Voltec , formerly known as E-Flex , is a General Motors powertrain released in November 2010. The Voltec architecture is primarily a plug-in capable, battery-dominant electric vehicle with additional fossil fuel powered series and parallel hybrid capabilities.
93-469: Voltec vehicles like the Chevrolet Volt are all electrically driven, feature common drivetrain components, and will be able to create electricity on board using either a fuel cell or a gasoline motor to generate electricity. Regenerative braking contributes to the on-board electricity generation. Voltec is a portmanteau word from Volt , Vo r tec and technology . The Voltec drivetrain
186-399: A ferromagnetic core. Electric current passing through the wire causes the magnetic field to exert a force ( Lorentz force ) on it, turning the rotor. Windings are coiled wires, wrapped around a laminated, soft, iron, ferromagnetic core so as to form magnetic poles when energized with current. Electric machines come in salient- and nonsalient-pole configurations. In a salient-pole motor
279-430: A magnetic field that passes through the rotor armature, exerting force on the rotor windings. The stator core is made up of many thin metal sheets that are insulated from each other, called laminations. These laminations are made of electrical steel , which has a specified magnetic permeability, hysteresis, and saturation. Laminations reduce losses that would result from induced circulating eddy currents that would flow if
372-399: A 1.5-liter engine that uses regular gasoline; the 18.4 kWh battery pack had new chemistry that stored 20% more electrical energy using fewer cells, 192 compared with 288 on the 2014 Volt. It had a new power controller that was integrated with the motor housing; the electric motors weighed 100 lb (45 kg) less and used smaller amounts of rare earth metals . GM engineers explained that
465-404: A 100- horsepower induction motor currently has the same mounting dimensions as a 7.5-horsepower motor in 1897. In 2022, electric motor sales were estimated to be 800 million units, increasing by 10% annually. Electric motors consume ≈50% of the world's electricity. Since the 1980s, the market share of DC motors has declined in favor of AC motors. An electric motor has two mechanical parts:
558-444: A 16 kWh (58 MJ ) lithium-ion battery energy storage system. The concept has a fuel tank with 12 US gal (45 L; 10.0 imp gal) capacity, yielding a claimed combined electric and gasoline driving range of 640 mi (1,030 km) and an overall fuel economy of 50 mpg ‑US (4.7 L/100 km; 60 mpg ‑imp ). Using a conventional household outlet (110 V AC, 15 A),
651-431: A 20-hp squirrel cage and a 100-hp wound rotor with a starting rheostat. These were the first three-phase asynchronous motors suitable for practical operation. Since 1889, similar developments of three-phase machinery were started Wenström. At the 1891 Frankfurt International Electrotechnical Exhibition, the first long distance three-phase system was successfully presented. It was rated 15 kV and extended over 175 km from
744-443: A 240 V 15 A SAE J1772 electrical vehicle supply. The lithium-ion battery in the initial Voltec production vehicle is kept in a state-of-charge (SOC) range of between 30% and 80%, with the on-board generator that works to maintain the battery at the 30% charge level. As initially released, the high-voltage storage battery had a gross capacity of 16 kW-hr; it was upgraded to 16.5 and then 17.1 kW-hr in 2014. The GM codes for
837-603: A ceremony at its Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Plant on November 30, 2010, to introduce the first Chevrolet Volt off the assembly line. The first Volt built for retail sale was earmarked for display at GM's Heritage Center museum in Sterling Heights, Michigan . The second unit was offered at a public auction, with an opening bid of US$ 50,000 and it was won by Rick Hendrick who paid US$ 225,000 . The proceeds went to fund mathematics and sciences education in Detroit through
930-470: A commutator-type direct-current electric motor was built by American inventors Thomas Davenport and Emily Davenport , which he patented in 1837. The motors ran at up to 600 revolutions per minute, and powered machine tools and a printing press. Due to the high cost of primary battery power , the motors were commercially unsuccessful and bankrupted the Davenports. Several inventors followed Sturgeon in
1023-463: A comparatively small air gap. The St. Louis motor, long used in classrooms to illustrate motor principles, is inefficient for the same reason, as well as appearing nothing like a modern motor. Electric motors revolutionized industry. Industrial processes were no longer limited by power transmission using line shafts, belts, compressed air or hydraulic pressure. Instead, every machine could be equipped with its own power source, providing easy control at
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#17327903216621116-405: A driveshaft extending to the rear wheels. The transmission is schematically similar to the 5ET50 transaxle, with an additional planetary gearset and two more clutches, primarily for performance; the output of the two coupled pinion gear carriers (P1 and P2) is coupled to the sun gear of the third planetary gearset (S3), and the pinion gear carrier of the third planetary gearset (P3) provides output to
