After the
discontinuation of the full-electric GM EV1, of which about 1,100 were built from
1996 till 1999, the next GM car that was powered by an electric motor, was the
underestimated Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicle (E-REV), fitted
with an electric generator powered by a conventional gasoline engine (range
extender), that itself as well can contribute to the propulsion of the car,
though the engine is routing its power through the motor/generator, meaning
that the 150 hp electric power remains the total system power.
Built in
the United States, the car was exported to Canada, Europe (mainly as
Opel/Vauxhall Ampera, and voted the 2012 Car of the Year), Australia/New
Zealand (Holden Volt) and China. The
“Voltec” powertrain (both
electric motors and 1398cc Opel Family 0 range-extending engine) of the first generation Volt/Ampera
was built in Mexico.
An E-REV is a vehicle that functions as
full-performance battery electric vehicle when energy is available from an
onboard battery and having an auxiliary energy supply (the internal combustion
engine as ‘range extender’) that is only engaged when the battery energy is not
available. Neither full acceleration nor
full speed initially will start the engine, contrary to a hybrid vehicle. So, this is a narrower definition than a PHEV
(plug in hybrid electric vehicle) which is a hybrid vehicle with the ability to
store and use off-board electrical energy in the battery.
A less
favorable governmental business grant by 2014 in the Netherlands, then by far
its major market in Europe, minimizing sales of both Ampera and Volt, probably
made GM decide to not build second generation Amperas. In 2014 the best sold Amperas were Vauxhalls
for the United Kingdom. Holdens for
Australia and New Zealand were not continued either. Chevrolet Volt sales in China were marginal
as imported cars were exempted from ‘new energy’ subsidies, prompting GM to
build the second generation model there as a Buick. Other markets that would receive the second
generation Chevrolet Volt were Mexico and South Korea.
The all-new
second generation Chevrolet Volt arrived in October 2015 and had a sleeker and
more wedge-shaped design on a one cm longer wheelbase, with an
"occasional" 5th passenger seat, while the rear leg room
increased with 1.5 cm. The extender was
now the all alloy 1490cc SGE direct injection engine, built in the United
States.
Buick
Velite 5 China: April 2017 - 2018
‘Velite’ is
the singular of ‘Velites’, which are Roman infantrymen. The first Buick Velite was a roadster concept
car designed by Buick and built by Bertone. It was first presented to the
public at the January 2004 New York International Auto Show. The second Velite was a PATAC-designed
concept sports wagon unveiled at the November 2016 Guangzhou Auto Show, though
without a B-pillar, resembling the production Velite 6.
The Velite
5 is a rebadged second generation Chevrolet Volt. It owes its number to its vehicle price
class, but after its early deletion, its successor was to be called Velite
6. It was the first of an entire range
that will include several ‘New Energy’ vehicles. In China, these cars were called Weilan,
meaning light blue. The Velite 5, of
which 4,327 were made, was the second model to wear the Buick Blue badge,
joining the LaCrosse hybrid, sold from September 2016. Velite 5 production stopped in June 2018,
with the delayed hybrid Velite 6 originally to be launched in September
2018. It was priced RMB 265,800 vs RMB
498,000 for the previous imported Volt.
While the
majority of the Volts in the United States were first generation models with
the Opel 1398cc Family 0 engine, in Canada the second generation sold three
times better than the earlier models. It
is reported, that dealers in the US actually tried to persuade prospective Volt
buyers to switch to a regular vehicle, as Volts were much more complicated to
explain. The Volt saw its recharging
time almost halved from 4.5 to 2.3 hours in mid-2018 for the Premier model,
though there came no DC fast charging option.
Over 150,000 Volts were sold in the US, vs 20,000 in Canada, and 1,750
in Europe, vs 10,000 Amperas.
Volt
production stopped in February 2019.
