That is why I suggested to call the Volt for what it is - a plug-in Hybrid. The regular Prius is a Hybrid (non-plug-in) as it derives ALL its motive power from gasoline, only some is stored in a battery for incidental use and to improve efficiency as well as component reduction (one continuous engaged gearing can be varied by torque balance between the motors, no starter, no alternator, .... Electric vehicles are propelled by electricity, which is often understood to mean that they consume electricity that often gets stored onboard for the trip, but trains and even trolley buses are EVs that are in constant connection with the electric supply, they stop when disconnected.
Some will call cars with fuel cells "EV" but they are really Hybrids that consume a primary fuel like for example Hydrogen that gets converted to Electricity, often backed up in batteries as the "fool" cell is so expensive that it pays to minimize its size and only deliver average power, while buffering using an additional battery. But this architecture is well know - it is called a series Hybrid. Of course GM is afraid that the Volt may lose its perks, such as HOV lane access with single occupant and other benefits, if everyone would really call it the (plug-in) Hybrid that it is, so they stubbornly continue to call it an EV, which it really is not, but it fits their agenda. Comparable to getting important brownie points for "Flex" fuel cars which typically run exclusively on gasoline, but they are counted towards fuel efficient cars, even if they are gas guzzling Exploders or similar SUVs. Let's try to keep the definitions straight on this list, if needed we can compile a list of vehicles and how we should really classify them based on their architecture (not marketing). Cor van de Water Chief Scientist Proxim Wireless Corporation http://www.proxim.com Email: [email protected] Private: http://www.cvandewater.info Skype: cor_van_de_water Tel: +1 408 383 7626 -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of tomw Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2013 6:27 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [EVDL] EV-cause promotional signage If the Volt is a "hybrid" what is the (non-plugin) Prius? And if you call the Volt "electric", how do you differentiate between it and the Leaf? I think Bruce has said many times he likes the Volt, he just wants people to differentiate the various technological approaches with the names that have been used for them for many years before GM Marketing decided to redefine things. It is easy to see that many people would prefer to have or can only afford one vehicle, and the Volt permits them to drive electric much of the time, but also do longer trips using some gas. Unlike a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV), A Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) can drive with good performance in all electric mode, but it can also go much further than an Electric Vehicle, which has no ice, so why not indicate that in the name given to the technology? That is more informative than just calling any combination that makes use of an electric motor an EV. Things were well-defined before GM introduced the Volt: EV: only electric motor for propulsion PHEV: electric motor and ice, can charge from the grid and drive in all-electric mode HEV: electric motor and ice, cannot charge from the grid, and cannot drive in all-electric mode, or does so poorly due to small size of the electric motor. Uses electric motor as "assist" to ice, so ice can run more efficiently. That information is lost if you just call everything "electric". I think that to some people this is an "I'm greener than thou" issue, and to others like me, it is an issue of being more precise and informative in terminology. -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EV-cause-pr omotional-signage-tp4662108p4662186.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