1209-422: A generator and the other as motor. The drum rotor was introduced by Friedrich von Hefner-Alteneck of Siemens & Halske to replace Pacinotti's ring armature in 1872, thus improving the machine efficiency. The laminated rotor was introduced by Siemens & Halske the following year, achieving reduced iron losses and increased induced voltages. In 1880, Jonas Wenström provided the rotor with slots for housing
1302-424: A hybrid. In general, power is drawn from the batteries for the electric traction motor which moves the vehicle. As realized in the 2007 Volt concept, the initial E-Flex design includes an electric traction motor with peak power and torque outputs of 120 kW (160 hp) and 320 N⋅m (240 lbf⋅ft), a 1 L 3-cylinder gasoline engine coupled to a generator with an output of 53 kW (71 hp), and
1395-437: A model electric vehicle that same year. A major turning point came in 1864, when Antonio Pacinotti first described the ring armature (although initially conceived in a DC generator, i.e. a dynamo). This featured symmetrically grouped coils closed upon themselves and connected to the bars of a commutator, the brushes of which delivered practically non-fluctuating current. The first commercially successful DC motors followed
1488-1037: A power grid, inverters or electrical generators. Electric motors may be classified by considerations such as power source type, construction, application and type of motion output. They can be brushed or brushless , single-phase , two-phase , or three-phase , axial or radial flux , and may be air-cooled or liquid-cooled. Standardized motors provide power for industrial use. The largest are used for ship propulsion, pipeline compression and pumped-storage applications, with output exceeding 100 megawatts . Applications include industrial fans, blowers and pumps, machine tools, household appliances, power tools, vehicles, and disk drives. Small motors may be found in electric watches. In certain applications, such as in regenerative braking with traction motors , electric motors can be used in reverse as generators to recover energy that might otherwise be lost as heat and friction. Electric motors produce linear or rotary force ( torque ) intended to propel some external mechanism. This makes them
1581-435: A pure battery electric vehicle until its battery capacity drops to a predetermined threshold from full charge. From there, its internal combustion engine powers an electric generator to extend the vehicle's range as needed. While running on gasoline at high speeds the engine may be mechanically linked (by a clutch) to a generator set, improving efficiency by 10% to 15%. The Volt's regenerative braking also contributes to
1674-550: A pure ethanol (E100) engine, a diesel engine capable of running biodiesel fuel, or even a hydrogen fuel cell , once that technology becomes practical. Another power-source option which does not rely on an internal combustion engine at all, was demonstrated in the Volt hydrogen fuel cell concept vehicle, which appeared at the 2007 Shanghai Auto Show . However, due to the high cost of fuel cells compared to newer lower cost lithium batteries, General Motors has publicly suggested that
1767-425: A rotating bar winding rotor. Steadfast in his promotion of three-phase development, Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky invented the three-phase induction motor in 1889, of both types cage-rotor and wound rotor with a starting rheostat, and the three-limb transformer in 1890. After an agreement between AEG and Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon , Doliwo-Dobrowolski and Charles Eugene Lancelot Brown developed larger models, namely
1860-398: A solid core were used. Mains powered AC motors typically immobilize the wires within the windings by impregnating them with varnish in a vacuum. This prevents the wires in the winding from vibrating against each other which would abrade the wire insulation and cause premature failures. Resin-packed motors, used in deep well submersible pumps, washing machines, and air conditioners, encapsulate
1953-584: A type of actuator . They are generally designed for continuous rotation, or for linear movement over a significant distance compared to its size. Solenoids also convert electrical power to mechanical motion, but over only a limited distance. Before modern electromagnetic motors, experimental motors that worked by electrostatic force were investigated. The first electric motors were simple electrostatic devices described in experiments by Scottish monk Andrew Gordon and American experimenter Benjamin Franklin in
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#17327903216622046-493: A world record, which Jacobi improved four years later in September 1838. His second motor was powerful enough to drive a boat with 14 people across a wide river. It was also in 1839/40 that other developers managed to build motors with similar and then higher performance. In 1827–1828, Jedlik built a device using similar principles to those used in his electromagnetic self-rotors that was capable of useful work. He built
