- Next-generation Chevy Volt is already being tested with a rotary engine.
- Two-cylinder and diesel engines are also possibilities for the future Volt.
- Current Volt battery pack costs $10,000.
SANTA MONICA, California — Chevrolet's 2011 Volt hasn't even made it to the dealer showroom yet and GM's engineering team is already working on cost-cutting solutions for the second-generation Chevy Volt.
"Right now, the propulsion system is too expensive, even with using an existing engine," GM's new vice president of global vehicle engineering, Karl Stracke, told Inside Line today. But Stracke confirmed that future Volt powertrains are already being tested, including several different range-extending engines, possibly even a rotary.
"We have a strategy to go rotary engines or a two-cylinder [gas] engine making 15-18 kW. I have driven the car already. Rotary has a higher fuel consumption but here's the advantage [holds up his hands to form round, frisbee-sized shape] — packaging."
"One rotor could be enough," Stracke continued. "Of course with the higher rpm of a rotary, you need to have an NVH solution."
Stracke says GM is also looking at the possibility of a diesel engine. "The cost of the engine would be higher for the manufacturer," said Stracke, "but the fuel costs would be cheaper for customers."
If GM hopes to reach the same level of mainstream success with the Volt as Toyota has accomplished with its Prius hybrid, it's extremely important to cut costs in future generations. Stracke says the cost of the 2011 Volt's battery pack is "roughly $10,000" and that GM is "working aggressively to get that cost down 50 percent" for the next Volt.
"The future of the automobile has never been as interesting as it is right now," said Stracke. "Big question is, what new propulsion system will come next?"
Inside Line says: It may be the poster child for the future of GM, but even the Volt won't survive without a viable business case. — Kelly Toepke, News Editor
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vgupta_98 says:
12:44 AM, 06/22/2010
Question... If the Volt is capable of getting 50mpg in gasoline / IC mode while lugging around a 700lb battery and a 500lb gasoline engine and and all is needed to run the electrical system is a small 25-50 hp rotary engine (weighing only 250lbs), then why would GM not simply eliminate / minimize the battery and / or instead use a large capacitor with the rotary engine. This would cut the weight of the Volt down at least 1000lbs, cut the battery costs out (around $10K) and increase fuel economy (how much fuel economy is gained by cutting 1000lbs?).
This equation would make much more sense from a consumer standpoint as well as a business standpoint. Fuel economy (maybe 60-70mpg without the weight) and manufacturing costs significantly less than 30K (with no subsidies)..... This would be a much more scalable, reliable, and viable vehicle platform vs. IC engine only or IC engine + giant & expensive battery. I would love to know the answer to this question...
jpgoins says:
07:45 AM, 06/05/2010
Thinking ahead....good to see long term planning going on. Hopefully this has materialized from the vapor and the viability is there. However, couldn't more efficiency be provided through higher compression ratios (13.5-15:1)? With existing DI technology, predetonation should be a nonissue....
tbone85 says:
11:46 AM, 05/30/2010
We shall see. It could be vaporware as you describe, or it could be an actual vehicle that has been tested and scheduled for production.
The real truth is that no one knows. When the facts are established, I'm SURE we'll see everyone who KNOWS one way or the other come out of the woodwork to 'fess up to their error.
kiiwii says:
12:58 AM, 05/30/2010
GM Volt is just a marketing trick. Two reasons GM spent $ to advertise this junk. 1. to fool GM's shareholders. 2. to create corporate "green" images.
tbone85 says:
09:53 AM, 05/29/2010
Battery technology has advanced at a snails pace. Storage density efficiency, heat and weight reduction have barely moved in the last 40 years. If we had 1/10 of the gains in battery technology that we've seen in semi-conducters in that time we would have zero range issues with electric vehicles.
We get virtually all our electricity sources from the USA, and that is preferable to sourcing fuel from any foreign country--including a friendly neighbor. We have seen the worldwide price of oil impacted by foolishness in unstable oil regimes many times over the last 4 decades. Our balance of trade, national defense, employment, and environmental needs are better met by moving on. Our oil companies need to migrate as quickly as possible to energy companies, or get out of the way and let new players emerge.
cocojoe53 says:
07:47 PM, 05/28/2010
Battery tech is advancing at a rapid rate. But so has the technology for deep sea oil exploration. There are estimates of 10x the amount of oil lying beneath the sea that has been discovered in the last 100 years. There will not be a one solution fits all answer to the question of what powers future automobiles. electric cars will play a role, as will hybrids of varing types.. And remember we get the majority of our imported oil from Canada
tbone85 says:
04:09 PM, 05/28/2010
"The concept of having a onboard gas engine to charge a battery operated drive system is a flawed engineering concept. "
If we had halfway decent engineering on battery technology in the last 40 years, we wouldn't need a secondary power source. As it stands today, a second source is needed. For the typical driver, Volt-type vehicles can shift 80% or more of their energy requirements from foreign oil to domestic sourced energy.
I'm less worried about engineering purity than getting rid of the chains created by foreign-sourced oil ASAP. I'm certain more elegent solutions will emerge, but I'm happy someone's getting started instead of just holding philosophical discussions.
cocojoe53 says:
11:34 AM, 05/28/2010
Stingray.....I look forward to GM actually delivering on there many promises. The concept of having a onboard gas engine to charge a battery operated drive system is a flawed engineering concept. This is why they are floating these news releases about a second generation Volt before release of the first generation. I also look forward to seeing Volts, Cruze, Orlando, and the other 10 "Where's Waldo?" concepts
stingray454 says:
06:23 AM, 05/28/2010
@wikiwiki
" We make rims. Be happy with that."
Actually, we don't (with the exception of Foose and a few other super high-end rims). Most rims are now made in China. You can thank Al Gore and friends for that, as the environmental expense of operating a casting foundry in the U.S. is prohibitively expensive. There's almost zero environmental control on a foundry in China. What these environmental wackos/hypocrites fail to realize is we all live on the same planet. China thanks them all very much though.
stingray454 says:
06:16 AM, 05/28/2010
@cocojoe53
The Nissan Leaf? Don't make me laugh. No range extender, expensive home quick charger, and it looks like a frog on wheels. I look forward to the near future when Volts will be passing by dead Leafs (Leaves?) on the side of the road.
NEXT!!!