Los Angeles, California – When Joel Ewanick introduced ''his'' Volt to auto journalists during Chevrolet's press conference at the 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show, on November 17, the car was all covered in mud – a strange thing to see at an event like this one. ''I wanted to show you guys the Volt that took me from Detroit all the way to L.A.'', explained GM's Vice President of Marketing.
Amazingly, his new electric car didn't even rely on an extension cord to cover 3,700 kilometres across the continent!
Clearly, Ewanick hoped to make a statement, emphasizing the fact that the 2011 Chevrolet Volt carries its own dedicated generator which charges the battery before it runs empty – a no-nonsense technical innovation that's been talked about for as long as the perpetual motion machine! And in due time, history will remind us that it was first mass produced by GM.
Two worlds colliding
The Volt makes two different worlds collide. In the red corner, you have hybrids like the current Toyota Prius and plug-in hybrids like its upcoming new variant, the Prius PHV. In the blue corner, you have pure electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV. The one with the golden bowtie offers the best of both worlds for the time being: clean electric mobility for shorter trips and a range-extending combustion engine for longer trips.
But what should we call it, then? Is it a hybrid? Is it an EV? Pamela Fletcher, Global Chief Engineer for the Volt, offers this creative answer: ''If you take the battery out of the car, the car will not drive. If you take the engine out of the car, the car will drive. So I leave it up to you to decide what to call it.''
Same range as the Cruze
The automaker claims that the 2011 Chevrolet Volt has an approximate range of 550 kilometres. With a fully-charged, 16 kWh lithium-ion battery, it can reportedly travel up to 80 kilometres, depending on driving conditions, without the assist of the 1.4-litre, 4-cylinder engine (which runs on premium gas). That's enough for most people's daily commute.
Amazingly, his new electric car didn't even rely on an extension cord to cover 3,700 kilometres across the continent!
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| The Chevrolet Volt makes a bold statement to every other car on the market right now. (Photo: Luc Gagné/Auto123.com) |
Clearly, Ewanick hoped to make a statement, emphasizing the fact that the 2011 Chevrolet Volt carries its own dedicated generator which charges the battery before it runs empty – a no-nonsense technical innovation that's been talked about for as long as the perpetual motion machine! And in due time, history will remind us that it was first mass produced by GM.
Two worlds colliding
The Volt makes two different worlds collide. In the red corner, you have hybrids like the current Toyota Prius and plug-in hybrids like its upcoming new variant, the Prius PHV. In the blue corner, you have pure electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV. The one with the golden bowtie offers the best of both worlds for the time being: clean electric mobility for shorter trips and a range-extending combustion engine for longer trips.
But what should we call it, then? Is it a hybrid? Is it an EV? Pamela Fletcher, Global Chief Engineer for the Volt, offers this creative answer: ''If you take the battery out of the car, the car will not drive. If you take the engine out of the car, the car will drive. So I leave it up to you to decide what to call it.''
Same range as the Cruze
The automaker claims that the 2011 Chevrolet Volt has an approximate range of 550 kilometres. With a fully-charged, 16 kWh lithium-ion battery, it can reportedly travel up to 80 kilometres, depending on driving conditions, without the assist of the 1.4-litre, 4-cylinder engine (which runs on premium gas). That's enough for most people's daily commute.
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| The Volt is considered an electric vehicle since the combustion engine under the hood merely serves as a generator for the battery. The front wheels are driven by an electric motor. (Photo: Luc Gagné/Auto123.com) |