The Chevy Volt Will Get a Larger Engine - 8/5/08

Engineers are working overtime to get the Chevy Volt on the production line by the end of 2010. They have pick an engine or now called, range-extender, for the unique car.

GM says the Volt will come with a 1.4 liter four cylinder engine from the Family o line of engines used in Europe.  When the Volt was shown at the Detroit Auto Show 18 months ago, the plan called for a 1.0 liter turbocharged three cylinder, but the GM engineers decided the four cylinder will be better.

The Volt is a serial hybrid meaning the gasoline motor will drive the Volt’s wheels at any time.  It only starts up to turn a generator to charge the car’s 16-kWh lithium-ion battery when it is depleted.  This is where the term “range-extender” comes from. 

With a serial hybrid like the Volt and Toyota Prius the engine only starts up while on the fly when the battery needs charging.  The Volt will be designed to run on battery only for the first 40 to 50 miles before the engine or “range-extender” starts.  The Prius engine starts and stops throughout the drive experience.  With a parallel hybrid both the gasoline engine and electric motor both drive the wheels.

The GM engineers want to keep the engine off and when the engine does come on, they   want the driver to not notice much of a difference. They chose the four cylinders over the three cylinders to provide smoother operation.

In addition to the smoother operation the four cylinder is more efficient than the three cylinder in a steady state operation such as charging a battery.  It is also lighter when you take in account the turbo charger and it’s cheaper.  GM is trying to keep the Volt’s price below $40,000. 

The beauty of an engine running at a steady state operation is it does not need to speed up and slow down unlike a conventional car.  It can run at its optimum fuel efficiency further saving fuel consumption. 

The four cylinders will produce about 50kW or 67 horsepower, more than enough to charge the battery and providing enough electricity to keep the electric motor turning.

Back To the Electric Car Index