Topic: Test Drive: 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco

[Rupert]

   All of these car designs are responding to environmental pressures in ways not dreamed to be mainstream a few years ago. Obviously the use of energy 'is what it is' and overall useage for the given conditions does not change. What the 'overall' effect is on greenhouse concerns is unknown. However the lower use of gas at the pump is obviously a positive feature; being replaced by off-peak electrical supply; which is good if this feature keeps nuke plants operating more efficiently or keeps windmills operating. It's a win/win I would have thought...again the overall is unknown by anyone I suspect.
That being said I think that the Volt strives for much more than total electric vehicles and seems to be successful at this...you don't have to be worried about being stranded. Our present use of a vehicle would probably mean that we would hardly visit a gas station much at all with a Volt but some trips would require some gas inputs...no problem seemingly. Retired people obviously don't have to drive to work every day but many of those that do, might benefit here also.
   The way that I see it is that the Volt et.al prices are too much and the 'luxo' mantra not required. Get the price down...get the weight down and target the mainstream and not the well off. Many folk who could benefit from this tecnology in a realistic way...are not in a position to take out a mortgage on one.
   On another note..we are putting far too much HP out there for the mandated duty that transportation equipment has to satisfy and just tackling this aspect would have a big positive effect on our lives.
 

[tpl]

On another note..we are putting far too much HP out there for the mandated duty that transportation equipment has to satisfy and just tackling this aspect would have a big positive effect on our lives.
 

I well remember the boring low powered cars of the mid-'70s through mid '80s. I'd rather have a over-sufficiency of horsepower and use a bit more fuel if that's ok with you.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

The Mazda3 is a pretty good car. So is the Leaf. What they can't do is commute for weeks without adding gasoline and still take the occasional road trip.

This site tracks Volt fuel economy. Median fuel economy is currently sitting at 198.06 mpg.

https://www.voltstats.net/

How does it drive when the battery is depleted? My understanding is the gas engine will drone at a rather high RPM trying to charge the battery but I doubt the 1.3 will provide enough power for a safe passing maneuver especially when not directly connected to the drivetrain. Am I wrong?

Yes. It still has the full power of the electric motor driving the wheels. The Volt only cycles 8kWh of it's 16kWh battery. The remaining battery capacity is used to provide a buffer for peak loading. At speeds over 70mph the engine is also coupled to the drive wheels, as it's more efficient that way.

Median fuel econsumption in this mode is 35.38 US mpg.

[Erik]

The Mazda3 is a pretty good car. So is the Leaf. What they can't do is commute for weeks without adding gasoline and still take the occasional road trip.

This site tracks Volt fuel economy. Median fuel economy is currently sitting at 198.06 mpg.

https://www.voltstats.net/

How does it drive when the battery is depleted? My understanding is the gas engine will drone at a rather high RPM trying to charge the battery but I doubt the 1.3 will provide enough power for a safe passing maneuver especially when not directly connected to the drivetrain. Am I wrong?

In mountain mode, it will drone a bit, but regularly running, it is still smoother and quieter than a regular car.

Yup, you are wrong.
The performance doesn't change. The Volt is always driven by its electric motor. It cannot move by the gas engine alone. The battery never totally depleted. When it starts getting low, the gas engine kicks in as a generator to keep it at the same level of charge - about 20% if I remember correctly. So the performance of the car does not significantly change.

[Vanstar]

Just returned from a business trip, where my rental was a Malibu "Hybrid."

The car is small, heavy and the rear seat totally inadequate for anyone over the age of ten. It wasn't particularly easy on fuel, either.

Accelerations is so-so at best, while handling is safe and secure.

This car is an epic fail in my opinion. Sixty billion for this is not a good use of tax dollars in my opinion. The previous one was better. This one is a step backwards.

[whaddaiknow]

The Mazda3 is a pretty good car. So is the Leaf. What they can't do is commute for weeks without adding gasoline and still take the occasional road trip.

This site tracks Volt fuel economy. Median fuel economy is currently sitting at 198.06 mpg.

https://www.voltstats.net/

How does it drive when the battery is depleted? My understanding is the gas engine will drone at a rather high RPM trying to charge the battery but I doubt the 1.3 will provide enough power for a safe passing maneuver especially when not directly connected to the drivetrain. Am I wrong?

In mountain mode, it will drone a bit, but regularly running, it is still smoother and quieter than a regular car.

Yup, you are wrong.
The performance doesn't change. The Volt is always driven by its electric motor. It cannot move by the gas engine alone. The battery never totally depleted. When it starts getting low, the gas engine kicks in as a generator to keep it at the same level of charge - about 20% if I remember correctly. So the performance of the car does not significantly change.

Don't mind being wrong and thanks for the explanation.

One thing still doesn't seem to add up in my mind. Say, the battery is at 20%. The 1.3L engine kicks in. How is it possible for a small engine to maintain the 20% charge level and generate enough power on top of that to propel this hefty car without feeling performance degradation? How much HP does the 1.3L generate?
The answer may be that, on average while cruising, we draw a small percentage of the MAX power available, and for passing, the remaining 20% charge will allow for short bursts of power? That would make sense.

It just takes a bit of thinking outside the box to undestand the little intricacies of the technology. When my I6 engine runs at ~3,000RPM at 120km/h, it does so with partial throttle input. The 1.3 in the Volt can suck in more fuel (more towards WOT point), and this generates enough power to charge the battery and propel the car, running at the same speed (RPM) depending on the resistance from the generator (rate of charge). This is a concept that doesn't click right away.

So maybe I just answered my own question 

Thanks again for the input.

Malibu still sucks though.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

The main drive motor is 149hp, the motor/generator is about 74hp. The 1.4L engine is about 83hp.

It takes about 15hp to move a car at highway speeds, up to 30hp on a steep highway. The engine has enough reserve to maintain the battery and move the car.

[EV Dan]

Both C-Max Energi and Prius plug-in Hybrid can now operate on stored electricity as well, albeit for shorter distances, also without a drop of gas (at first). We classify them as hybrids. The fact that Volt uses a different type of Hybrid powertrain (that has the same engine, motor and storage) does not make it an EV. If it has an engine, it is a hybrid, there is no way around it.
If Tesla or Leaf used an auxiliary tiny CNG turbine-generator, even for "emergency" charging, I would still call both hybrids since they would alternate between TWO power sources for their propulsion. Only if those CNG turbines were hitch-able behind in a trailer the cars would be pure EVs, until you hook up the trailer and plug it in the car circuit.
P.S. in a strict mechanical sense my e-bike is a hybrid too (electric-muscle)