Hybrid News

Filed under: MPG, Volvo

The classic Volvo box car wasn′t exactly aerodynamic. Safe for the vehicle occupants, sure, but not slippery. In the last few years, thought, the Swedes have been working to make their cars more efficient and have rebuilt their wind tunnel to further push down CO₂ emissions and fuel use. The new tunnel is supposed to better recreate the effects of wind on a car moving down the road by giving a better picture of the air flowing under the car.

The tunnel’s new fan is made up of nine carbon fiber blades with a diameter of 8.15 meters. Total cost for the facility was 20 million euros, and has already helped reshape the new Volvo ᩊ DRIVe so it produces three fewer grams of CO₂ per kilometer. Volvo says that this difference means a driver who goes 15,000 km a year will use 45 fewer liters, about one tank, of fuel. That may not be huge on an individual level, but it’s not bad for 20 mil. More manufacturer-approved details after the break.

[Source: Volvo]

Continue reading Volvo’s new wind tunnel can save you a tank of gas a year

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Chevrolet, GM, AutoblogGreen Exclusive, Green Daily

At the General Motors Technical Center on Monday, the company provided another in a series of updates on development of the Chevrolet Volt as it approaches a production launch in late 2010. This time around the subject was aerodynamics and styling, both inside and out.

When the Volt concept was revealed almost a year ago, one of the big questions from readers here and elsewhere was about the aerodynamics. The exterior design team led by Bob Boniface had created a very striking design that looked absolutely nothing like the legendary EV1 teardrop. Judging from the first teaser shot we saw of the production design (above, and read more here), some things were going to have to change.

Read on past the jump to find out more.

[Source: General Motors]

At the General Motors Technical Center on Monday, the company provided another in a series of updates on development of the Chevrolet Volt as it approaches a production launch in late 2010. This time around the subject was aerodynamics and styling, both inside and out.

When the Volt concept was revealed almost a year ago, one of the big questions from readers here and elsewhere was about the aerodynamics. The exterior design team led by Bob Boniface had created a very striking design that looked absolutely nothing like the legendary EV1 teardrop. Judging from the first teaser shot we saw of the production design (above, and read more here), some things were going to have to change.

Read on past the jump to find out more.

[Source: General Motors]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Chevrolet

One of questions that went unanswered after the debut of the Chevy Volt earlier this year was the drag coefficient. Last night at a dinner with bloggers before the opening of the Los Angeles Auto Show, GM Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz provided a clue. While talking about the Volt he said that the production version would look different from the concept but will be recognizable as a Volt. When they put the concept into the wind tunnel it was a huge disappointment. Lutz said they might have gotten better results if they put it in backwards.

[Source: Bob Lutz]

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Original post by Sam Abuelsamid

Filed under: Hybrid, GM, USA

After browsing through some of your comments on the post we did about the latest GM Volt developments, we came across a link to a very interesting video thats causing a stir right now. Filmed and narrated Jeff Gilbert, a radio reporter for Detroit’s WWJ (950 on your AM dial), it a offers a rare glimpse behind the curtain into the electric lab and wind tunnel at the GM Technical Center. In addition to action shots of aerodynamics testing, we see the battery packs and a Chevy Malibu being transformed into a Volt powertrain mule. That we see any of it at all is remarkable, seeing as there was a strict no-cameras policy in effect for this media visit. Hats off to Gilbert for having the juice to get himself a waiver.

Above all else, it’s the aerodynamic testing that gets our attention. It featured a one-third-size Volt with the actual final production styling (pictured above). The concept version that we’ve all seen required extensive changes because its drag coefficient was as good backwards as forwards, and so it seems this is the design GM has decided on.

Follow the jump to watch the video and see a still shot of the Volt’s front end. Thanks to Tim for the heads-up!

[Source: YouTube]

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Original post by Domenick Yoney