Volt teaser pics

[Dr Mordrid]

We won't see the whole thing for a few weeks, rumor is the Paris auto show in October, but GM has released model pics of the front quarter and rear panel. Note the plug-in port at the top left on the fender. There have been rumors that there will be a port on each side. Also note the LED lights.

[Dr Mordrid]

Q & A with Bob Boniface, GM Director of E-Flex Design who gave a big presentation on the Volt/E-Flex at the Center for Automotive Research this week.

So did you just release images of the front quarter and the rear shot today?

During the presentation I showed some mapping images cropped of the rear of the car. These were not for public consumption.

As part of the aero story I showed chunks of the show car and the same chunks of the production car and I talked about how and why they were different. I showed the rear corner and the front corner.

And I also discussed and showed images of the side view mirror and how we modified it for aerodynamic performance. I showed before and after shots of the rear spoiler and how it was aerodynamically modified.

What’s different about the rear spoiler?

It is higher and further rearward in the production car. What I showed is how we applied a higher millimeter tall lip to the end of it and how that resulted in a 5 count reduction in aerodynamic drag. 10 counts of aerodynamic reduction is equivalent to .55 miles extra driving range. The new spoiler and rear view mirror each removes 5 counts of drag resulting in a half mile more range.

In aggregate from the show car to the production model we’ve taken a total of 120 counts out, which equals 6 miles more range. However that 6 miles is not added to our 40 miles. We’re not giving you 46 miles now. It’s just that the original show car surface would not have delivered the promised 40 miles of range.

So the production car has a CD .12 lower than the show car?

Yes. The point of the demonstration was why we had to change the show car and how it changed.

So is the design now final or are there any further tweaks?

Aerodynamically we have met our target. As far as the styling goes, there will be essentially no changes from where we are today. We do have some more detail changes needed for manufacturing but nothing that anyone would notice if they were to see the car today.

Will the front grill be closed on the production vehicle as it appeared on the recent ABC news video?

It’s nearly completely closed. We take in a little bit of air along the side of the lower portion of the grill but its essentially closed. All of the air comes in at the bottom of the fascia, at the bottom of the bumper because the cooling requirements are such that we were able to send the air around the car to the motor compartment for cooling.

Can you say what size wheels will be on the production car?

No. They’re big enough.

Are you using tires that will run to flat so you dont have to carry a spare in the car?

We are not currently packing a full-sized spare in the car. We have provisions for getting home in the case of tire failure. We are not carrying a full sized spare because it will add extra mass and weight.

What can you say about the roof, will it be transparent, or have solar panels?

Its still a surprise for you.

Will there be a sunroof option?

We aren’t talking about vehicle options at this point.

Did you have to modify the wheels from the showcar so that they would be more aerodynamic?

We tried to stay as close as possible to the concept’s wheels. Aerodynamically speaking wheels are a very difficult thing to nail down. They need to be open to allow for brake cooling, but you dont want the surface to stick out into the airstream. Another big thing about the wheels’ design is that it would be mass-efficient, so its a pretty lightweight wheel. It may change slightly more as we’re still doing wheel testing in the tunnel.

Will the body be made out of steel or will you use special lightweight components?
There are a couple of areas where we have included some lightweight materials but in general we want to stick to conventional manufacturing processes and materials to keep costs down.

How different will the production car look from the showcar?

It is changed a bit from the showcar, the proportions have changed for a variety of reasons. But it is still a very good looking car. It is still very sporty. In a lot of ways it looks better than the showcar. The surfaces are much more sophisticated. I love the car, I think its fantastic. It’s not apologetic.

So there’s nothing on the road today it looks like, and it won’t look like a Prius?

You’ll know its a Chevrolet and you’ll know its a Volt. But does it look like any of our competitors vehicles? I don’t think so.

Were you able to keep the greenhouse height low?

We made the roof go as low as we could without compromising safety or comfort. We kept the roof low for style but also primarily for aerodynamic reasons. There’s the coefficient of drag and there’s aso the frontal area of the car. By keeping the roof down, we present a smaller frontal area.

Can you say whether there will be one or two charging ports?

The charging port or ports are in fact well-placed.

It was reported that you are revealing the car in Paris in mid-October, is that publicly confirmed?

We have not revealed when we are going to show the car. Any reports to that effect are conjecture.

Are you presently designing other E-Flex vehicles?

Yes, we are working on other vehicles. We are working on more than one other vehicle that uses this architecture and powertrain. I’m certainly not going to tell you what they are at this point. The E-Flex powertrain is going to spread across more vehicles than just the volt.

