Voltgate: Manufactured Outrage

[Drew Dowdell]

Voltgate: Manufactured Outrage

October 12, 2010 - Drew Dowdell

Yesterday the automotive press' world exploded over a small, inconsequential, technical detail in the Chevrolet Volt's powertrain that increases energy and fuel efficiency by about 15%. This detail caused the likes of Edmunds, Jalopnik, and Popular Mechanics to go so far as to accuse GM of lying about the Volt not being a hybrid. I've already explained the technical reasons behind why those publications are wrong in yesterday's article Volt: Still a not Hybrid... no lie! I have to give some props to TheCarConnection.com for being a fellow voice of reason in this flap.

What bothered me most about these accusations is how quickly they started. The tweets and editorials started pouring in, in the early hours of Monday morning. Now I can't claim that Cheers and Gears has the access to GM Communications and GM Engineers that the above mentioned publications have, but I was still able to talk to the Volt's powertrain Chief Engineer about an hour after sending a request to do so.

If someone relied solely on what was being published about the Volt yesterday, it's quite understandable why someone would be confused (and somewhat dazed by the intensity of discussion) about the Volt's technical details. However simply talking with a Volt engineer and studying the diagrams will bring you to a conclusion completely opposite of the "GM LIED!" editorials.

After I concluded my interview with Pam Fletcher, the Volt's Chief Powertrain Engineer, the first thing that came to mind was how much "Voltgate" reminded me of GM's "Loangate" from April 2010. There was an absolute rush to judgment by the press (and some members of Congress) that GM lied about without taking any time to understand what General Motors was saying or even what they were required by the terms of the loan to do. But why take the time to understand either of these issues? Sober, sensible commentary takes time and there is web traffic to drive. Besides, how can the general public resist clicking on a link shouting "GM LIED!"?

Back then, I maintained that the press and the shouting members of Congress mostly got the statement wrong. If I go to the bank and get a home equity loan for $50,000, deposit that in my bank account, use $20,000 of it, and send $30,000 that I ended up not needing back to the bank plus some interest, the bank considers that $30,000 repaid and it still has a $20,000 lien on my house.If I sell my house (think IPO) the bank has a right to that $20,000 before I do.

Could GM have handled the situation better? Probably, but considering the lure of sensational journalism and the fact that there are still people out there who want to see GM fail no matter what, I don't think there was much GM could have done. The patent process dictated that GM remain silent on certain aspects of the Volts architecture. As a completely new type of automotive locomotion, this meant that the only thing certain about the Volt's powertrain was that there was going to be a surprise or two once the final specifications were released.

GM did release an additional press release about the Volt powertrain late yesterday as it became clear there was quite the tempest in a teapot brewing. Here's a line that jumps out at me.

There is no direct mechanical connection (fixed gear ratio) between the Volt's extended-range 1.4L engine and the drive wheels. In extended-range driving, the engine generates power that is fed through the drive unit and is balanced by the generator and traction motor. The resulting power flow provides a 10 to 15 percent improvement in highway fuel economy.

What makes this whole situation manufactured outrage is this: The Volt doesn't need this connection to operate. If GM had left out this component, the Volt would have functioned exactly as the press had guessed it would, albeit with 15% less gasoline fuel economy when traveling above 70 mph. In the past if GM gave people less, people complained. Today, if GM gives people more, people complain.

One of the sayings I'm famous for on Cheers and Gear is, "GM could build a fully working model of Christ himself and people would complain that the water to wine function only dispense a Merlot".

I hate being right.

[hyperv6]

Good write up.

I may be wrong but my feeling is there are people out there working against the Volt in a major way. This car could change the way cars are built after many companies have already invested heavy into their own systems.

Media can and has been bought in the past. They are in great need of money at most media outlets with the cut backs in advertising. Some are not beyond being told what to publish with some economic stimulus from another company.

This is how so many little things in Politics get blown up and lies are spread.

[67impss]

Yes it is a radical concept I was thinking of the Corvair and how there were so many people against it from other domestics to Nader. The Volt is the same kind of thought change in Detroit. In a way if they would have gotten creative with the name they might have come up with the CorVolt.

[GXT]

I haven't read any of the "outrage" stories, but as someone who has followed the Volt I can say that it does appear that GM was intentionally misleading.

Here is the quote from the GM-Volt.com article "Combustion Engine Does Not and Will Not Turn the Volt’s Driveshaft Ever. Got it?":

"Finally to put this all to rest, I asked Volt vehicle line director Tony Posawatz if any of this rumor was true, if the ICE ever drives the wheels.

“No.” said Posawatz. “I don’t know how those folks got so confused.”

