Take An Inside Look Into The 2016 Chevrolet Volt Drivetrain: Video

It’s a debate that has existed since the the original Chevrolet Volt entered the scene years ago: what exactly is it? Some call it their trusty electric car, while others take a more technical approach and say it’s a partial hybrid electric vehicle, or PHEV.

Thankfully, someone else has taken the time to explain what’s going on inside the 2016 Chevrolet Volt’s drivetrain to help curious minds understand.

Truthfully, the 2016 Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid in every way. The second-generation Voltec powertrain combines a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and an 18.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack to give the car its green credentials. Altogether, there’s 149 hp and 294 lb-ft of torque on tap.

The main difference between the first- and second-generation Volt lies in the second planetary gear set on the 2016 Volt. The first-generation Volt only used one. The second gear set opens up a whole new world for drive modes, and allows the car to behave much differently.

Before we try and put on our engineering hats and regurgitate information, we’ll let the gentleman above take it from here.

Chevrolet Nets 1,225 Volt Sales In June, Countdown To 2016 Model Continues

As We Are Quickly Running Out Of New, First-Run Images In Our Library Of The Current Generation Chevrolet Volt, We Anxiously Await The 2016 Model

While we eagerly await the first deliveries of the next-generation 2016 Chevrolet Volt that are expected to happen in about 2 months, we are only left with the current gen’s sales report until then to pass the time.

2016 Chevy Volt (With fancy illuminated charge port) Is Expected To Arrive In September…At Least For Californians

For June, 1,225 more Volts were sold, which is much better than the monthly average for 2015 so far, but trails June of 2014 by 31% when 1,777 were sold – and also a time when no one was looking ahead to the new car.

For the year 5,622 Volts have been moved, off 35% from 2014 when 8,615 had been sold through the first sixe months.

As for that 2016 model, we have good reason to believe the early estimates for the 2016 Volt efficiency (MPGe) and range numbers were a little light.  During the month, GM updated the new Volt’s online specs by bumping the needle a little from a 102 MPGe rating to 106 MPGe, while some shots of the Volt’s dash readout optimistically showed 54 miles of range.

Getting back to the current edition of the Volt, and the sales situation, with the last of the first generation cars rolling off the line in May, and the 2016 Volt probably not hitting serious volume numbers until late fall, we are left only with what is already build and in current inventory to buoy sales until then.

Heading into July, GM has about 6,000 Volts still in stock (less the 4 that were maliciously burned by an arsonist this month).

This means that GM can net no more than around ~5,000 sales over the next 4-5 months realistically speaking.

The only thing we don’t know yet, is if sales will peak this summer and then fade out in the fall, or if it will be an even burn.  Until then, we’ll just pencil in about ~1,200/month on average for the next few months going forward.

Highlights around the Chevrolet Volt and other GM products for the month were:

2016 Chevy Volt Launch Timeline (click to enlarge)

– 55 Pre-Production Bolts are now built and testing, all of which are exceeding GM’s 200 mile range expectations(full story here)

– 62 Cadillac ELRs were sold in June – which means absolutely nothing, as just over 150 copies (updated to include N. California) of the 2014 edition are left to be sold scattered across the country (the better performing, 2016 ELR just started production a couple days ago)

– GM showed off old Volt batteries repurposed to power a building (full story here)

– Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will be available for the 2016 Chevrolet Volt 

2016 Chevy Malibu Hybrid Teased, Promises 45 MPG

The Chevrolet Malibu has long been a cornerstone of the Chevrolet fleet, and you can find a Malibu in just about every strip mall and rental car lot. The last refresh of the Malibu in 2012 didn’t go over so well though, prompting a complete overhaul. The all-new 2016 Chevy Malibu is already shaping up to be a better car, and GM says the hybrid version will offer 45 MPG.

That would be a tremendous improvement over the outgoing Malibu, which offers fuel economy of up to 36 MPG with a mild-hybrid setup. While not terrible, 36 MPG isn’t exactly impressive in today’s day and age, and many competitors offer conventional sedans nearing 40 MPG. But GM has a secret weapon, the 2016 Chevy Volt’s Voltec drivetrain, which served as the basis for the 2016 Malibu Hybrid.