2139-592: A wound rotor forming a self-starting induction motor , and the third a true synchronous motor with separately excited DC supply to rotor winding. One of the patents Tesla filed in 1887, however, also described a shorted-winding-rotor induction motor. George Westinghouse , who had already acquired rights from Ferraris (US$ 1,000), promptly bought Tesla's patents (US$ 60,000 plus US$ 2.50 per sold hp, paid until 1897), employed Tesla to develop his motors, and assigned C.F. Scott to help Tesla; however, Tesla left for other pursuits in 1889. The constant speed AC induction motor
2232-496: Is a one-way clutch, which prevents motor/generator A from turning the engine backward. The Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid uses the same basic two-motor Voltec drive unit/transaxle design and general layout as the second-generation Volt; however, compared to the Volt, the Malibu Hybrid is not a plug-in hybrid and has a smaller battery. Consequently, the Malibu Hybrid operates in the charge-sustaining (CSx) modes more often, and
2325-408: Is designated 5ET50 (MKE), which is similar to the 5ET50 (MKV) used in the Volt, but omits the one-way sprag clutch on the first planetary gearset (labeled as "C3" in the Volt mode diagrams), which makes it impossible to run in two-motor mode (CD2). The Cadillac CT6 PHEV has a front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout which uses a longitudinally-mounted engine and the 4EL70 transmission (RPO MRD) with
2418-499: Is fitted with different rotors for its motor/generator units, sharing the same stators as the Volt. The Volt uses ferrite magnets for the rotor in M/G A and rare-earth magnets for the rotor in M/G B, while the Malibu Hybrid has rare-earth magnets for the rotors in both M/G A and B. The Malibu Hybrid offers the same three charge sustaining (CS1–CS3) operating modes as the Volt but only one charge draining mode (CD1). The Malibu Hybrid transaxle
2511-498: Is permanently coupled to the sun gear of the same gearset; the pinion carrier drives the wheels through a reduction gear and differential. Using this design, the transaxle is able to switch between series hybrid and split output modes, with low ranges provided as a series hybrid using one motor and high ranges provided by split output which blends output from both motors. There are six basic operating modes, depending on clutch engagement and engine operation; General Motors have classified
2604-402: Is smaller than the corresponding motor in the first-generation Voltec, reducing the weight of the transaxle from 164 to 119 kg (362 to 262 lb). The second generation Volt has five different operating modes, two charge-depletion (all-electric), CD1 and CD2, and three charge-sustaining (hybrid), CS1 to CS3. These are: The clutch (C3) on the ring gear of the second planetary gearset (R2)
2697-483: The South Side Elevated Railroad , where it became popularly known as the " L ". Sprague's motor and related inventions led to an explosion of interest and use in electric motors for industry. The development of electric motors of acceptable efficiency was delayed for several decades by failure to recognize the extreme importance of an air gap between the rotor and stator. Efficient designs have
2790-439: The armature . Two or more electrical contacts called brushes made of a soft conductive material like carbon press against the commutator. The brushes make sliding contact with successive commutator segments as the rotator turns, supplying current to the rotor. The windings on the rotor are connected to the commutator segments. The commutator reverses the current direction in the rotor windings with each half turn (180°), so
2883-446: The 16 kWh capacity to reduce the rate of capacity degradation, limiting the state of charge (SOC) up to 80% of capacity and never depleting the battery below 30%. GM also expected the battery to withstand 5,000 full discharges without losing more than 10% of its charge capacity. According to GM, as of August 2016 , no batteries had been changed due to degradation. In April 2008 GM started extensive battery testing. In two years,
GM Voltec powertrain - Misplaced Pages Continue
2976-416: The 1740s. The theoretical principle behind them, Coulomb's law , was discovered but not published, by Henry Cavendish in 1771. This law was discovered independently by Charles-Augustin de Coulomb in 1785, who published it so that it is now known by his name. Due to the difficulty of generating the high voltages they required, electrostatic motors were never used for practical purposes. The invention of
3069-561: The 2009 Green Car Vision Award , 2011 Green Car of the Year , 2011 North American Car of the Year , 2011 World Green Car , 2011 SAE Best engineered car, 2012 European Car of the Year , and 2016 Green Car of the Year. The production design model officially unveiled on September 16, 2008, as part of General Motors (GM) centennial celebration at the Wintergarden headquarters in Detroit. The production model differed greatly in design from
3162-528: The Alaskan tundra . In April 2008 the lithium-ion battery pack was placed in Chevrolet Malibus fitted with the Volt powertrain to be used as test mules for further real-world testing. In October 2008, GM chose CPI (LG Chemical) to provide the battery systems for the first production version of the Volt. In July 2008, GM confirmed that a non-turbocharged, 1.4 L 4-cylinder engine would be used as
