The latest Chevrolet electric car is the Chevy Volt. Actally, the Chevy Volt is NOT an
all-electric car. It is a Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle, or PHEV. This means that the Volt can
be charged by plugging it in.
The Volt has been also referred to as an Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV), which is more accurate than calling the Volt an EV.
The Volt can proceed forward about 40 miles or so on power from its battery pack.
After the batteries are depleted, its small onboard internal combustion engine (ICE) kicks in to power the onboard electric motor. The ICE does not charge the batteries. Recent test results show the Volt returning about 40 mpg as it is powered by the ICE.
The total range of the Volt is not well published; there is not much agreement on the fact. If you took 40 mpg x 12 gallons you would get 480 miles. Adding in the 40 miles from the battery pack range gives a total theoretical range of 520 miles. This seems
like a lot. No Volt owners have been able to report their fuel economies yet, so the total
actual range is just theory for the time being.
CO2 figures for the Volt ICE are not well published either. Given that the engine is a 4-cylinder 1.4 liter power plant, it is probably in the range of similar engines. The 1.8 liter Prius reports 89 g/km for example. However, the ICE for the Prius is likely on much of the time. If the Volt is driven in EV (electric-only) mode, it is emitting Zero g/km during that time. So, the total g/km of the Volt will vary with how far the car is driven past the 40-mile mark.
The other specifications are pretty straightforward as displayed on the chart at right.
The launch date of the Volt is scheduled for October, 2010. Pricing is still not set. The
latest figures indicate about $41,000 US before a $7,500 tax credit. This would give you
a Volt for around $33,500 or so depending on your situation.
In any case, the Volt is a much anticipated Chevrolet electric car by a lot of people. There are several forums already dedicated to the car, and nobody even owns one yet.
It is an interesting time for the electric car once again.
In the news: GM is designing for production a crossover SUV based on the Volt Platform. The new vehicle called the MPV5 concept is about half a foot longer and taller than the Volt, can seat 5, with a 32-mile range. The car is just a concept at this point, but may be pressed into production as demand warrants.
Part of the concept is advanced electronics. The new Chevrolet electric car will apparently come equipped with telematics integrated with the Google Android platform. It looks like plenty of information will be available to the Volt driver.
In addition, GM will provide free installed, in-home chargers for the first 4,400 buyers of the Volt. The units will be paid for by US Department of Energy, Transportation Electrification Initiative funds, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The latest news is that the first 2,000 Volt owners are using more battery and less gas! No surprise really, but apparently the possibility of extended range erases range anxiety. Volt drivers are tending to drive the car within battery pack range. This fits with actual commute statistics.
