I had the pleasure of meeting up with Tony Posawatz, Vehicle Line Director for the Volt, and Tom Odell, Technology Planning Manager for the Volt, at Vancouver's Stanley Park on Sunday morning for a test drive of the car. What an outstanding experience. I was impressed with the styling of the Volt and its "real car" functionality. Although it seats only four at present, the cabin is spacious and fairly upscale. The Volt is a hatchback, which adds to its versatility. Plenty of Costco loot can be accommodated in the cargo area when the rear seats are folded flat.
Obviously, the most unique aspect of the Volt is its true electric propulsion, and its EV range of 64km. Of course, the car's range is limitless provided there's fuel in the tank to keep the 1.4-litre gas engine alive. The engine merely turns a generator, enabling the Volt to continue forth under electric power.
Once behind the wheel, two aspects of the Volt came to the forefront for me: silence and torque. Naturally, the car is near silent under electrical propulsion, and that's a weird sensation given that we are accustomed to the drone of a combustion engine. As compelling as the silence was, it paled in comparison to the tremendous torque instantly underfoot; that surprised me most of all.
So is the Volt the future in automotive technology? It certainly could be. What makes electrical propulsion so endearing to Vancouver is the fact that BC relies primarily upon hydro-produced electricity, which means no coal burning plants to create harmful emissions and acid rain. Obviously this isn't the case everywhere, and that's too bad.
I look forward to seeing many Volts and other such vehicles on our roadways soon. Many of the people I have spoken with would love to own a clean car that meets their commuting needs without burning costly fossil fuel. If only for the financial savings, people will be attracted to the Volt and its "real world" applicability.
Obviously, the most unique aspect of the Volt is its true electric propulsion, and its EV range of 64km. Of course, the car's range is limitless provided there's fuel in the tank to keep the 1.4-litre gas engine alive. The engine merely turns a generator, enabling the Volt to continue forth under electric power.
Once behind the wheel, two aspects of the Volt came to the forefront for me: silence and torque. Naturally, the car is near silent under electrical propulsion, and that's a weird sensation given that we are accustomed to the drone of a combustion engine. As compelling as the silence was, it paled in comparison to the tremendous torque instantly underfoot; that surprised me most of all.
So is the Volt the future in automotive technology? It certainly could be. What makes electrical propulsion so endearing to Vancouver is the fact that BC relies primarily upon hydro-produced electricity, which means no coal burning plants to create harmful emissions and acid rain. Obviously this isn't the case everywhere, and that's too bad.
I look forward to seeing many Volts and other such vehicles on our roadways soon. Many of the people I have spoken with would love to own a clean car that meets their commuting needs without burning costly fossil fuel. If only for the financial savings, people will be attracted to the Volt and its "real world" applicability.