Regulated Voltage Control in Chevy Cruze contributes up to 1.5% improvement in fuel economy
28 March 2011
A patented General Motors technology called Regulated Voltage Control (RVC) contributes up to a 1.5% improvement in fuel economy in the Chevrolet Cruze.
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| RVC. Click to enlarge. |
With RVC, the power that runs from the alternator to the battery is reduced from 14 volts to 12.8 volts under normal driving conditions. This allows the alternator to focus the power on the vehicle’s electrical loads and avoid charging the battery with current it doesn’t need.
When the voltage to the battery is reduced, the demand on the alternator is reduced. That in turn reduces the alternator’s pull on the engine, allowing the engine to run more efficiently. With the engine running more efficiently, fuel economy is improved.
When the battery is in a high state of charge, regulated voltage control extends to supplying some of the power to handle the load created by vehicle electronics, such as the radio. The sharing further reduces the electrical demands on the alternator and the engine helping to gain further engine efficiencies.
When the battery charge drops below a pre-determined level, the alternator automatically knows to route the necessary voltage to recharge the battery. This regenerative recharging automatically occurs when the vehicle is decelerating. So even though the battery is handling more of the vehicle’s electrical load, it will remain at a high state of charge.
Which is more surprising: that it has such a large effect on fuel economy, or that automobiles haven't been doing it already for at least 10 years?
Posted by: richard schumacher | 28 March 2011 at 05:53 PM
Damn good question Richard.
Posted by: DaveD | 30 March 2011 at 08:15 AM
Necessity being the mother and all that. When oil is cheap, why bother?
Posted by: SJC | 30 March 2011 at 10:07 AM
CAFE requirements, for one. Would not a couple dollars' worth of electronics have made a noticeable improvement and allowed makers to sell more highly-profitable trucks and SUVs?
Posted by: richard schumacher | 31 March 2011 at 07:35 AM
Trucks and SUVs were pretty much outside CAFE. Bush said he would increase SUV mileage 1/2 mpg over 5 years. They made many of them FFV to get around CAFE. As long as people were buying light trucks and large SUVs right up until $4 gasoline the summer of 2008, they were making some money.
Posted by: SJC | 31 March 2011 at 09:14 AM
Also, 1 1/2% increase mileage in a 20 mpg truck or SUV brings the mileage up to 20.3 mpg. There is no evidence I know of that says sales would have soared with that increase.
Posted by: SJC | 31 March 2011 at 12:51 PM
Its something...but its in a car with a 1.4 or 1.8 liter motor thats getting 30+ mpg already. Oil may be headed to $150 by summer. America needs to STOP making/importing V8s and V6s ASAP. Sorry.
Posted by: fred | 02 April 2011 at 12:04 PM