Got it?"

http://gm-volt.com/2010/06/30/combustion-engine-does-not-and-will-not-turn-the-volts-driveshaft-ever-got-it/

The original source of this information was smeared as a "know nothing".

When Hybridcars.com reported this from Rob Peterson, a "General Motors spokesperson":

"“Efficiency is the Volt’s mantra,” Peterson said. “We will take whatever method we have to get there.” Asked if Volt engineers would use the gas engine to power the wheels—a signature of a parallel hybrid system—if it meant greater efficiency, Peterson replied, “You could do it. Absolutely. It’s a matter of software.” He added, “You have some motors, a planetary gear box, there’s a variety of things we can do in there.”"

http://www.hybridcars.com/news/exclusive-chevy-volt-more-hybrid-previously-thought-28162.html

GM claimed that he was being quoted out of context.

Of course we now know that the Volt's ICE does drive the Volt's wheels in some instances. (I wouldn't argue that my ICE doesn't actually drive my wheels because if is connected via various diffs and clutches, would you? And to say that the Volt only uses the ICE sometimes is to miss the point.)

On Oct. 12, GM-Volt.com posted:

"There has been considerable blogospheric controversy over this as this appears to contradict GM’s previous statements that the engine never drives the wheels. Nitz said GM had to be coy about this element due to intellectual property reasons, and now that the patent has been awarded can finally be more transparent."

It probably wouldn't have been such a big deal if GM hadn't made such a show of being so open and transparent. I do find it amusing that GM was intentionally being misleading and then denied the whole situation by pretending that they couldn't understand why people were so confused.

[hyperv6]

I would say GM never was misleading but vauge in some details. Lets face it they are going in a direction no one has gone and I am sure many things have has to change or be altured to make them work.

This was a learning experience.

From the time then NACA later NASA first went to work going to the moon they did not do everything the way they first planned. Anyone see the first space suits? Things as they do with any technical advancment changes from what is learned on the road to the final solution. Then once that system is in place it is advanced and improved over time. If ever given a chance compare a Mercury capsule to a Apollo and see just what they learned in a few short years. Then today even small private planes now do things and have navagation equipment that NASA would have killed for in the 60's.

If GM could have been able to keep this program dark none of this would have been an issue. They had to go public to keep the stock up in troubled times. It is what it is. No matter how you look at it this is a major advancement in the auto industry and will only improve in the near future.

While this car has made some promises GM has been pretty conservitive in their goals. They should meet most of what they set out to do on the first try.

The Critics would still be here if they even got 150 miles out of the batteries.

The basic of it all are most of the critics are either petty or affraid of what and where this whole car can lead. A lot of companies will be far behinds and out of a lot of money they spent on other systems that may end up going no where.

This is almost like the Beta vs VHS or DVD HD vs Blue Ray kind of fight. There is going to be a winner and there is going to be a lot of losers with only the public to decide who it is.

There is a lot on the line for all the auto makers here. Some will not fight fair.

Edited October 13, 2010 by hyperv6

[Drew Dowdell]

I haven't read any of the "outrage" stories, but as someone who has followed the Volt I can say that it does appear that GM was intentionally misleading.

It probably wouldn't have been such a big deal if GM hadn't made such a show of being so open and transparent. I do find it amusing that GM was intentionally being misleading and then denied the whole situation by pretending that they couldn't understand why people were so confused.

Let me bold it for you since you missed it in my original post.

There is no direct mechanical connection (fixed gear ratio) between the Volt's extended-range 1.4L engine and the drive wheels.

[Camino LS6]

The "paint the Volt as a failure in spite of facts to the contrary" crowd really needs to finally raise the white flag of defeat and crawl back underneath the rocks they came from.

Listening to the ever-changing blather of those ninnies as they search tirelessly for some perceived weakness in the Volt they might exploit has been more than tiresome.

"It's vapoware!"

" GM will never make it happen!"

" It won't hit production by the end of 2010!"

"It's really a hybrid!"

Blah, blah, balh...

It's all bunk.

Just accept it folks, GM has raised the bar and advanced production automotive tech. It's time to congratulate them, not tear them down for it.

[Robert Hall]

I don't think we would have seen any such 'outrage' stories had the Volt been a Toyota. But being a GM, it gets extra-scrutinized and criticized. Of course, some of GM's moves (the dumb 230 mpg claim) haven't helped them...