Now that’s not to say the Malibu hybrid will come with a plug, but it will be able to drive for about one mile or so one electricity alone, all the way up to 55 MPH. This is similar to what many competitor vehicles, like the Kia Optima Hybrid and Ford Fusion Hybrid offer, but the 45 MPG rating would put the Malibu above those and other hybrid sedans. It’d also give the outgoing Toyota Prius a run for its money thanks to features like active grille shutters and GM’s first exhaust-gas heat recovery (EGHR) system, which uses the engine’s excess heat to warm up the car and cabin quicker while providing better cold weather fuel economy.

You won’t find the Chevy Volt’s new 1.5 liter gas generator under the hood though. Instead, the 2016 Malibu Hybrid uses a 1.8 liter engine that, working with the electric motor, pumps out a total of 182 horsepower. Hardly thrilling stuff, but not exactly gutless either. More importantly, GM now has a car to contend with conventional hybrids from competitors, as the General has lacked a dedicated hybrid (besides the Volt) that could really go toe-to-toe with cars like the Toyota Camry Hybrid.

The 2016 Chevy Malibu will make its debut at the New York International Auto Show next week.

• 

• 
• 
• 
• 

2016 Chevrolet Volt Powertrain: How It Works In Electric, Hybrid Modes

The new 2016 Chevrolet Volt is sleeker, has more electric range, higher gas mileage, a fifth seat, and should be both faster and quieter on the road.

But while GM hasn't explicitly said so, it's no longer as much of a range-extended electric car (or "series hybrid").

The new 2016 Volt should be viewed as a more conventional plug-in hybrid, with engine torque now being sent to the wheels through a mechanical connection whenever the engine is on.

The 2011-2015 Volt has one motor that powers the wheels, and a second that acts as an engine-driven generator to produce electricity when battery capacity is depleted.

The 2016 Volt, on the other hand, has a pair of motors that are roughly the same size, one or both of which can power the car.

It still operates exclusively in all-electric mode up to its range of 50 miles or so (except in very cold weather) before the engine switches on.

But once the battery is down to its "depleted" level, the engine switches on--and it contributes torque to drive the wheels far more often now than it did in the first Volt, when it would clutch into the drivetrain only in a limited set of high-speed driving circumstances.

2016 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid - details of Voltec drivetrain from SAE presentations, Feb 2015

Two weeks ago, we spoke at length with Pete Savagian, general director of electric drives and systems engineering, and Tim Grewe, chief engineer for vehicle electrification.

The pair drew on two papers describing the details of the updated Voltec powertrain that they had presented in January at an annual hybrid and electrified technology conference put on by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).

For the record, the new transmission and final drive unit is formally known as the 5ET40 Electrified Transaxle.

The pair walked us through the five separate operating modes of the new Voltec system: two electric-only, and three blended.

Its two electric modes are pretty simple: Either one motor powers the car, or both do.

The two motors themselves, known as Motor A and Motor B, are the same diameter but differ in their construction.

In the first-generation Volt, both motors used the rare-earth metal neodymium in their magnets. In the new Volt, Motor A substitutes a ferrite magnet, reducing its cost, while Motor B continues to use neodymium.

But it's the three extended-range modes (meaning the engine is on) used after the Volt's first 50 or so miles where the largest changes occur.

2016 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid - details of Voltec drivetrain from SAE presentations, Feb 2015

Even after the battery is depleted, the Volt will move away from rest under electric power alone up to a speed of 10 to 15 mph.

Then the engine will start--or earlier if maximum acceleration is demanded--and the first of the modes will be employed

Low Extended-Range mode

This mode continuously trades off among the most efficient operating speed for the engine, the power demanded by the driver, the battery state of charge, and the use of one or two motors.

It may even use one motor to power the wheels along with the engine while the second motor acts as a generator to recharge the battery.

Depending on vehicle speed and torque requirements, this mode operates up to a little more than 40 mph at maximum.

Then the second mode kicks in--and this is an addition for the second-generation Volt.

Fixed-Ratio Extended-Range mode

In this mode, the engine powers the wheels through a fixed gear ratio--with or without added torque from the motors.

If less torque is required, excess engine torque may also be diverted to recharge the battery before the engine switches off.

2016 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid - details of Voltec drivetrain from SAE presentations, Feb 2015

Even in range-extending mode, Crewe noted, the new Volt will run solely in electric mode through "medium duty hills."

That was just one of the ways that the Volt team moved closer to the goal of maximizing electric-only operation under as many circumstances as possible.

