According the article they have made changes to improve the drag coefficient. Hey, I'm no GM lover, but I'll give them a chance if they are willing to at least take some risks instead of cranking out another Buick Century.

At least it's not as ugly as the Prius...

*shrug*

That thing is so small I doubt it can realistically seat more than two. Build a hybrid car that's a two seater? FAIL.

Satan_Sunburn: That thing is so small I doubt it can realistically seat more than two. Build a hybrid car that's a two seater? FAIL.

It looks like it has 4 doors. I can't imagine with a roofline that low that visability is very good.

From the article:
I've always said I'd like to be able to sell it at around $30,000. The way things look now, it doesn't look like that's going to be possible. It looks like it's going to be more.

A prius right now starts at $21,100. I would guess that the plug-in prius would be more, but I would imagine that its still going to be much cheaper than this.

Is "fugly" a pre-requisite for making hybrids?

Chuck Wagon: It looks like it has 4 doors. I can't imagine with a roofline that low that visability is very good.

I saw the doors, but I still question the room in the back.

I read a while ago that most hybrid cars are using Toyota's algorithms (purchased from Toy) to manage their drive train. I wonder if the Volt gets a new brain?

perfect for when it's loaded on the tow truck.

Buick is tied with Lexus for being the most reliable car on the road, according to JD Power

FTA: "[the drag coeff is] in the mid-twos."

Does this mean it's somewhere around 2.5????

My Civic Hybrid's Cd is .67! What am I missing?

BobtheFascist: Is "fugly" a pre-requisite for making hybrids?

a steaming pile of THIS.

\I hate myself for THISSING

This is why US Car companies suck. Environmentally friendly cars aren't a fad. They should be a part of every design GM makes, not some special project.

This is why a good friend's manufacturing business just went under. He sold to car companies and the US companies caught the stupid hard enough to put him under. Put 500+ people out of work.

It would seem that subby didn't read the article -- or at least didn't pay attention.

Did the submitter even rtfa? It says the concept car had that issue with drag, and they fixed it.

I believe the current GM hybrids don't regenerate. I hope the Volt does that and allows an all electric option on the dash like the new Prius do.

xtex: At least it's not as ugly as the Prius...

Bite your tongue, the Prius is the:

Cutest. Car. Evah!

/'cept maybe the mini-Cooper

Eh... headline misrepresents article comment... howard stern's penis.

Lutz did it for the lulz.

I'm confused. The article calls it a "hybrid" but everything I've heard about this car (including the article itself!) is that its all electric.

If its all electric ... its not hybrid. Stupid journalism or am I confused?

wowzer97pooh: I believe the current GM hybrids don't regenerate. I hope the Volt does that and allows an all electric option on the dash like the new Prius do.

The Volt is all-electric drive, all the time, and will use regenerative braking. The internal combustion engine/fuel cell/whatever is used only as an auxiliary generator and has no physical connection with the drivetrain at all.

Goal is for the car to cover a typical US commute using the plug-in electric mode for the first 40-50 miles. This would allow some people to run electric only for their short day-to-day trips. The engine would only kick in on longer trips where more electricity is needed. It also allows the engine and generator to be matched so that the engine operates consistently at the most efficient speed, rather than varying based on vehicle speed.

KerwoodDerby

FTA: "[the drag coeff is] in the mid-twos."

Does this mean it's somewhere around 2.5????

My Civic Hybrid's Cd is .67! What am I missing?



Standard / Metric ?? :-)

KerwoodDerby: FTA: "[the drag coeff is] in the mid-twos."

Does this mean it's somewhere around 2.5????

My Civic Hybrid's Cd is .67! What am I missing?

I think it is referring to drag area (drag coefficient*area). 2.5 is really low in that case.

Satan_Sunburn

That thing is so small I doubt it can realistically seat more than two. Build a hybrid car that's a two seater? FAIL.


Yes, because no one who commutes solo in congested areas would have any use for a two-seater hybrid. Those people should have to drive around with a back seat that is perpetually empty.

Moon shot? Heh, doubt it. The photos are all too perfectly in focus and the shadows go the wrong way.

cfreak:I'm confused. The article calls it a "hybrid" but everything I've heard about this car (including the article itself!) is that its all electric. If its all electric ... its not hybrid. Stupid journalism or am I confused?

It's a hybrid (gas & electric):

GM Press Release

Drag coefficient in "the mid 2s" means ~.25 or so. A Prius has a Cd of .26, for instance.

Tigglebitties: xtex: At least it's not as ugly as the Prius...