[surgeont]

I think half the worlds gone mad. How can any self respecting car/guy/man/sheep believe that we need to ignore a resourse for which there are at least a thousand years or more (OIL) and buy into this glorified golf cart facination. The amount of resourses that go into this monumental infrastructure revamp and expenditure of oil to make all this green goo,certainly out costs/resourses the energy we get by gasoline. Say goodbye to V8's , and for the most part when it comes to the average man,any auto performance ride. Who's been to Europe in the last decade? We are headed there with this green illusion.The average guy over there doesn't drive anything but 1.8 turbo diesels and they are everywhere. I was there in three countries for a month and saw almost 0 performance cars. The high dollar gas forces us there but this electric is the way thinking pushes us over the edge. I never thought I'd see as many disilusioned people buy into a vision,devoid of reality. Its political period.

[FAPTurbo]

I think half the worlds gone mad. How can any self respecting car/guy/man/sheep believe that we need to ignore a resourse for which there are at least a thousand years or more (OIL) and buy into this glorified golf cart facination. The amount of resourses that go into this monumental infrastructure revamp and expenditure of oil to make all this green goo,certainly out costs/resourses the energy we get by gasoline. Say goodbye to V8's , and for the most part when it comes to the average man,any auto performance ride. Who's been to Europe in the last decade? We are headed there with this green illusion.The average guy over there doesn't drive anything but 1.8 turbo diesels and they are everywhere. I was there in three countries for a month and saw almost 0 performance cars. The high dollar gas forces us there but this electric is the way thinking pushes us over the edge. I never thought I'd see as many disilusioned people buy into a vision,devoid of reality. Its political period.

If there is a thousand years worth of oil, then be prepared to pay a thousand times more for its extraction. Nobody is saying we're running out of oil; instead, we're running out of cheap oil. How many more BP spills or Nanhuangcheng Island's are we willing to risk? Do we want to expend enormous quantities of thermal energy just to extract oil from tar-sands in Alberta and Utah? Do we really want to drill miles into the Earth's crust to get at another million barrels?

Remember, it's not just cars that require oil. Fertilizers and herbicides for food. Plastics. Manufacturing processes... It makes pure logical sense to ease the pressure on the oil supply. Considering the automobile is a major consumer of this resource, it behooves us to explore and develop alternatives. If we don't, the cost of living for all will continue to rise, among other things.

One of the main reasons to support electric cars is to avoid the European situation. Instead of a fuel-sipping micro-car, you can get a comfortable sedan like the Volt. Plus, if more people shift to electric cars, that means people who want a V8 will continue to be able to buy fuel at a reasonable price.

Real 'car guys' actually appreciate electric cars. Electric cars are innovative, and push technological boundaries; exactly what the 'car guys' throughout history did.

[Intrepidation]

I think half the worlds gone mad. How can any self respecting car/guy/man/sheep believe that we need to ignore a resourse for which there are at least a thousand years or more (OIL) and buy into this glorified golf cart facination. The amount of resourses that go into this monumental infrastructure revamp and expenditure of oil to make all this green goo,certainly out costs/resourses the energy we get by gasoline. Say goodbye to V8's , and for the most part when it comes to the average man,any auto performance ride. Who's been to Europe in the last decade? We are headed there with this green illusion.The average guy over there doesn't drive anything but 1.8 turbo diesels and they are everywhere. I was there in three countries for a month and saw almost 0 performance cars. The high dollar gas forces us there but this electric is the way thinking pushes us over the edge. I never thought I'd see as many disilusioned people buy into a vision,devoid of reality. Its political period.

The ignorance is strong with this one.

[Drew Dowdell]

I think half the worlds gone mad. How can any self respecting car/guy/man/sheep believe that we need to ignore a resourse for which there are at least a thousand years or more (OIL) and buy into this glorified golf cart facination. The amount of resourses that go into this monumental infrastructure revamp and expenditure of oil to make all this green goo,certainly out costs/resourses the energy we get by gasoline. Say goodbye to V8's , and for the most part when it comes to the average man,any auto performance ride. Who's been to Europe in the last decade? We are headed there with this green illusion.The average guy over there doesn't drive anything but 1.8 turbo diesels and they are everywhere. I was there in three countries for a month and saw almost 0 performance cars. The high dollar gas forces us there but this electric is the way thinking pushes us over the edge. I never thought I'd see as many disilusioned people buy into a vision,devoid of reality. Its political period.

The reality is this "glorified golfcart" can walk away from an Audi R8 like it's standing still.

Electric motors have a distinct performance advantage over gasoline engines. Electric motors have 100% of maximum torque at ZERO rpm. Some of the fastest objects on land use electric motors for propulsion. The Volt was never intended to be a performance car, however it's performance is quite respectable for what it is.

[§carlet §wordfish]

Why do so many guys associate inefficiency with 'manliness'?

[Drew Dowdell]

I'm looking forward to more electric propulsion across the board. I like my acceleration silent and instant.