A beautiful morning was presenting itself on Sunday in Vancouver as I was led to the electric chair. Many onlookers gathered to bear witness while I strapped myself in. Rather than pity me for what I was about to experience, they displayed envy – and why not? I was about to drive the game-changing Chevy Volt.
Changing the game - how?
In case you’ve been absent of mind or media, the Chevy Volt is GM’s revolutionary, mass produced electric car that’s expected to greet the US market in November this year and the Canadian market in the summer of 2011. After that, the world is the target.
Unlike the plethora of hybrid vehicles that have permeated the mainstream, the Volt is a true electric car. However, to extend its range beyond the capability of its sophisticated battery pack, a 1.4-litre gas engine is found under the hood but it’s not there to drive the wheels.
The gas engine drives a generator that supplies electrical power to the drive motor and the battery pack when the charge level has dipped below a specific threshold. That threshold is somewhere in the range of 64km away from a full charge.
For 75% of commuters, the 64km range between charges is sufficient to get them to work and back solely on battery power, the cost of which is estimated at less than a dollar per day. Can you imagine the financial savings?
And if 64km isn’t sufficient, the Volt’s technology enables it to be driven indefinitely as long as there is fuel in the tank. That means goodbye to “limited-range anxiety,” which until now has haunted operators of electric vehicles. In the Volt, the pavement never ends but to take greatest advantage of the car, recharging is necessary.
The charging process is as simple as plugging in a hairdryer. With standard household 110-volt current, a full charge takes approximately eight hours. Use a 220-volt outlet and the time drops to three or so episodes of Real Housewives of Orange County.
 |
| With a price tag somewhere in the $30-40K range, the Volt is not unrealistically expensive by any measure. |
Changing the game - how?
In case you’ve been absent of mind or media, the Chevy Volt is GM’s revolutionary, mass produced electric car that’s expected to greet the US market in November this year and the Canadian market in the summer of 2011. After that, the world is the target.
Unlike the plethora of hybrid vehicles that have permeated the mainstream, the Volt is a true electric car. However, to extend its range beyond the capability of its sophisticated battery pack, a 1.4-litre gas engine is found under the hood but it’s not there to drive the wheels.
The gas engine drives a generator that supplies electrical power to the drive motor and the battery pack when the charge level has dipped below a specific threshold. That threshold is somewhere in the range of 64km away from a full charge.
For 75% of commuters, the 64km range between charges is sufficient to get them to work and back solely on battery power, the cost of which is estimated at less than a dollar per day. Can you imagine the financial savings?
And if 64km isn’t sufficient, the Volt’s technology enables it to be driven indefinitely as long as there is fuel in the tank. That means goodbye to “limited-range anxiety,” which until now has haunted operators of electric vehicles. In the Volt, the pavement never ends but to take greatest advantage of the car, recharging is necessary.
The charging process is as simple as plugging in a hairdryer. With standard household 110-volt current, a full charge takes approximately eight hours. Use a 220-volt outlet and the time drops to three or so episodes of Real Housewives of Orange County.
 |
| With standard household 110-volt current, a full charge takes approximately eight hours. |