Bite your tongue, the Prius is the:

Cutest. Car. Evah!

/'cept maybe the mini-Cooper

Urgh. You just made me picture a hot pink prius with hello kitty decals. Now I want to kill myself.

/after killing you, of course

Moonshot that's priced like a rimshot. GMAFB!

KerwoodDerby: Does this mean it's somewhere around 2.5????

My Civic Hybrid's Cd is .67! What am I missing?

I think they mean .25, by the way .67 is very bad.

"the blurst of times

Buick is tied with Lexus for being the most reliable car on the road, according to JD Power"

Thats solely because old people that buy Buicks don't notice that they are crap.

JD Power is crap, you should read into that. Just because noone reports issues, doesn't mean they don't exist.

KerwoodDerby: FTA: "[the drag coeff is] in the mid-twos."

Does this mean it's somewhere around 2.5????

My Civic Hybrid's Cd is .67! What am I missing?

I think he's refering to CdA, not Cd.
According to this, Civics are in the 7s.

Drag Coefficients (Wikipedia) (new window)

Leopold Stotch: wowzer97pooh: I believe the current GM hybrids don't regenerate. I hope the Volt does that and allows an all electric option on the dash like the new Prius do.

The Volt is all-electric drive, all the time, and will use regenerative braking. The internal combustion engine/fuel cell/whatever is used only as an auxiliary generator and has no physical connection with the drivetrain at all.

Goal is for the car to cover a typical US commute using the plug-in electric mode for the first 40-50 miles. This would allow some people to run electric only for their short day-to-day trips. The engine would only kick in on longer trips where more electricity is needed. It also allows the engine and generator to be matched so that the engine operates consistently at the most efficient speed, rather than varying based on vehicle speed.

Thank you for the update. I was a little pissed at GM for putting hybrids that didn't regenerate.

"Sooner rather than later": What a worthless statement.

The first time I heard it was when Bush #1 announced invasion plans for Iraq #1. I was a Bush fan (then) but I still couldn't escape the saying-nothing-while-appearing-to-say-something quality about it.

It's like saying: "How much does this cost?" and getting the reply, "It costs less rather than more."

Less or more than what?
Sooner or later than what?

Subby, that's not even close to what he said. I hate GM, but you're an idiot.

Leopold Stotch:It also allows the engine and generator to be matched so that the engine operates consistently at the most efficient speed, rather than varying based on vehicle speed.

I wonder why they don't use diesel? It's more efficient at constant RPM. That is why it's the the same design that these have used for decades:

Moon shot?

Yeah, that thing looks hideous.

GM vs. Toyota. Gee, I wonder who will win?

xanadian: I read that as "Money Shot."

I guess I need to get out more...

Or in, depending on how you look at it.

Sleepwalker's Wet Dream: Urgh. You just made me picture a hot pink prius with hello kitty decals. Now I want to kill myself.

I was just the enzyme, the reactants are all you.

KerwoodDerby: FTA: "[the drag coeff is] in the mid-twos."

Does this mean it's somewhere around 2.5????

My Civic Hybrid's Cd is .67! What am I missing?

I took that statement to mean ~0.25, not 2.5, which would put this car right with the Prius and Honda Insight. Or he may have meant C_dA (coefficient of drag times surface area), in which case 2.5 is phenomenal (and probably bullshiat, since the Prius has a C_dA of 6.24)

Or, Lutz could just be talking out of his ass.

Bite your tongue, the Prius is the:
Cutest. Car. Evah!

No. It's fat, stubby and has a big ass.

Back that fat ass up!

Honestly, why would you bother with a PoS Prius which has poor fuel economy (that beloved 70mpg number happens only if you know how to drive a hybrid. typically it's closer to 30mpg) and presents very real danger to yourself and EMS crews if they try to extricate you after a car crash.

Honestly, ignore the Prius and check out PZEV cars which run on gas, look better, aren't dangerous, and are just as green.

Why do they have to introduce new technology in niche designed cars? Like the EV-1, the Prius, this, etc.. Now, not only does someone need to decide if that's the car for them, they ALSO need to decide whether they like how the car looks!!

Just put the new technology in the OLD cars first - the: camry, altima, accord, taurus, minivans, etc

Just because it's new technology, don't put a provacative face on it - that is going to turn off some percentage of your customer base!

BunkyBrewman: ...and this is just the start.

The new 08 Tahoe is rated for approx. 21 MPG in the CITY. Should be out by the Spring.

Wow. That'll be here just in time for $4/gallon gas. Nothing like paying $10/day to commute to work (assuming 40 mile round trip).