We’ve been hearing about the Volt for over 3 years, actually, since its introduction at the Detroit Auto Show way back in January 2007. Before the end of this year, the 2011 Volt will be in U.S. dealerships in a few States including New York, Michigan, Washington D.C., California and Texas. Its availability in other States will follow, and Canada should get the Volt in spring or summer 2011, probably as a 2012.
Our driving impressions of the production-ready Volt will follow within the next couple of days, but here’s a description of how the Voltec powertrain works. We could go on for hours, but we’ll summarize it up so everyone can understand.
Basically, the Volt is all about computers, software, and how they control everything in the car. And we do mean everything.
The four main ingredients
First, there’s an electric motor that drives the front wheels and produces 149 horsepower or 111 kW. It also boasts 273 lb-ft of torque which, in typical electric-motor fashion, is available from 0 rpm, which means lots of standing-start muscle.
Second, there’s a smaller electric motor that acts as a generator and that produces 72 horsepower or 54 kW.
Third, there’s a lithium-ion battery pack that’s shaped like a T and resides under the cockpit. It weighs 435 pounds and is liquid-cooled.
Finally, there’s the 1.4-litre inline-4, an 84-horsepower combustion engine that isn’t directly connected to the drive wheels, but rather provides energy for when the battery pack is depleted or when extra power is necessary to reach high speeds (like over about 112 km/h or 70 mph).
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| Photo: Chevrolet |
Our driving impressions of the production-ready Volt will follow within the next couple of days, but here’s a description of how the Voltec powertrain works. We could go on for hours, but we’ll summarize it up so everyone can understand.
Basically, the Volt is all about computers, software, and how they control everything in the car. And we do mean everything.
The four main ingredients
First, there’s an electric motor that drives the front wheels and produces 149 horsepower or 111 kW. It also boasts 273 lb-ft of torque which, in typical electric-motor fashion, is available from 0 rpm, which means lots of standing-start muscle.
Second, there’s a smaller electric motor that acts as a generator and that produces 72 horsepower or 54 kW.
Third, there’s a lithium-ion battery pack that’s shaped like a T and resides under the cockpit. It weighs 435 pounds and is liquid-cooled.
Finally, there’s the 1.4-litre inline-4, an 84-horsepower combustion engine that isn’t directly connected to the drive wheels, but rather provides energy for when the battery pack is depleted or when extra power is necessary to reach high speeds (like over about 112 km/h or 70 mph).
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| The 1.4-litre inline-4, an 84-horsepower combustion engine provides energy for when the battery pack is depleted .(Photo: Chevrolet) |