Giving up its sedans, GM saw the 10 cm taller and 40 cm shorter
all-electric Bolt as its successor, though in 2017 and 2018 Volt sales were
hardly lower than those for the Bolt, and in Canada even 50% higher through
2019.
|
platform: |
Delta II |
Chevrolet Volt |
10-15 |
15-19 |
Opel |
Opel/SAIC |
||
|
1st |
2nd |
gen. |
Family 0 |
SGE |
||||
|
D1JCI |
D2JCI |
range |
range |
|||||
|
rear suspension: |
compound crank, coils |
1715 |
1607 |
kg |
extender |
extender |
||
|
wheelbase (cm): |
268.5 |
269.4 |
4 cyl. |
4 cyl. |
||||
|
length (cm): |
449.8 |
458.2 |
DOHC |
DOHC |
||||
|
width (cm): |
178.8 |
180.9 |
cc: |
1398 |
1490 |
|||
|
height (cm): |
143.9 |
143.2 |
injection |
dir. inj. |
||||
|
USA/CDN |
10-19 |
10-15 |
15-19 |
|||||
|
drive motor |
kW |
111 |
111 |
|||||
|
hp |
150 |
150 |
||||||
|
range extender |
ICE |
kW |
63 |
75 |
||||
|
hp |
84 |
101 |
||||||
|
EPA |
electric drive range |
km |
56-61 |
85 |
||||
|
Europe |
12-15 |
Opel/Vauxhall Ampera |
D1JOI |
12-15 |
||||
|
Australia |
12-15 |
Holden Volt |
drive motor |
kW |
111 |
|||
|
hp |
150 |
|||||||
|
range extender |
ICE |
kW |
63 |
|||||
|
hp |
86 |
|||||||
|
NEDC |
electric drive range |
km |
83 |
|||||
|
China |
17-19 |
Buick Velite 5 |
D2JBI |
1610 |
kg |
11-15 |
17-19 |
|
|
drive motor |
kW |
111 |
110 |
|||||
|
wheelbase (cm): |
269.4 |
hp |
150 |
150 |
||||
|
length (cm): |
457.9 |
ICE |
kW |
63 |
73 |
|||
|
width (cm): |
181.1 |
hp |
86 |
99 |
||||
|
height (cm): |
149.4 |
|||||||
|
NEDC |
electric drive range |
km |
116 |
|||||
|
ICE: internal
combustion engine |
||||||||
Buick
Velite 6 China: April 2019
As in America
the higher and shorter Bolt was the successor to the Volt, the Chinese created
the Velite 6, riding on an all-new electric-car platform, with an
Excelle-derived dual link rear suspension.
It is called a MAV (multi activity vehicle), resembling a wagon. In April 2018, the hybrid variant was
presented to be displayed at the Beijing Auto Show. There was a delay in its marketing as the
locally sourced A123 systems batteries (also used in the Chevrolet Spark EV)
had failed internal performance and safety tests, and instead a ternary lithium
battery pack produced by SAIC was used.
A ternary battery is using nickel, cobalt and manganese as positive
electrode materials and can store more energy with a smaller size than an LFP
(Lithium Iron Phosphate) battery.
Velite
6 all-electric
After a
first batch of 5000 shared customized vehicles left the factory in late 2018,
the all-electric model was marketed from April 2019, with a 85 kW motor and a
300 km drive range, while in October that year, the Velite 6 Plus became
available, with a 30% more powerful 110 kW motor, and a drive range of 410
km. The battery pack is under the floor
of the car. The Velite 6 is built on a
new platform that GM designed together with SAIC. The time needed for 32A AC slow charging is 6
hours for the 85 kW model, and 8 hours for the Plus version, while DCFC fast
charging (0-80%) takes 40 minutes. The
motor is built by Huayu, a subsidiary of SAIC Motor, and the
85 kW variant is the same as in the Roewe Ei5 (March 2018), which model has a drive range of 420 km,
as its battery capacity
of 52.5 kWh is similar
to that in the Velite 6 Plus (vs 35 kWh for the regular Velite 6). The acceleration from 0-100 km/h for the
Velite 6 is 10 seconds, and 9 seconds for the Velite 6 Plus. Some 3,300 Velite 6 were sold in 2019. The regular Velite 6 was deleted in March 2021.
