Wheels Automotive

General Motors launched its next 100 years by the agency of unveiling the much-anticipated production lection of the Chevrolet Volt - a vehicle that delivers up to 40 miles of gasoline- and emissions-free relating to electricity driving, with the extended-range capability of hundreds of additional miles.

“Revealing the prolongation version of the Chevrolet Volt is a great way to open our assistant century,” said Rick Wagoner, GM Chairman and CEO. “The Chevrolet Volt is symbolic of GM’s strong commitment to the future… just the kind of technology innovation that our industry necessarily to respond to today’s and tomorrow’s energy and environmental challenges.”

New era in automotive transportation

The Chevrolet Volt is leading a new series of electrification of the automobile by creating a new class of vehicle known as the Extended-Range Electric Vehicle, or E-REV.

The Chevrolet Volt uses electricity to move the wheels at completely epochs and speeds. For trips up to 40 miles, the Chevrolet Volt is powered only by electricity stored in its 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery. When the battery’s might is depleted, a gasoline/E85-powered implement generator seamlessly provides electricity to power the Chevrolet Volt’s electric drive unit while simultaneously sustaining the inculpate of the battery. This mode of operation extends the range of the Chevrolet Volt for several hundred additional miles, until the vehicle’s battery can be charged. Unlike a conventional battery-electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt eliminates “range anxiety,” giving the confidence and peace of mind that the driver will not be stranded by a depleted battery.

The Chevrolet Volt can be plugged either into a standard household 120v outlet or use 240v for charging. The vehicle’s intelligent charging technology enables the Chevrolet Volt’s battery to be charged in less than three hours on a 240v outlet or about eight hours on a 120v outlet. Charge times are reduced if the battery has not been full depleted. At a cost of about 80 cents per day (10 cents per kWh) for a replete commission that will deliver up to 40 miles of relating to electricity driving, GM estimates that the Chevrolet Volt will be less expensive to recharge than purchasing a cup of your favorite coffee. Charging the Chevrolet Volt about once daily behest consume less electric energy by the year than the average home’s refrigerator and freezer units.

Charge out of driving

The Chevrolet Volt offers vivacious driving performance in a remarkably quiet interior. More than 220 lithium-ion cells contained within the Chevrolet Volt’s battery pack provide copious power. The Chevrolet Volt’s electric drive unit delivers the equivalent of 150 horsepower, 273 lb-ft. (370 Nm) of instant torque, and a top speed of 100 miles per hour. The lack of machine sound, combined with special sound-deadening materials, make the Chevrolet Volt an extremely quiet vehicle to drive.

GM estimates that the Chevrolet Volt determine cost about two cents per mile to drive while under battery faculty compared to 12 cents per mile using gasoline priced at $3.60 per gallon. For an average driver who drives 40 miles per day (or 15,000 miles per year), this amounts to a cost savings of $1,500 by the year. Using peak electric rates, GM estimates that an electrically driven mile in a Chevrolet Volt will be in regard to one-sixth of the cost of a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle. The cost savings are even greater when charging during off-peak hours, when electric rates are cheaper.

The Chevrolet Volt is expected to be built at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck manufacturing facility, subject to GM successfully negotiating pleasing government incentives. Production is scheduled to begin tardily 2010 on this account that models in the United States.

Technical Specifications

• Vehicle type: 5-door, front-wheel-drive sedan
• Category: Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV)
• Chassis: independent McPherson struts anterior, compound crank twist axle rouse, four-wheel disc brakes, full regenerative brakes to maximize energy capture, electric power-assist steering
• Seating capacity: four
• Tire and wheel size: specially developed low rolling-resistance tires on 17-inch forged aluminum wheels
• Performance
  • Top speed: 100 mph / 160 km/h
  • EV range, city (miles): 40 (based steady EPA city cycle)
• Dimensions
  • Wheelbase: 105.7″ / 2685 mm
  • Length: 177″ / 4404 mm
  • Width: 70.8″ / 1798 mm
  • Height: 56.3″ / 1430 mm
  • Cargo volume: 10.6 cu ft / 301 l
• Battery combination of parts to form a whole
  • Type: lithium-ion
  • Energy: 16 kWh
• Electric drive unit
  • Power: 111 kW / 150 hp
  • Torque: 273 lb-ft / 370 Nm