3255-918: The Detroit Public Schools Foundation. Deliveries to retail customers in the United States began in mid December 2010. Volt deliveries began in Canada in September 2011. The first deliveries of the Chevrolet Volt in Europe took place in November 2011. The European version of the Volt, the Opel Ampera, was released to retail customers in Europe in February 2012. Deliveries of the right-hand drive Vauxhall Ampera in
3348-582: The Lauffen waterfall on the Neckar river. The Lauffen power station included a 240 kW 86 V 40 Hz alternator and a step-up transformer while at the exhibition a step-down transformer fed a 100-hp three-phase induction motor that powered an artificial waterfall, representing the transfer of the original power source. The three-phase induction is now used for the vast majority of commercial applications. Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky claimed that Tesla's motor
3441-793: The UK began in May 2012. The Holden Volt was released in Australia in December 2012. The second generation Chevrolet Volt was unveiled at the January 2015 North American International Auto Show . Retail deliveries began in the United States and Canada in October 2015 as a 2016 model year , with 1,324 units delivered in the U.S. that month. Availability in the American market was limited to California and
3534-552: The United Kingdom and as the Opel Ampera in the remainder of Europe. Volt production ended in February 2019. Sales of the 2011 Volt began in the United States in mid-December 2010, followed by some European countries and other international markets in 2011. Global combined Volt/Ampera-family sales totaled about 177,000 units by the end of October 2018. The U.S. was the leading market, with 157,054 Volts delivered through
3627-426: The Volt will not be using fuel cells in any near term production vehicles. The first generation production Volt is propelled by an electric motor with a peak output of 111 kW (149 hp). Ordinarily, the Volt charged while at home overnight ( plug-in hybrid -mode) through a charging port. A full charge reportedly takes 10-12 hours from a standard North American 120 V , 15 A household outlet, or 4 hours from
3720-732: The all-electric Opel Ampera-e hatchback would go into production in 2017. This is the European version of the Chevrolet Bolt EV . In April 2015, General Motors confirmed that it would not build the second-generation Volt in right-hand-drive configuration. Only 246 units had been sold in Australia by mid-April 2015, and the Holden Volt was discontinued once the remaining stock was sold . The Volt received awards from multiple organizations: U.S. organizations International organizations European organizations Rest of
3813-511: The all-electric range and fuel economy ratings are the same for the 2017 model year Volt. The second-generation Volt seats five rather than four, as in the first generation. In April 2013, CEO Daniel Akerson announced that GM expected the second generation Volt to be priced on the order of US$ 7,000 to US$ 10,000 lower than the 2013 model year with the same features. The 2016 Volt pricing started at US$ 33,170 before any government incentives , plus US$ 825 for destination. The starting price
GM Voltec powertrain - Misplaced Pages Continue
3906-423: The all-electric range to 53 miles (85 km), its EPA-rated fuel economy in charge-sustaining mode to 42 mpg ‑US (5.6 L/100 km; 50 mpg ‑imp ), and the combined city/highway fuel economy in all-electric mode to 106 MPG-e, up from 98 MPG-e. Deliveries to retail customers in the U.S. and Canada began in October 2015 as a 2016 model year . The Volt won several awards, including
3999-462: The battery could be recharged in 6 1 ⁄ 2 hours. The E-Flex could be considered a power-split hybrid, as the platform shares aspects of both series hybrid and parallel hybrid designs. Like a series hybrid, the internal combustion engine is not connected to the transmission, so it can run at a constant speed for both optimal efficiency and mechanical simplicity (i.e., there is no need for variable cam phasing). Starting from rest, E-Flex uses
4092-411: The battery, the platform supports multiple options for charging the battery. As described at the 2007 NAIAS, the initial configuration used a turbocharged 1.0-liter engine with three cylinders; this was a flex-fuel engine capable of running gasoline or E85 (85% ethanol , 15% gasoline), although this engine never made it to production vehicles. Alternative engine-generator options mentioned included
4185-476: The carmaker put the battery packs to the equivalent of 150,000 real-world miles (240,000 km) and 10 years of use. The durability of the battery pack was tested for a broad range of extreme ambient conditions including a shaker table to simulate potholes and a thermal chamber, to simulate temperatures varying from 116 °F (47 °C), typical of the Southwest deserts, to −40 °F (−40 °C) typical of
4278-527: The concept car was the seating, as the production Volt seats four rather than five passengers. This change was due to the higher-than-usual central tunnel that runs from the front console to the rear seat that houses the car's T-shaped battery pack. After the concept was put into the pipeline for production, GM began looking for a partner to develop the Volt's lithium-ion battery pack. The carmaker evaluated about 25 battery cell chemistries and constructions from around two dozen lithium-ion battery makers around
