Chevrolet Volt

GM plans to increase the electric mode of operation of the Chevrolet Volt, which is designed as a "plug-in hybrid" that can be recharged overnight. This manufacturer plans to use high-energy-density lithium-ion batteries to obtain an all-electric range of 40 mi, and hopes that these batteries will be safe and reliable by 2010. This car is claimed to provide 150 mi/gal and is expected to be available by 2010. 

Early in 2007, General Motors disclosed plans to build a different version of the Chevrolet Volt (see Section 7.2), in which the internal combustion engine... 

Figure 7.12 (a) General Motors fuel cell variant of the Chevrolet Volt (b) Ford... 

Current battery designs for commercial 2012 transportation batteries show no consistent thermal management approach. Some designs use a liquid at the individual cell level (e.g. Chevrolet Volt PHEV), some use air at the individual cell level (e.g. Hyundai Sonata HEV), and others have almost no thermal management (e.g. Nissan Leaf). Over time, OEMs will learn much about the life and safety performance of these differing approaches. The simplest, lowest end cost approach will be adopted, likely resulting in designs somewhat similar to those proposed in BatPaC. 

Also launched in late 2010, the Chevrolet Volt uses a 16 kWh battery based on LG Chem s lithium-ion polymer cells. The Volt is an EREV, which means that the vehicle has both a 1.4-1 ICE and a 16 kWh Li-ion battery pack. The ICE acts as a generator operating the motors once the battery charge has dropped to a minimum level determined by the system controller. This combination of Li-ion battery and ICE allows the vehicle a total range comparable to a standard ICE. 

FIGURE 7.5 The 16 kWh Chevrolet Volt Li-ion battery pack with LG Chem Li-polymer cells. (For color version of this figure, the reader is referred to the online version of this book.)... 

The Chevrolet Volt concept car [2] was presented to the public at the North American International Auto Show 2007 in Detroit. Eventually, in 2010, the Chevrolet Volt (see Figure 8.5) was introduced to the US market. About 1 year later, the sale of Opel Ampera (also a Voltec-based vehicle [3]) started in Europe. In early 2013, the Cadillac ELR, a two-door coupe using a modified and performance-optimized Voltec powertrain, was unveiled as a 2014 production model to the general audience at the Detroit and Geneva motor shows. 

Real-world data recorded from the Chevrolet Volt customers in the United States via GM s OnStar system show that about 65% of the fleet miles are driven completely in EV mode for exact numbers see Figure 8.20(a). The measmed clear prevalence of the EV mode in real-world Chevrolet Volt operation is in very good agreement with the results of the US Department of Transport 2003 BTS Omnibus Household Siuvey which show that 68% of US households have an average daily commute of less than 30 miles and 78% have commute of less than 40 miles (see Figure 8.20(b)). 

BYD (Build Your Dreams) e6 (Figure 10.16) is not new, as it was already presented at the Coho Center in 2009 and 2010, but the renewed BYD e6-Eco presented at the Detroit Auto Show 2011 is getting closer to series production. This model proposes an electric alternative to Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt. Technical features of the car include 60-kWh lithium iron phosphate batteries, rechargeable in 6 h and capable of powering a 75-kW electric motor. This car has a top speed of 140 km/h, and its range per charge is expected to be 300 km. 

LG Chem is owner of Compact Power Inc., a company offering battery packs for electric vehicles. For example, it supplies battery packs for Chevrolet Volt and Ford Focus Electric. 

The en ne compartment of a Chevrolet Volt hybrid gas/electric car. (Spencer Grant/Photo Researchers, Inc.)... 

Safety It is becoming accepted in the market that bare, uncoated polyolefin separators at reduced thicknesses provide a safety concern, especially in large format cells. These separators were in the cells that were part of the recent Boeing 787 DieamUner battery disaster, and also have been part of the cells in battery fires for the Chevrolet Volt and TeslaMotors Model S cars, which have been broadly publicized. 

November 2011 A123 PHEV GM, USA Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid caught fire after a routine crash test... 

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