email address:princegregblencoe57@nigerianprince.net
Best Regards,
Prince Greg Blencoe.
Snoopy 4:00PM (8/26/2009)
I've don't really have anything against hydrogen cars, especially considering that they are just electric cars running on what would essentially be a hydrogen "battery", but this guy is starting to annoy me.
All he does is bash battery electric vehicles. What's the point of it?
Doug 5:34PM (8/26/2009)
HFCV advocates like Blenco dislike PHEVs (such as Volt) because they eliminate any rational for bothering to build a hydrogen infrastructure.
PHEVs offer a reasonable bridge technology to pure BEVs. They use existing infrastructure, i.e. home charging and ubiquitous gas stations, while allowing established automakers to leverage their ICE know-how. As more (relatively low cost) public charging stations go online, the utility of PHEVs is increased. This is without any advancement in technology. Over time, as batteries get better and cheaper, consumers get used to plugging in, and/or more public charging stations become available, the "need" for an ICE range extender diminishes.
I can think of no analogous bridge technology for HFCVs. It is a very expensive chicken and egg problem that benefits no one but the oil companies, who want to delay a transition to alternatives, and folks like Greg Blenco, who have some hydrogen dependent products to sell.
gslippy 10:57PM (8/26/2009)
I thought the headline was referring to the certain market FAIL pending for the Volt, a product that GM should not be producing since it won't help them return to profitability.
As for H2 fuel cell vehicles, I'd buy one if there was infrastructure... and payback. Ya can't sell $40k economy cars.
gorr 1:48PM (8/26/2009)
If you happen to have an accidents and run into water with a volt, then you will go directly
at the bottom of the lake because it's a 2x costly and weighty car and get electrocuted because the battery will not turn off and it will fry all electric components. On the other hand if you run into water with a fuelcell car, then you will float because the hydrogen tank float and the car is not weighty and costly and the hydrogen tank is unbrokable and the electrics components will stay correct because the electricity will be shut down except the radio and gps instruments to call for a rescue or the tv news channels.
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gorr 2:03PM (8/26/2009)
Furthermore i forgot some other great advantages. Second generation fuelcell car can be transformed into a flying car for very cheap by fitting an inflatable hydrogen balloon on the top of the car that inflate and deflate with the already installed gazeous hydrogen tank and pump. No battery car will ever do that, that's why it has been impeded by subsidies to carlos gnosn, gm, toyota president, etc. So if you end-up going into water just activate your flying driving option. Further more the driving cost are lower if you fly directly to the destination without traffic.
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bvz 2:51PM (8/26/2009)
Ok, that is THE most awesome post I have ever read on Autoblog.
Ever.
sick o jiggy 3:41PM (8/26/2009)
Love the flying car bit. With a little more work, I bet it can do time-travel as well. You know...like that Delorean in the movie.
paulwesterberg 4:05PM (8/26/2009)
gore's magical perpetual motion hydrogen electrolysis machine could also make hydrogen cars into fantastic underwater submarines since they would also be creating oxygen which could be used to supply fresh air.
All things are possible if we suspend the laws of nature!
Rick 2:20PM (8/27/2009)
future James Bond Film ....Villain chases Bond over the cliff .... on the way down, Bond hits the balloon inflation button in his FC car and sails into the sunset while the villain in a volt crashes into the river below.... and then gets electrocuted :)
doug korthof 6:29PM (8/26/2009)
As usual, ABG is FOS.
The VOLT is a hoax; it doesn't matter if it can charge like a submarine, it will "swim with the fishes" in the sense that it will be DOA.
GM doesn't intend it to succeed, obviously, using the wrong battery. They will have to run the engine-generator when the thing needs 200 amps on acceleration, or the battery wont last. So it won't be a real EV with a range-extender, the battery pack is too small and the wrong chemistry.
Try doing it with a 30 kWh NiMH or lead-acid pack.
GM goofballs put a bad pack in the EV1, to sabotage it; only after Toyota released the NiMH battery used in the HondaEV, RAV4-EV and RangerEV did GM upgrade to good lead-acid batteries, and finally, 3 years later, start releasing NiMH versions.
GM wants it to FAIL, just like GM.
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Bill 11:06AM (8/27/2009)
For the same capacity, lead-acid would weigh 3x as much and wouldn't last long enough to meet CARB warranty requirements.
NiMH would weigh 2x as much and would cost more per kWh than the pack they're currently using.