4371-474: The development of DC motors, but all encountered the same battery cost issues. As no electricity distribution system was available at the time, no practical commercial market emerged for these motors. After many other more or less successful attempts with relatively weak rotating and reciprocating apparatus Prussian/Russian Moritz von Jacobi created the first real rotating electric motor in May 1834. It developed remarkable mechanical output power. His motor set
4464-478: The developments by Zénobe Gramme who, in 1871, reinvented Pacinotti's design and adopted some solutions by Werner Siemens . A benefit to DC machines came from the discovery of the reversibility of the electric machine, which was announced by Siemens in 1867 and observed by Pacinotti in 1869. Gramme accidentally demonstrated it on the occasion of the 1873 Vienna World's Fair , when he connected two such DC devices up to 2 km from each other, using one of them as
4557-525: The driveshaft. Because the transmission retains the one-way clutch (C3), mode CD2 (dual electric motor operation) is available. Like the 5ET50 (MKV), Motor/Generator A in the 4EL70 was designed to eliminate the use of rare earth materials; M/G B is related to the traction motor used for the Chevrolet Spark EV . GM chose its Global Delta II compact vehicle architecture for its first Voltec applications. Volt Production began in November 2010 with
4650-508: The electric energy produced in the US. In 1824, French physicist François Arago formulated the existence of rotating magnetic fields , termed Arago's rotations , which, by manually turning switches on and off, Walter Baily demonstrated in 1879 as in effect the first primitive induction motor . In the 1880s many inventors were trying to develop workable AC motors because AC's advantages in long-distance high-voltage transmission were offset by
4743-576: The electric grid, provided for electric distribution to trolleys via overhead wires and the trolley pole, and provided control systems for electric operations. This allowed Sprague to use electric motors to invent the first electric trolley system in 1887–88 in Richmond, Virginia , the electric elevator and control system in 1892, and the electric subway with independently powered centrally-controlled cars. The latter were first installed in 1892 in Chicago by
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#17327903216624836-489: The electric traction motor alone to drive the wheels; mechanical power from the engine is used strictly to drive the generator, which in turn charges the battery pack. At high demand in charge sustaining mode, the motor output stays high to build up a charge. However, by definition, the E-Flex transmission design makes it a parallel hybrid, as the planetary gearset which drives the wheels is coupled to both mechanical power (from
4929-474: The electrochemical battery by Alessandro Volta in 1799 made possible the production of persistent electric currents. Hans Christian Ørsted discovered in 1820 that an electric current creates a magnetic field, which can exert a force on a magnet. It only took a few weeks for André-Marie Ampère to develop the first formulation of the electromagnetic interaction and present the Ampère's force law , that described
5022-483: The end of 2019, followed by Canada with 16,653 Volts sold through September 2018. Just over 10,000 Opel/Vauxhall Ampera cars had been sold in Europe as of June 2016 . Until December 2018, the Volt/Ampera family of vehicles was the world's bestselling plug-in hybrid vehicle. When it was discontinued, the Chevrolet Volt was still listed as the top-selling plug-in hybrid in the American market. The Volt operates as
5115-482: The engine) and electrical power (from the motor), similar to the operation of a Toyota Prius. The Prius uses the electric motor to assist the engine; in contrast, the Voltec design uses the engine to assist the electric traction motor. As a result, the Voltec design engages mechanical assist from the engine only when the battery is depleted to 30% state of charge or lower. Since the electric traction motor draws power from
5208-639: The first Volts delivered to retail customers in December 2010 Chevrolet Volt The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid and extended-range electric vehicle car that was manufactured by General Motors , and also marketed in rebadged variants as the Holden Volt in Australia and New Zealand and the Buick Velite 5 in China, and with a different fascia as the Vauxhall Ampera in
5301-472: The first device to contain the three main components of practical DC motors: the stator , rotor and commutator. The device employed no permanent magnets, as the magnetic fields of both the stationary and revolving components were produced solely by the currents flowing through their windings. The first commutator DC electric motor capable of turning machinery was invented by English scientist William Sturgeon in 1832. Following Sturgeon's work,
5394-583: The first factory-built Volt was produced at the Detroit Hamtramck Assembly Plant to test the production line and for quality control purposes, both of the tooling and the pre-production vehicles produced before regular production began. Tony Posawatz was the Volt Vehicle Line Director from 2006 to 2012, and he was known as employee #1 and led the team from concept to production. General Motors held
