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Chevrolet Bolt EV Is the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year

motortrend.com

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Re: Chevrolet Bolt EV Is the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year

#11

Post by sliken »

reitzensteinm wrote: post #8
tener wrote: post #2

This largely reads as a paid ad. There are plenty of numbers comparing old and new models, yet very few when they compare to Tesla. It would be interesting to read a more neutral comparison though.

If they heavily compared it with the Tesla, it would be a sign that the technology isn't ready for mainstream adoption. Only enthusiasts set on buying an EV will sit down and compare the two given the 2x price difference. For most, the purchasing decision will be squarely against petrol vehicles in the same class.

Plenty of references are made to other cars. Various aspects are compared to the Focus RS, Fiat 124, Golf GTI, and Prius.

Re: Chevrolet Bolt EV Is the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year

#12

Post by johnm1019 »

tener wrote: post #2

This largely reads as a paid ad. There are plenty of numbers comparing old and new models, yet very few when they compare to Tesla. It would be interesting to read a more neutral comparison though.

While I agree the tone of the article is a paid ad, the reason you can't compare it to a model 3 is because the model 3 doesn't exist yet. Comparing it to a Model S is ok in the sense that you _can_ compare a Cessna 172 to a Learjet, but why? Different markets, different price points.

Re: Chevrolet Bolt EV Is the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year

#13

Post by [deleted] »

sliken wrote: post #11
reitzensteinm wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they heavily compared it with the Tesla, it would be a sign that the technology isn't ready for mainstream adoption. Only enthusiasts set on buying an EV will sit down and compare the two given the 2x price difference. For most, the purchasing decision will be squarely against petrol vehicles in the same class.

Plenty of references are made to other cars. Various aspects are compared to the Focus RS, Fiat 124, Golf GTI, and Prius.

[deleted]

Re: Chevrolet Bolt EV Is the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year

#14

Post by ferongr »

Roritharr wrote: post #10
ferongr wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most electric cars lack a variable-ratio transmission. At some point and you only have the final drive to reduce the speed of the electric motor. The final drive has to strike a balance between torque for negotiating inclines and top speed, as the electric motor cannot rev to infinity, neither can the power systems handle infinite power though them. An electric car with a two-ratio gearbox would be ideal for both tak…

What does the Model S use then?

A way more powerful motor and power electronics that allow for a "taller" (smaller reduction ratio) final drive.

Re: Chevrolet Bolt EV Is the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year

#15

Post by ahakki »

Roritharr wrote: post #10
ferongr wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most electric cars lack a variable-ratio transmission. At some point and you only have the final drive to reduce the speed of the electric motor. The final drive has to strike a balance between torque for negotiating inclines and top speed, as the electric motor cannot rev to infinity, neither can the power systems handle infinite power though them. An electric car with a two-ratio gearbox would be ideal for both tak…

What does the Model S use then?

IIRC the AWD versions (recognizable by a 'D' at the end of the model name, as in P90D) use 2 motors, one for the front and one for the rear. These two motors have different gear ratios, so one is more opimized for torque and the other for high speed.

The rear wheel drive versions have a single ratio which has to strike a balance between speed and torque.

This is also the reason that the AWD versions are faster than the RWD even though they are heavier due to the additional motors.

Re: Chevrolet Bolt EV Is the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year

#16

Post by avar »

The article only briefly touches on this, but LG Korea is a huge part of this. They make the motor, battery & drivetrain, basically everything that makes this car an electric car. Chevrolet is just manufacturing the parts that would be mostly identical to any of their other cars.

Rather than Tesla being worried about Chevrolet, I think they'd be more worried about the likes of LG & Samsung in the longer term.

Re: Chevrolet Bolt EV Is the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year

#18

Post by ygra »

Roritharr wrote: post #3

I wonder where the top Speed Limit comes from, is it battery cooling or artificial limiting to proclaim a better Range? In Germany that number raised a few eyebrows.

A top speed around 150 km/h isn't unusual for smaller ICEs either. Unless you spend that much time on the Autobahn and do mostly city driving the speed limit isn't really a problem in my experience. But I guess with an electric vehicle you're unlikely to drive long distances at those speeds anyway.

Re: Chevrolet Bolt EV Is the 2017 Motor Trend Car of the Year

#20

Post by andruby »

Roritharr wrote: post #10
ferongr wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most electric cars lack a variable-ratio transmission. At some point and you only have the final drive to reduce the speed of the electric motor. The final drive has to strike a balance between torque for negotiating inclines and top speed, as the electric motor cannot rev to infinity, neither can the power systems handle infinite power though them. An electric car with a two-ratio gearbox would be ideal for both tak…

What does the Model S use then?

Tesla wanted to use a 2-gear transmission for the original roadster, but they couldn't find one that could handle the massive torque, so they ended up with a single ratio gearbox.

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/23/breaking-tesla-has-a-solu... and Ashley Vance's biography of Elon Musk.

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