The power
of the Velite 6 Plus motor rose to 130 kW in November 2021 with a drive range
of 518 km and a battery
capacity of 61.1 kWh. The two sides surrounding the front are
designed with fangs to make the new car look more fashionable. In 2022, 39,300 Velite 6 (incl. PHEV) were sold and 42,700 in 2023. In August 2023 the Velite 6 lost its Plus tag
and saw its drive range reduced from 518 to 430 km, and its entry price from
177,900 to 112,800 yuan, to face competition.
The ternary lithium battery was replaced by a lithium iron phosphate
battery and the capacity dropped to 50.3 kWh.
This change didn’t happen with the much less popular Chevrolet Menlo,
priced from 182,900 yuan. In July 2024
arrived the Velite 6 Plus with a drive range of 450 km.
Velite
6 PHEV
In July
2020, the hybrid model was launched, with the proven SGM 1485cc engine
(introduced in the August 2011 Baojun 630) as range extender, and without the
closed blue grille of the all-electric model.
Originally, it was to be launched in September 2018. Like the Volt/Velite 5, the Velite 6 PHEV
(actually an extended range electric vehicle) has three different driving
modes: the hybrid-driven mode of the motor and the engine, the single-driven
mode of the motor, and the single-driven mode of the engine. It has a drive range of 780 km and combined
fuel consumption of 1.4 liters/100 km, by 2022 reduced to 700 km with 2.19
liters/100 km under WLTC conditions. The
battery pack fits entirely under the floor of the trunk, resulting in a 2 cm
height reduction compared with the all-electric variant. In the Velite 5/Volt there was a
"T"-shaped battery pack with a central tunnel, constraining rear seat
and cargo space. The battery capacity is
9.5 kWh, vs 18 kWh in the Velite 5. The
combined fuel consumption of the Velite 5 was 0.9 liters/100 km.
60% of the
Velite 6 sold in 2021, was a PHEV, dropping to one-third in the first half of
2022. In August 2023, the PHEV was
stopped.
|
platform: |
SGM/SAIC el. |
Buick Velite 6 |
19- |
20-23 |
SAIC |
SGM |
|||
|
electric |
PHEV |
range |
|||||||
|
rear suspension: |
dual transverse links,
coils |
1540-1675 |
1580 |
kg |
extender |
||||
|
wheelbase (cm): |
266.0 |
266.0 |
4 cyl. |
||||||
|
length (cm): |
465.0 |
464.8 |
DOHC |
||||||
|
width (cm): |
181.7 |
181.7 |
1485 |
||||||
|
height (cm): |
151.0 |
149.1 |
inject. |
||||||
|
China |
19- |
19-21 |
21- |
20-23 |
|||||
|
drive motor |
kW |
85-110 |
130 |
49+82 |
|||||
|
hp |
116-150 |
177 |
67+111 |
||||||
|
range extender |
ICE |
kW |
72 |
||||||
|
hp |
98 |
||||||||
|
NEDC electric range |
km |
301-410 |
60 |
||||||
|
WLTC electric range |
km |
'22 > 50 |
|||||||
|
CLTC electric range |
km |
518 |
|||||||
|
202308: |
km |
430 |
|||||||
|
202407: |
km |
450 |
|||||||
|
l/100 km |
1.4 |
||||||||
|
WLTC |
2.19 |
||||||||
|
ICE: internal
combustion engine |
|||||||||
Buick
Velite 7 China: July 2020 – December 2022
This is the
2020 Chinese version of the all-electric Bolt EUV, an extended Bolt EV with its
own body design. Though both vehicles
are look-a-likes, and share the inner structure, the exterior sheet metal is
totally different. The wheelbase is 2675
mm, vs 2600 mm for the Bolt EV. The
South Korean drive
motor from LG has a power of 130 kW (177 PS), and the top speed is 145
km/h. The Bolt EUV was launched in North
America in March 2021, sharing the 200 hp motor of the Bolt EV. Colombia followed in November 2022, and Brazil
and Ecuador in May 2023.