5487-445: The first generation Volt. The GM code for the second-generation Voltec powertrain drive unit (transaxle) is 5ET50. Compared to the first-generation 4ET50/55 transaxles, the overall design has shifted closer to being a parallel hybrid, running more often using mechanical power from the engine supplemented by the electric motors in hybrid mode. A second planetary gear set has been added and the planetary gears are interconnected by coupling
5580-465: The first-generation Volt and ELR, that occurs in one operating mode (CS2), and in that mode, the engine is considered to assist the electric traction motor (B). The refreshed 2016 Volt featured a 1.5L I4 engine generator that runs on regular, rather than premium gasoline, and an upgraded battery pack with greater capacity of 18.4 kW-hr, giving an estimated 52 mi (84 km) of all-electric range per charge, compared to 41 mi (66 km) with
5673-567: The first-generation Voltec powertrain drive unit ( transaxle ) are 4ET50 (RPO MKA for the Chevrolet Volt) and 4ET55 (RPO MKD for the Cadillac ELR ). This transaxle integrates a torque dampener (serving the same purpose as a torque converter in a conventional automatic transmission ), motor/generator A, the planetary gearset, three clutches, drive motor B, and a final drive including a reduction gear and differential. As described in
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#17327903216625766-586: The inability to operate motors on AC. The first alternating-current commutatorless induction motor was invented by Galileo Ferraris in 1885. Ferraris was able to improve his first design by producing more advanced setups in 1886. In 1888, the Royal Academy of Science of Turin published Ferraris's research detailing the foundations of motor operation, while concluding at that time that "the apparatus based on that principle could not be of any commercial importance as motor." Possible industrial development
5859-644: The load are exerted beyond the outermost bearing, the load is said to be overhung. The rotor is supported by bearings , which allow the rotor to turn on its axis by transferring the force of axial and radial loads from the shaft to the motor housing. A DC motor is usually supplied through a split ring commutator as described above. AC motors' commutation can be achieved using either a slip ring commutator or external commutation. It can be fixed-speed or variable-speed control type, and can be synchronous or asynchronous. Universal motors can run on either AC or DC. DC motors can be operated at variable speeds by adjusting
5952-546: The magnet, showing that the current gave rise to a close circular magnetic field around the wire. Faraday published the results of his discovery in the Quarterly Journal of Science , and sent copies of his paper along with pocket-sized models of his device to colleagues around the world so they could also witness the phenomenon of electromagnetic rotations. This motor is often demonstrated in physics experiments, substituting brine for (toxic) mercury. Barlow's wheel
6045-417: The modes according to power flow to or from the battery. These include two charge-depletion (all-electric) modes, CD1 and CD2, and two charge-sustaining (extended-range / hybrid) modes, CS1 and CS2. In brief: The patent includes two additional neutral modes where little to no tractive power is being applied. From the patent, the engine provides tractive power only when both clutches C2 and C3 are engaged. For
6138-554: The on-board electricity generation. Under the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) cycle, the 2013–15 model year Volt all-electric range is 38 mi (61 km), with a combined electric mode/gasoline-only rating of 62 mpg ‑US (3.8 L/100 km; 74 mpg ‑imp ) equivalent (MPG equivalent). The second-generation Volt 's improved battery system and drivetrain increased
6231-507: The original concept car. The carmaker cited necessary aerodynamic changes needed to reduce the concept car's high drag coefficient of C d =0.43 down to C d =0.28, still higher than the Toyota Prius C d =0.25. Another reason was the use of General Motors's new global compact vehicle platform Delta II to keep costs reasonable, and shared with the 2010 model year Chevrolet Cruze . Another significant difference from
6324-485: The other 10 states that follow California's zero emission vehicle regulations. GM scheduled the second generation as a 2017 model year to be released in the 39 remaining states by early 2016. Manufacturing of the 2017 MY Volt began in February 2016, and the first units arrived at dealerships at the end of February 2016. The 2017 model complied with stricter Tier 3 emissions requirements and was available nationwide. The second generation Volt had an upgraded powertrain with
6417-404: The patent, the engine is coupled to the transaxle using a torque dampener, which is a selectively engaged clutch that couples the engine with the rotor of Motor/Generator A. In addition to the selective coupling with the engine, Motor/Generator A also may be coupled to the ring gear of a planetary gearset using a second clutch. A third clutch is provided to selectively ground the ring gear. Motor B
6510-485: The point of use, and improving power transmission efficiency. Electric motors applied in agriculture eliminated human and animal muscle power from such tasks as handling grain or pumping water. Household uses (like in washing machines, dishwashers, fans, air conditioners and refrigerators (replacing ice boxes ) of electric motors reduced heavy labor in the home and made higher standards of convenience, comfort and safety possible. Today, electric motors consume more than half of
