Excellent news!
Quote:
Originally Posted by martinjlm
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GM vice chairman Bob Lutz told Edmunds.coms' AutoObserver that the car ran on the street on battery power for the first time last Tuesday.
He said the Volt's powertrain, which combines a lithium-ion battery and a small petrol engine, was installed in a 'mule' test vehicle which is being driven on public roads around GM's proving grounds in Milford, Michigan.
"It is reliably meeting its objectives," Lutz told AutoObserver.com. "Even with a rough calibration, even with the wrong drive unit, the wrong body, etc etc, it has been hitting its 40 miles on electric power."
Tuesday's road test came after last week's testing of the Volt powertrain on a dynamometer that simulated real-world conditions, such as varying road surfaces and changing ambient temperatures, the report added.
... Lutz confirmed that in dynamometer tests last week of the Volt's lithium-ion batteries, engineers raised ambient temperatures and shut off the cooling system and the result was what GM had hoped - the battery showed only a slight rise in temperature and the heat was consistent across all of the battery cells with no pockets of intense heat.
"I can almost say the battery is the least of our problems," Lutz told AutoObserver.
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This last test is particularly important. When I read a description of GM's active environmental management of the batteries, I realized that they'd come up with a solid engineering solution. The most recent test with the environmental system turned off means these test batteries have excellent tolerance.
A different chemistry, traction power batteries must be treated with respect. Not mine, these NiMH batteries suffered an unfortunate charging incident:
However, I've had some of mine swell in the past when I haven't kept close attention. In contrast, many LiON batteries would have left a smoking, charred mess.
Changing the subject slightly, I'm hoping the hybrid two-modes are selling well. I particular I'd like to see them branch out to light duty trucks and small end RVs.
Bob Wilson