High Extended-Range mode

Finally, at the highest speeds (from as low as 36 mph to the maximum of 100 mph), the third and final engine-on mode kicks in.

This one is differently geared so that the effective ratio of engine speed to road differs.

But like Low Extended-Range mode, it too continuously adjusts among the engine operating speed, the use of one or both motors, and batttery charge to deliver the power demanded by the driver in the most energy-efficient way.

As we noted in an earlier article, the evolution of Voltec toward a more conventional two-motor hybrid system--similar to those used by Toyota and Ford, and more distantly Honda--offers a number of interesting possibilities.

Other plug-in hybrids to come?

One glaring one would be its use in other plug-in hybrids, including some with less range than the 50 miles of the Volt.

The 2016 Cadillac CT6 large rear-wheel-drive sedan, for instance, was previewed in a TV ad Sunday night on the Oscars telecast.

2016 Cadillac CT6 in new spot ‘The Daring: No Regrets’

We know that the CT6 will offer a plug-in hybrid version that will be unveiled at the Shanghai Motor Show in April, just three weeks after the New York Auto Show where the CT6 will be launched.

Could the new Voltec system be adapted to that car's powerful turbocharged V-6, or some different engine, to provide the performance required by a Cadillac plug-in hybrid and perhaps 12 to 20 miles of electric range?

Waiting to drive it

Stay tuned on that one.

Meanwhile, the Volt team is clearly proud of the modifications to their second-generation Voltec system.

Of course, they have the advantage of having driven it--while reporters, analysts, owners, and potential buyers likely won't get that opportunity for six months or more.

The new 2016 Chevy Volt will go on sale in the second half of this year, most likely starting in September or October.

Source: Green Car Reports

Cadillac CT6 Will Be A Techie Plug-In Hybrid

Cadillac has a new president, a new naming scheme, and a new headquarters in New York. The first vehicle to usher Cadillac into a new direction is the just announced Cadillac CT6, which Jalopnik reports with be a plug-in hybrid capable of 0 to 60 MPH in under 6 seconds. Is this the Tesla fighter GM has been waiting for?

The new large Caddy will somehow be smaller and lighter than the German luxury sedans it is targeting, but still roomy enough to cradle the egos of luxury car buyers. At the heart of the CT6 will be a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, possibly a new generation of the Voltec system found in the Chevy Volt and Cadillac ELR (which is also due for a content update). Or it could be a drivetrain derived specifically for the new Cadillac, as the company wants to get back into the business of making its own line of engines, which ended with the retirement of the Northstar motors.

GM CEO Mark Reuss was quoted saying the new Cadillac flagship will come with a 0 to 60 MPH time of under 6 seconds. While it won’t quite be Tesla Model S fast (which even in base form sprints to 60 MPH in 5.2 seconds), it’ll be quick enough to deliver a more engaging and dynamic driving experience thank the lackadaisical ELR. A pair of electric motors will allow for an electric cruising speed of up to 75 MPH, though for just how far GM isn’t saying.

There will be other tech features at work too, including a supposed virtual rear view mirror that delivers an unobstructed rear view via video camera, instead of the traditional mirror setup. Current federal regulations don’t allow such a setup, but GM isn’t the only automaker working to update these archaic laws. This is undoubtedly just a taste of the high-tech sedan that Cadillac has planned, and the upcoming semi-autonomous Super Cruise feature will probably be worked in as well.

If these rumors are true, then there’s good reason to look forward to Cadillac’s next few years. A fast, light, and tech-heavy luxury sedan is exactly what GM needs to get back into the luxury game.

Is GM gearing up to launch a crossover Voltec model?

Although GM has been said to be playing a cool hand and withholding advance billing of specific variant models of its one and only extended-range EV the Volt, the company has said and shown it is busy behind the scenes.

Aside from the up-market 2014 Cadillac ELR yet pending, it’s been anyone’s guess what could be next, but there have been clues. Last year the company copyrighted the “Electra” moniker of classic Buick fame prompting a spate of speculation, and more recently, it has been going through the steps needed to secure rights for the CrossVolt trademark name.
 

With the name “Volt” in it, and with GM having already shown in 2010 the five-seater MPV5 crossover vehicle, the rumor mill is putting the pieces together that this could be portents of a future offering.