6603-589: The previous model. The second generation rating for combined city/highway fuel economy in all-electric mode was 106 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (MPGe; 2.2 Le/100 km), up from 98 MPGe (2.4 Le/100 km) for the 2015 first generation model. The combined gasoline-electricity fuel economy rating of the 2016 model year Volt was 77 mpg ‑US (3.1 L/100 km; 92 mpg ‑imp ) equivalent , 82 MPGe (2.9 Le/100 km) in city driving and 72 MPGe (3.3 Le/100 km) in highway. Both
6696-485: The production of mechanical force by the interaction of an electric current and a magnetic field. Michael Faraday gave the first demonstration of the effect with a rotary motion on 3 September 1821 in the basement of the Royal Institution . A free-hanging wire was dipped into a pool of mercury, on which a permanent magnet (PM) was placed. When a current was passed through the wire, the wire rotated around
6789-813: The range extender, and that the intention was to build it in Flint, Michigan . In April 2009, General Motors let journalists test the Volt powertrain without the range-extending generator in the body of Chevrolet Cruze sedans that GM used as test mules at the GM Technical Center in Warren, Michigan . The first pre-production test car based on the final Volt design was built in June 2009, in Warren, Michigan, and by October 2009, 80 Volts had been built and were tested under various conditions. On March 31, 2010,
6882-428: The rotor and stator ferromagnetic cores have projections called poles that face each other. Wire is wound around each pole below the pole face, which become north or south poles when current flows through the wire. In a nonsalient-pole (distributed field or round-rotor) motor, the ferromagnetic core is a smooth cylinder, with the windings distributed evenly in slots around the circumference. Supplying alternating current in
6975-465: The rotor and the stator. The product between these two fields gives rise to a force and thus a torque on the motor shaft. One or both of these fields changes as the rotor turns. This is done by switching the poles on and off at the right time, or varying the strength of the pole. Motors can be designed to operate on DC current, on AC current, or some types can work on either. AC motors can be either asynchronous or synchronous. Synchronous motors require
7068-402: The rotor, which moves, and the stator, which does not. Electrically, the motor consists of two parts, the field magnets and the armature, one of which is attached to the rotor and the other to the stator. Together they form a magnetic circuit . The magnets create a magnetic field that passes through the armature. These can be electromagnets or permanent magnets . The field magnet is usually on
7161-611: The second generation Volt was developed with extensive input from Volt owners. The improvements allowed the 2016 Volt to deliver better EPA ratings than the first generation model. The all-electric range was rated at 53 mi (85 km), up from 38 mi (61 km) attained by the 2015 Volt. The gains in efficiency allowed the second generation to improve its combined fuel economy in gasoline-only ( charge-sustaining ) mode to 42 mpg ‑US (5.6 L/100 km; 50 mpg ‑imp ), up from 37 mpg ‑US (6.4 L/100 km; 44 mpg ‑imp ) for
7254-454: The stator and the armature on the rotor, but these may be reversed. The rotor is the moving part that delivers the mechanical power. The rotor typically holds conductors that carry currents, on which the magnetic field of the stator exerts force to turn the shaft. The stator surrounds the rotor, and usually holds field magnets, which are either electromagnets (wire windings around a ferromagnetic iron core) or permanent magnets . These create
7347-435: The stator in plastic resin to prevent corrosion and/or reduce conducted noise. An air gap between the stator and rotor allows it to turn. The width of the gap has a significant effect on the motor's electrical characteristics. It is generally made as small as possible, as a large gap weakens performance. Conversely, gaps that are too small may create friction in addition to noise. The armature consists of wire windings on
7440-406: The torque applied to the rotor is always in the same direction. Without this reversal, the direction of torque on each rotor winding would reverse with each half turn, stopping the rotor. Commutated motors have been mostly replaced by brushless motors , permanent magnet motors , and induction motors . The motor shaft extends outside of the motor, where it satisfies the load. Because the forces of
7533-456: The two pinion carriers together, which are coupled in turn to the transaxle output to the final drive differential and wheels. In addition, both electric motors now are used as motors and generators; motor/generator A uses ferrite magnets and has an output of 48 kW (64 hp) / 118 N⋅m (87 lbf⋅ft), while motor/generator B uses rare earth magnets and has an output of 87 kW (117 hp) / 280 N⋅m (210 lbf⋅ft). Each motor
