Quote:
Originally Posted by goblue
Its automatically does what you suggest. the generator is hooked directly to the battery. The e-motor (via a variable control) is hooked to the battery. Electricity follows the path of least resistance. Here's a few scenarios.
So, lets say the generator (ICE) was running...
and you were accelerating hard. 100% of the power would be flowing from the generator to the e-motor AND more power would be coming from the battery. Again, it follows the path of least resistance.
Now, lets say you were accelerating at exactly the power put out by the generator. Zero power would go into the battery.
Finally, lets say you were accelerating mildly. Some of the generator's power would go to the battery and the rest to the e-motor.
Its all simple physics. Ever use your cellphone while its charging? Works just fine, and the phone has no crazy controller. Power is flowing to the battery and away from it simultaneously, with only the net difference going into or coming from the battery depending on what you're doing.
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If true then in the three scenarios that you laid out above it seems to confirm my initial thought that in certain conditions the ICE+generator
does power the e-motor directly, bypassing the battery. The path of least resistance as you note.
At this time during very strong accelerations or needs... hold your hats... the Volt would be a parallel hybrid being run at the same time by the ...
ICE ==> generator ==>
............................... both power sources feeding the e-motor by separate routes
PLUS: battery pack==>
Most of the other times the Volt is a series hybrid...
ICE ==> generator ==> battery ==> e-motor
Now the question is when the battery reaches it's lowest available level, say 30%, but the driver suddenly wants maximum output with the battery prohibited by software from contributing ( can't go lower than 30% ) is then the vehicle being driven ONLY by the..
ICE ==> generator ==> e-motor
with maybe a 'trickle charge' to the battery?
OTOH.. in the response from Lutz several pages back he apparently said that all the power from the ICE went through the battery. Either the ICE output always does go through the battery ( series hybrid ) or it sometimes takes the path of least resistance around the battery ( parallel hybrid). Therein lies the conundrum.