According to GM Authority, the CrossVolt trademark was filed first in April 11, 2011 – no, not April first – and, no fooling, the United States Patent and Trademark Office has since bestowed a second extension for the name without an announced car to go with it.

This is a positive sign, but nothing definitive to be sure. We shall see whether an actual CrossVolt comes along, as many electrified vehicle fans have been asking GM for, but in the mean time, patience is the watchword.

Source: GM-Volt.com

GM Moves Electric, Fuel-Cell Work To Michigan From CA, NY

General Motors has announced more shuffling of its future-tech facilities.

Back in October, the automaker shut down a fuel cell center in Honeoye Falls, New York and shifted operations (along with 220 jobs) to Pontiac, Michigan. Outposts in Torrance, California, Castleton, Indiana, and Warren, Michigan are also being relocated to Pontiac, as is GM's Systems Research Lab in Wixom, Michigan.

GM's other major project in Wixom, thePerformance Build Center (which crafts engines for the Chevrolet Corvette), is migrating to the automaker's Corvette assembly plant in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

To accommodate these consolidations, GM will invest about $3.5 million in Bowling Green and $200 million at its Global Powertrain Engineering Headquarters in Pontiac. According to a GM press release, the latter funds will be used to build a 138,000 square-foot test wing, which the company expects to open sometime in the later half of 2014. The consolidations in Pontiac will add around 400 jobs at the facility.

GM says that the Pontiac expansion will cut down on the time it takes engineers to test and develop new powertrain technologies. In its press release, the automaker explains that "The center’s state-of-the-art facilities allow engineers to test engines under extreme conditions, including cold ambient temperatures, high RPMs, and repetitive starting and stopping, to assure world-class durability, reliability and quality."

Exactly what GM will be developing in Pontiac is a matter for speculation. As we reported back in November, GM plans to continue enhancing its mild-hybrid e-Assist system. But GM Product Chief Mary Barra has also said that GM will "make educated bets on which technologies hold the most potential for creating values for our customers and our company... We think plug-in technology will plan an increasingly important role over the years to come."

We'd wager that GM's newly centralized workforce will be focused on improving the Voltec powertrain technology found in the Chevrolet Volt and the upcoming Cadillac ELR -- if we were the betting sort, that is. We'll keep you posted.

Source: GM

Dinner With Five Voltec Engineers

By Gary L. Norton

On Tuesday night my wife and I had dinner with five Voltec engineers in Durango, Colo. We had received a call about a week ago saying that they would be stopping in our town and wanted to know if we would be interested in talking with them. We, of course, we’re delighted to meet them and share our experience with the car.

These five engineers are part of the propulsion team. They were making a loop through Colorado that started in Denver and would end in Colorado Springs. They told us that they were testing various new components, and otherwise testing the performance of the vehicle in mountainous terrain. They did not share what those the new components might be.
 

 

At the outset I should note that these men seemed to be very proud of what they had achieved. I was very complimentary towards the car and they were very happy to hear those compliments and told me how much they appreciate not only what I said, but also the very positive responses they have received. Several of these guys had also worked on the hybrid Silverado and they were very proud of their achievements with that truck. I should also note that GM-Volt came up in the discussion several times, primarily raised by me. There were many smiles around the table and they assured me that they were very familiar with the site and it was monitored closely every day.

Our discussion started with their question as to why I bought the Volt. Condensing a long discussion, I said that I fell in love with the car. The car and I made a connection. It just felt right. I had never bought a Chevy before, and have only owned one American car out of over 40 I’ve owned. I did not expect to feel a connection with the car when I got in and drove it, but boy was I surprised. I was impressed by the quality, by the quietness, by the feel of the brakes, steering, and doors, and above all I was impressed by its quickness, responsiveness, and seamless operation. Yes, economy and operating costs as well as environmental concerns can be very important to a buyer. But if most buyers are like me, the first and most important question is whether the car feels right to you. In the case of the Volt the answer was a definite yes for me.

Since they were propulsion engineers they were primarily interested in how the engine/ battery/drivetrain system worked in mountainous terrain. I told them I was very happy with Mountain mode. I had tried to navigate the mountains without it, and ultimately came to the conclusion that mountain mode was the best. I did ask them about a phenomenon I had experienced on several occasions. Usually when I run out of battery power driving on the flats it shows that I consumed around 10.4 kilowatts. However, on several occasions, and it seems primarily when driving in the mountains, I would only show a consumption of approximately 9.6 to 9.8 kw before I would run out of battery power. They did not have an answer for why this would occur but they may get some information that could could sort out, since they downloaded a whole bunch of data from my car.

