Second-generation Chevy Volt might receive a rotary engine

General Motors Co. is considering a rotary engine for the second generation Chevrolet Volt.

In an interview with Inside Line, Karl Stracke, GM’s vice president of global engineering, said that the range-extending gasoline engine in the next-gen Volt will be smaller than the 71hp 1.4-liter inline four-cylinder in the 2011 Volt. Stracke shared about the company’s strategy to pick a rotary engine or a two-cylinder (gas) engine producing 15-18 kW (20-24 hp. He explained that rotary may have a higher fuel consumption but
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tango - 5/28/2010 1:00:29 AM

+4 Boost

I'm surprised they aren't thinking of a turbine engine as well. I'm just throwing it out there, really because that too would have down sides. The high exhaust heat, the technical startup and shutdown sequences, and the high cost. But they make a lot of power for their size and weight though.

thstone - 5/28/2010 1:58:51 PM

+1 Boost

GM needs to stop thinking "engine" and think "generator". Small displacement, high torque, constant and continuous wide open throttle operation. Small packaging and seemless (unnoticeable) NVH.

Spectator - 5/28/2010 3:21:37 PM

+2 Boost

Did anyone else notice this... at the end of the article it said that they were considering a hybrid diesel.