2016 Volt Rev 2

[LeftieBiker]

I assume all the 3.3 KW chargers are so common because of 20 amp breakers being so common.

20 amp 240 volt breakers aren't especially common in the US. 30 amp seems to be the most common size.

 

[LKK]

Comments by Larry Nitz, head of GM powertrains indicate that they are concentrating more on being able to charge on ordinary 120 VAC house current. They feel the market is larger if people can just plug it in to an ordinary wall socket. With this goal in mind, they kept the battery small enough to charge overnight. Of course this limits range, hence the range extension. Now it appears that the powertrain has been completely redesigned. Rumours of more range, better gas mileage, greater acceleration, lower cost and a fifth seat are very encouraging. This new Volt should sell better than the woefully low sales generated by the first generation Volt.

 

[kmp647]

3 years in the Leaf have been great, but I am looking at a used Volt to carry me towards......

A 2016 gen 2 volt.

If Nissan doesn't speed the rollout of Leaf 2 I think they will lose a lot of dedicated leafers
They even offers me a huge discount. To buy my current Leaf , but in the end I need more range , and my degradation is enough to bother me , but I will miss the free battery

 

[evnow]

I should add - Mitsui outlander phev will handily outsell volt. Not having a SUV volte is criminal of GM.

 

[TomT]

Maybe for some... I have no need, use, or interest in a SUV to replace the Leaf... And I'm not a big Mitsui fan...

I should add - Mitsui outlander phev will handily outsell volt. Not having a SUV volte is criminal of GM.

 

[kmp647]

if an outlander phev was available and priced reasonably it would def be on my short list

I may ride out the used volt til the end of 2015 and watch things play out , 2016 Leaf , 2016 Volt, discounts on the leftover 2014 I3's
and Outlander PHEV announcements

 

[edatoakrun]

Maybe for some... I have no need, use, or interest in a SUV to replace the Leaf... And I'm not a big Mitsui fan...

I should add - Mitsui outlander phev will handily outsell volt. Not having a SUV volte is criminal of GM.

Not criminal, but irresponsible, IMO, of GM to not even allow a DC Charge port option for the Volt gen 2.

 

[pkulak]

Not criminal, but irresponsible, IMO, of GM to not even allow a DC Charge port option for the Volt gen 2.

Yeah... because I want to spend my time waiting for a Volt to give up the CHAdeMO port (I know, GM would use SAE) when they could have just not stopped in the first place and spent less money using one gallon of gas from their tank.

 

[JeremyW]

Don't really see the need for a DC quick charge port but I'm very disappointed a 6.6kW charging option isn't offered as an option.

It's off the table for me because of it.

 

[edatoakrun]

Not criminal, but irresponsible, IMO, of GM to not even allow a DC Charge port option for the Volt gen 2.

Yeah... because I want to spend my time waiting for a Volt to give up the CHAdeMO port (I know, GM would use SAE) when they could have just not stopped in the first place and spent less money using one gallon of gas from their tank.

The more vehicles that are DC capable, the more reliable the DC infrastructure will become.

Which is probably GM's primary motivation in denying to Volt buyers DC charge capability, to extend the obsolescence phase of the Volt concept.

As to relative cost and availability of gasoline compared to DC, I expect quite a few of these gen 2 Volts will find DC is much cheaper than gasoline fairly soon (and very soon, for example, during grid off-peak hours in the PNW) but some will still be running long enough for their drivers to experience that DC is more readily available as well.

How long do you think the (very expensive to build and operate) gasoline infrastructure will last, once people stop buying the ICEVs required to support it?

 

[essaunders]

The more vehicles that are DC capable, the more reliable the DC infrastructure will become.

Which is probably GM's primary motivation in denying to Volt buyers DC charge capability, to extend the obsolescence phase of the Volt concept.

As to relative cost and availability of gasoline compared to DC, I expect quite a few of these gen 2 Volts will find DC is much cheaper than gasoline fairly soon (and very soon, for example, during grid off-peak hours in the PNW) but some will still be running long enough for their drivers to experience that DC is more readily available as well.

How long do you think the (very expensive to build and operate) gasoline infrastructure will last, once people stop buying the ICEVs required to support it?

That's one more reason to support the outlander PHEV (which includes CHAEMO) over a volt..