They asked me about my likes and dislikes and I told them that I thought Chevrolet had struck a very good balance between the competing interests of battery power, weight, cost and engine efficiency. I did make one comment about the gasoline engine to the effect that on occasion I could feel a slight vibration through the steering wheel and possibly the floor. I suggested that since a vibration is connected to your sense of what you hear, that I may have been feeling the engine more than actually hearing it when driving in the mountains. I said the noise was very low, and not the least bit obtrusive, but I did on occasion notice it and therefore thought that they might want to think about inserting a little more isolation between the engine and other components.

They asked me if I had any recommendations on the display screens in the car. I said that maybe it was a lack of imagination, but I really didn’t, with one exception. In the power mode you can see the number of kilowatts consumed, but I would like to have an initial notation of how many kilowatts were in the battery before I started the trip. When the car is unplugged, there is a notice that is fully charged, but there is no numerical indication of what that charge is. I felt it would be useful to have that information, which would enable one to monitor how the battery was performing.

They asked about charging. I told them there were no public charging stations around here and all charging was done in my garage. They asked what I used and I said I decided on the SPX Power Express since, although it was more expensive, it appeared to be a much heavier duty device that some of the cheaper models. There were some knowing smiles around the table. I explained I was very happy but had experienced two charging interruptions, which I attributed to lightning or some other problem with the electrical current. They asked if the check engine light came on and I said that it did. The first time it’s cleared fairly quickly but the second time stayed on for several days. It stayed on long enough that I ended up making an appointment with the dealer to have it checked out, even though I was certain, based on my conversation with OnStar, that there was no problem. As these things go of course the next day it turned off. They explained that it is specifically designed to stay on through four cycles, a requirement having to do with the emission control standards.

We discussed a few non-propulsion things, primarily little quibbles that I had. I suggested that the back door trim on the inside could easily be of a higher quality, similar to that on the front doors, without costing too much. I mentioned the need for a bit of rubber trim on the outside of the rear doors, to keep the doorjamb from getting dirty. They smiled, and said they were fully aware of that problem based on their experience every time they wash the cars. We discussed power seats a little. They explained that they were not included for weight and cost reasons. I said that in most cars I’ve found power seats unnecessary since my wife and I drive separate cars and rarely adjust the seats. Oddly, the Volt is an exception. We both love it so much, and prefer it to our Acura, that it is always the first car out the garage and the other car is only driven if both of us are driving at the same time or if we are hauling a large load.

When they brought up the subject of the coming winter, we had a lengthy discussion about heat pumps. They said a heat pump was not included because of the experience with heat pumps in the EV-1. I explained that they should look at the issue again since heat pump technology has changed dramatically since the late 80s and early 90s and based on my household experience with heat pumps it seems to me that the possibility of it meeting the Volt’s heating needs were very high. My heat pump still works well at 10° F.
 

 

We discussed marketing a little bit. I expressed the view that Chevrolet was not focusing on the biggest attribute of the Volt – that the combination of a gas generator with a battery was a marriage made in heaven. The single largest drawback that keeps people from enjoying the seamless quiet power and economy of an electric vehicle is the concern that they cannot take trips of any distance. The Volt solves that problem. Any time it needs to be driven on a long trip, the driver can do so simply by filling it with gasoline just as in any other car. However, for 80 to 90 percent of the daily usage of the car, the driver can simply run it on battery power, never using gasoline.

After dinner we went out to the car and they asked if they could download data from it which I gladly agreed to. I also received an in-depth explanation of the operation of the drivetrain. I did mention that one chintzy little thing I didn’t like was the hood release latch. I said I assumed it was taken out of the Chevy parts bin but was really a bush league device that was not consistent with the otherwise high-quality engineering in the car. I asked about the Cadillac ELR and specifically about the news that it might get a turbocharged engine. The response was a knowing smile but otherwise, “no comment.”

It was a wonderful evening. I am very impressed with the attitude and confidence of these men. They seem very committed to the car and that commitment was evidenced by the fact that they were dog tired by the time they reached me, having worked several very long days. A couple of them could hardly keep their eyes open during dinner but they still exhibited enthusiasm and interest.

Since they will probably be reading this, thank you again guys.