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By John Blanchard, Lead Calibration Engineer, Engine Generator for the Chevrolet Volt
I was recently part of a team that took several Chevrolet Volt pre-production vehicles to the Pikes Peak Summit House (altitude: 14,110 ft. above sea level) in Colorado. Getting to the Summit House involved driving the Volt on a partially paved, twisting 19-mile highway. It's a great test for any vehicle.
Our team used this trip to evaluate a number of aspects of the Volt. On the trip up, we were making sure the Volt could climb the steep inclines and operate at a high altitude. The Volt was in extended-range mode for the most part of this segment which means anengine-generator is providing the electricity to power the vehicle. This mode kicks in when the lithium-ion battery level has been depleted. On the downhill segment, we were examining how well the regenerating feature of the Volt was adding electrical energy back into the lithium-ion battery.
We were pleased with the results on both segments. The Volt climbed the mountain faster than we anticipated and the regenerative feature produced a good amount of energy back into the battery. We were also pleasantly surprised with the temperature of our brakes. The National Park Service at Pikes Peak said it was one of the coolest temperatures on brakes that they had ever seen.
This is just one of a litany of tests we’re putting the Volt through, so stay tuned for more. In the meantime, we took some photos of our experience and they are posted below. Enjoy!
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