7626-663: The voltage applied to the terminals or by using pulse-width modulation (PWM). AC motors operated at a fixed speed are generally powered directly from the grid or through motor soft starters . AC motors operated at variable speeds are powered with various power inverter , variable-frequency drive or electronic commutator technologies. The term electronic commutator is usually associated with self-commutated brushless DC motor and switched reluctance motor applications. Electric motors operate on one of three physical principles: magnetism , electrostatics and piezoelectricity . In magnetic motors, magnetic fields are formed in both
7719-406: The winding, further increasing the efficiency. In 1886, Frank Julian Sprague invented the first practical DC motor, a non-sparking device that maintained relatively constant speed under variable loads. Other Sprague electric inventions about this time greatly improved grid electric distribution (prior work done while employed by Thomas Edison ), allowed power from electric motors to be returned to
7812-431: The windings creates poles in the core that rotate continuously. A shaded-pole motor has a winding around part of the pole that delays the phase of the magnetic field for that pole. A commutator is a rotary electrical switch that supplies current to the rotor. It periodically reverses the flow of current in the rotor windings as the shaft rotates. It consists of a cylinder composed of multiple metal contact segments on
7905-655: The world organizations Electric motor An electric motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy . Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate force in the form of torque applied on the motor's shaft. An electric generator is mechanically identical to an electric motor, but operates in reverse, converting mechanical energy into electrical energy. Electric motors can be powered by direct current (DC) sources, such as from batteries or rectifiers , or by alternating current (AC) sources, such as
7998-509: The world. Due to their more promising cell technologies, two companies were selected in June 2007, Compact Power (CPI), which uses a lithium manganese oxide (LiMn 2 O 4 ) cell made by its parent company, LG Chemical ; and Continental Automotive Systems , which uses lithium iron phosphate based cylindrical cells made by A123Systems . By the end of October 2007 CPI (LG Chem) delivered their finished battery pack prototypes , and A123 delivered theirs by January 2008. GM's testing process
8091-473: Was US$ 1,175 lower than the 2015 Volt. In California, order books for the second generation Volt were opened on May 28, 2015. In July 2014, Opel announced that due to a slowdown in sales, they would discontinue the Ampera after the launch of the second generation Volt—and that between 2014 and 2018, Opel planned to introduce a successor electric vehicle in Europe. General Motors announced in February 2016 that
8184-508: Was an early refinement to this Faraday demonstration, although these and similar homopolar motors remained unsuited to practical application until late in the century. In 1827, Hungarian physicist Ányos Jedlik started experimenting with electromagnetic coils . After Jedlik solved the technical problems of continuous rotation with the invention of the commutator , he called his early devices "electromagnetic self-rotors". Although they were used only for teaching, in 1828 Jedlik demonstrated
8277-458: Was conducted at the laboratory the carmaker had created for the GM EV1 program. The battery packs included monitoring systems designed to keep the batteries cool and operating at optimum capacity despite a wide range of ambient temperatures. To ensure the battery pack would last 10 years and 150,000 miles (240,000 km) expected for the battery warranty, the Volt team decided to use only half of
8370-449: Was envisioned by Nikola Tesla , who invented independently his induction motor in 1887 and obtained a patent in May 1888. In the same year, Tesla presented his paper A New System of Alternate Current Motors and Transformers to the AIEE that described three patented two-phase four-stator-pole motor types: one with a four-pole rotor forming a non-self-starting reluctance motor , another with
8463-458: Was found not to be suitable for street cars, but Westinghouse engineers successfully adapted it to power a mining operation in Telluride, Colorado in 1891. Westinghouse achieved its first practical induction motor in 1892 and developed a line of polyphase 60 hertz induction motors in 1893, but these early Westinghouse motors were two-phase motors with wound rotors. B.G. Lamme later developed
8556-522: Was initially demonstrated as the E-Flex Propulsion System in the 2007 Chevrolet Volt concept vehicle that debuted at that year's North American International Auto Show . GM touted E-Flex as an attempt to standardize many components of possible future electrically propelled vehicles, and to allow multiple interchangeable electricity-generating systems. GM described the Volt an E-REV, for " extended-range electric vehicle", rather than
8649-438: Was not practical because of two-phase pulsations, which prompted him to persist in his three-phase work. The General Electric Company began developing three-phase induction motors in 1891. By 1896, General Electric and Westinghouse signed a cross-licensing agreement for the bar-winding-rotor design, later called the squirrel-cage rotor . Induction motor improvements flowing from these inventions and innovations were such that
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