Are you keeping the theme of how the glass goes down into the body?

Its safe to say we are keeping some of that theme. Not only is it cool to look at but it improves rear visibility.

Is the interior theme components and finishes final?

We are very close to being finished with the interior surfaces. The theme is essentially set. We’re playing with grains and gloss levels at this point. We know what the content is going to be. We’re down to the last, last little details.

With respect to the ipod-like dash, are there touch screen controls?

It’s going to be two dash screens, the center one is touch sensitive.

Is there going to be internet access in the car?

I don’t want to talk about that.

Will there be running prototypes that look like the final car by the end of this year, as others have reported?

Representative body will not meet representative powertrain until sometime next year, and that’s in a developmental form.

What was the reaction of the consumer focus group who actually got to see the production Chevy Volt?

It was overwhelmingly well-received. You didn’t hear any drawing of comparisons to other cars on the market, "it looks like that..etc". I was absolutely blown away by the positive reception to the car. Regardless of the powertrain technology, they loved the car. You cant give a designer a better compliment than that.

[az]

NOW I know what its grill design reminds me of: SAAB!

[Nowhere]

Hm, technically it's possible that Saab (GM after all...) worked on this one (which could also explain why lately Saab grills have become fugly :/ )

Overal, it seems like it could be one of few current US cars with look that I really like...except for the small detail of not being completely able to disregard trend of "must try hard to look mean/heavy/dumpy/etc." which in this case materialised itself mostly in "wrong" proportions of body to window sizes; there is hope this will improve, they talk about changing proportions a bit...but otoh pride themself in low roof "for style" (also), so I don't have high hopes. (but...changing proportions/line of the hood would also help, I think (especially since it's perfectly doable/there's not much of an engine inside)

[Fluff]

I want to know the range when it's winter time.

[Dr Mordrid]

The new LiION chemistries being tested have operational temperature ranges much wider than older ones (2 generations beyond your laptop). They're designing the vehicle to have a working range from N. Canada to the American southwest.

[Tjalfe]

how many charge cycles can these liION batteries handle, before they need replacing.. a typical laptop one is around 1000.. what is the replacement cost for a full set?

[Dr Mordrid]

GM's and outside simulations, and they have been extensive, put the upper limit at 15 years worth of driving or about 150,000 miles, but the warranty is expected to be 10 years/150,000 and the initial replacement cost between $8k and $10k. They're also talking about optionally leasing the batteries at a nominal cost so if one fails you drive in and they just replace it.

On the other hand by the time they wear out or are out of warranty far more powerful & cheaper storage units should be commonplace; they're in the labs now and are moving towards production. Make one in the same "T" shaped form factor and off you go.

NOW I know what its grill design reminds me of: SAAB!

Several in the development team, including managers, came from GM Europe - especially Opel.

[az]

Good that it doesn't look like an Opel, then (Though the Insignia is OK-looking)

I actually like the Volt's grill. It'll take a while for designers to learn what to do with all that blank space at the bow, now that no real grills are needed anymore. But as nowhere said, the whole car looks a bit too bulky for me. Can't wait to see what production cars will look like IRL.

[Dr Mordrid]

That isn't really a grill; it's a solid piece of metal for aerodynamic reasons. A bit of air is taken in from the slot at the bottom, but 95% comes in under the body.

The "look" was very much controlled by the wind tunnel, which will be the case for all new EV's; hybrid, E-Flex or otherwise. The coefficient of drag (CD) will continue to be a major factor in auto styling for some time.

[Nowhere]

I'm not really buying that "mean/heavy/dumpy/hood dominates optically/etc." look is neccesitated by aerodynamics. Looking at few examples:

Honda Insight - drag coefficient 0,25 (supposedly, among other things, due to down pulled hood, which Volt is an antiexample of)
Audi A2 - also 0,25 (one of the reasons as above)
Mercedes W221 - 0,26 (even with its gun sight at the front )
And so on... (numbers/list taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automob...g_coefficients )

Yes, frontal area also plays a role; in that case I'm not asking to make the car higher (so proportions of hood/body versus windowed area will be aesthetically pleasing), but to stop making the hood artificially big/standing out/mean looking, which is a very common trend in US cars from what I see... (oh, and if Insight, A2 and many more are a good examples it would help with aerodynamics)

PS. It all comes down to the thing that I don't want cars aesthetic to be influenced by the same thing that brought us this http://remiq.net/img/8279,balls,car,America,photo,.html

[Dr Mordrid]

YouTube video of the CAR Volt presentation.... Link...