 

[kmp647]

Chademo on the outlander is a big deal for EV heads like you and me , but not much for most buyers

Gas is cheaper than a dcfc in most cases for most drivers

I for one would really like the option though, plus it would charge up really quickly

 

[evnow]

A 5 seater Volt may do well against Energis - which I think have stolen a lot of sales from Volt of late.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

http://www.hybridcars.com/2016-volt-to-have-12-percent-greater-overall-range/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If true, that's less than thrilling. Now the focus turns to cost/pricing.

 

[mwalsh]

http://www.hybridcars.com/2016-volt-to-have-12-percent-greater-overall-range/

If true, that's less than thrilling. Now the focus turns to cost/pricing.

Yeah. I think the writing was on the wall after seeing it was going to have 3.6kW charging vs. 3.3kW charging, but with the same charge time as the current Volt (4 hours). That would really only equate to about 4-5 miles extra EV range. Sigh.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Although coincidentally, when ours is used for commuting it comes up about 6 miles short on AER, so this would almost do it.

 

[pkulak]

http://www.hybridcars.com/2016-volt-to-have-12-percent-greater-overall-range/

If true, that's less than thrilling. Now the focus turns to cost/pricing.

Yeah. I think the writing was on the wall after seeing it was going to have 3.6kW charging vs. 3.3kW charging, but with the same charge time as the current Volt (4 hours). That would really only equate to about 4-5 miles extra EV range. Sigh.

45 miles is enough for me to do all my driving for the day on electricity only. You can't really do more than 60 miles in a Leaf without freaking out, so that's only 15 more miles. I'll trade 15 miles for a gas backup any day.

 

[TomT]

If it ever makes it here... I talked to a couple of managers at the L.A. Auto show and he said there is still no firm date nor commitment, and he has been told by those above him and in Japan, "Maybe late next year..." The window of opportunity for it is getting smaller and smaller... We talked about how badly Mitsui is mismanaging their product line in general in the U.S., and the frustration with them at many levels... The dismal handling of the I-miev is also still fresh in many of those minds...

That's one more reason to support the outlander PHEV (which includes CHAEMO) over a volt..

 

[evnow]

“I can’t think of a powertrain we’ve re-engineered more extensively within a five-year period than this one,” said Nitz to SAE International.

If they are doing such a thorough redesign, what were the goals ? A 12% better range ?

A 10% or 20% better something might be okay for an ICE with complete redesign. But for a V2 product it is not that good - esp. given the range on several V2 EVs may be almost 100% more.

 

[GRA]

“I can’t think of a powertrain we’ve re-engineered more extensively within a five-year period than this one,” said Nitz to SAE International.

If they are doing such a thorough redesign, what were the goals ? A 12% better range ?

A 10% or 20% better something might be okay for an ICE with complete redesign. But for a V2 product it is not that good - esp. given the range on several V2 EVs may be almost 100% more.

I believe the 12% 'range improvement' quote is wrong. Here's what cleantechnica had to say, which IMO makes far more sense:

Among the improvements is a lighter battery with more storage capacity, the result of a joint effort between supplier LG Chem and GM, which share a once-controversial battery factory. GM claims efficiency improvements shaved 30 pounds off the weight of the battery pack, while increasing storage capacity by about 20%. While the company isn’t talking range estimates yet, 20% more battery capacity should translate to at least 20% more range, which would give the Volt over 40 miles of electric driving per charge. GM quotes the fact that about 15% of current Volt drivers regularly achieve more than 40 miles of electric range as well, perhaps as a wink-wink/nudge-nudge towards what to expect.

Also on tap for the 2016 Chevy Volt is a new two-motor drive unit that is 100 pounds lighter than the current unit, and as much as 12% more efficient. The system can also use both motors to propel the vehicle on electricity alone, improving acceleration under battery power by 20%. The Volt currently takes about 8.7 seconds to go from 0 to 60 MPH, and if GM gets it under 8 seconds, that’d be a mighty improvement in terms of driving enjoyment.

Also new for 2016 is a 1.5 liter engine, which adds more power yet supposedly sips less fuel, which could also boost the Volt’s fuel economy above 40 MPG (it currently sits at 37 combined).

http://cleantechnica.com/2014/10/30/gm-reveals-2016-chevy-volt-drivetrain-improvements/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;