The
Chevrolet Bolt EV with American sales from 2017, lives up to its name by
providing lightning-quick acceleration: 0-100 km/h in 7 seconds, not a
nut. It was developed in South Korea,
but prototyping and development work has been done in the United States, where
it was built. A rebadged European
variant was sold as the Opel Ampera-e in mainland Europe from April 2017, until
the arrival of the PSA-based Corsa-e in 2019/2020. Right-hand-drive markets are not served, nor
was China.
In 2018, 4
out of every 6 Bolts were sold in the United States, 1 out of every 6 in South
Korea (where it was designed), and the remaining equally divided between Canada
and Europe (‘Opel Ampera-e’), with the biggest part in Norway and the
Netherlands. By late 2018, the Bolt
became also available in the Middle East, and in 2019 in Brazil. In South Korean hangul, a phonetic writing,
Bolt and Volt, are equally written and spoken, with the EV suffix discerning
the Bolt. The last Ampera-e models were
sold in Europe by early 2020.
Production
of the Velite 7 ended at the end of 2022, and that of the Bolt EV and EUV at
the end of 2023.
Over 1,000
Velite 7 were sold in China in 2021, 660 in 2022, and 100 in 2023. In 2023, almost 39,000 Bolt EUVs were sold in
the United States, vs 23,000 Bolt EVs.
Combined figures for Canada were 14,000 units. Over 3,500 Bolt EUVs were sold in South Korea
in 2022 and 2023.
An updated Bolt model will be
developed in America that will be equipped with durable and relatively cheap
lithium iron phosphate battery cells.
The current Bolt uses an older battery cell structure made by GM partner
LG Energy Solution. The new Bolt will
use the newer Ultium architecture, as in GM's BEV3
and BT1 platforms.
|
platform: |
BEV II |
Chevrolet Bolt |
16-23 |
20-22 |
21-23 |
drive motor |
GM |
LG |
GM |
|
rear suspension: |
compound crank, coils |
EV |
Velite 7 |
EUV |
Bolt EV |
Velite 7 |
Bolt EUV |
||
|
note: different sheet metal for each of the three
models |
1616 |
1660 |
1669 |
kg |
all- |
all- |
all- |
||
|
wheelbase (cm): |
260.0 |
267.5 |
267.5 |
electric |
electric |
electric |
|||
|
length (cm): |
416.5 |
426.4 |
430.6 |
||||||
|
width (cm): |
176.5 |
176.7 |
177.0 |
||||||
|
height (cm): |
161.0 |
161.6 |
161.6 |
||||||
|
USA |
16-24 |
16-24 |
21-24 |
||||||
|
drive motor |
kW |
150 |
150 |
||||||
|
hp |
200 |
200 |
|||||||
|
EPA electric drive
range |
km |
383 |
400 |
||||||
|
19- |
417 |
||||||||
|
Europe |
17-19 |
Opel Ampera-e |
17-19 |
||||||
|
drive motor |
kW |
150 |
|||||||
|
hp |
204 |
||||||||
|
NEDC electric drive
range |
km |
520 |
|||||||
|
China |
20-23 |
Buick Velite 7 |
20-23 |
||||||
|
652E |
|||||||||
|
drive motor |
kW |
130 |
|||||||
|
hp |
177 |
||||||||
|
NEDC electric drive
range |
km |
500 |
|||||||
Output
data are approximate.
with thanks to wikipedia, greencarreports.com, carsalesbase.com,
www.goodcarbadcar.net and gmauthority
For recent specifications
on Buick cars built in China, see:
On a Global Mission: The Automobiles
of General Motors International
21 December, 2024