2011 Chevrolet Volt in Mississauga and Toronto Area
General Motors has been working for nearly four years to bring the Volt electric sedan to market, and, based on what we’ve experienced, the final result is a shockingly good, technologically brilliant electrically powered sedan. The Volt seats four.
The Chevrolet Volt uses a enormous 420-pound, T-shaped lithium-ion battery, mounted right in the center of the car, under the center console and rear seat, to power the car through a large 149-horsepower, 368 foot-pound AC-current electric motor with a planetary transmission and transaxle driving the front wheels. Chevrolet says a fully charged battery will run the car on electricity alone for nearly 47 miles.
The battery, co-developed with Korea’s LG Chemical, a leader in this technology, uses 288 slim cells divided into four 72-cell packs. The battery has its own separate heating and cooling systems to allow it to operate efficiently in extremes of temperature. The battery can be fully charged on normal house current in 10-12 hours, said Chevrolet, and with a 240-volt charging station, in about four hours. Since electric power rates vary wildly across the country, Chevrolet estimated than an overnight charge will cost $1.00 to $1.50 per day, far less than the several gallons of gasoline it would take most commuters to get to work and back. Chevrolet will charge $490 for the fast-charging station, plus whatever your local power utility will charge for installation, and some power companies are prepared to offer rebates on installations to promote the idea. The first 4,400 Chevrolet Volt buyers will get the charging station free.
When impending battery depletion is sensed by the electronic control system that links the battery, motor, clutches, transaxle, and starter/generator together, the 1.4-liter gasoline engine starts, and converts the starter into a 55-kilowatt generator, which then supplies electrical power to the battery and the motor so that the journey can continue.
Travel can continue until the 9.3-gallon fuel tank runs out of fuel, a distance that Chevrolet calculates to be about 350 miles, or 47 miles on the battery and 310 miles using gasoline to charge the battery. The battery is never truly depleted, and operates continuously between 50 and 65 percent of its capacity, but the system is geared toward preserving the battery’s life and condition under extremes of heat, cold and continuous duty.
The Volt’s 1.4-liter double-overhead-cam, four-valve, fuel injected gasoline engine is the same engine used in the Chevrolet Cruze, without the turbocharger, and is rated at 84 horsepower at 4800 rpm. Because there is the possibility of long periods of gasoline storage, the Volt is built with a sealed, pressurized fuel system, and Chevrolet has specified that only premium unleaded fuel be used because it can stand up to long periods of storage without deterioration. There is a warning system that tells the driver to go out for a drive to burn off any condensation that has reached the fuel.
Although the Volt could be characterized as a series hybrid by some definitions, Chevrolet insists the Volt is an extended-range electric vehicle with onboard generation, and that the gasoline engine, because it adds power through the starter/generator, doesn’t ever drive the front tires directly.
The battery can drive the Volt in any of three modes, Normal, Sport and Mountain, in either Drive or Low ranges in the planetary transmission, offering a great deal of situational flexibility. Volt engineers recommend using the Low range any time the car is driving in bumper-to-bumper or other heavy traffic, so that the brakes can regenerate additional electricity.
If the $41,000 price tag seems high, remember the amount of new technology and expensive parts in this car, and be reminded that there is a $7500 federal tax rebate available, which drops the price down to $33,500. There is also a federal rebate of $2000 on a home charging unit. And several states offer refunds or rebates ranging from $2000 to $5000. Chevrolet offers a lease price on a Volt of $350 a month, with a 36,000-mile limit and a $2500 down payment. While the entire vehicle carries a normal GM warranty (three years, 36,000 miles), the battery itself carries an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty.
A Technological Leap – Without A Leap Of Faith
It has been touted as the most revolutionary automotive technology of our era. What defines the all-new 2012 Volt isn’t just the fact that it can drive a typical daily commute on electric power alone – it’s the ability to keep running all the way to your weekend escape, powered by the on-board range-extending gasoline-powered generator. It led Automobile Magazine to proclaim of Volt, in January 2011: “This is the most sophisticated, important vehicle on the road today.”
Quite The Unit
At the heart of the new Volt is an extraordinary array of technologies that comprise the VoltecTM Electric Drive Unit. It employs two electric motors, three clutches and a planetary gear set. It can run in pure electric mode for between 40 and 80 kilometres1 using no gasoline, while producing zero tailpipe emissions. The power source in electric mode is the long-life 16-kWh lithium-ion battery with 288 individual cells. And while you are driving, the regenerative braking captures energy while slowing and stopping, and transfers the energy to the battery.
Extended Thinking – Extended Range
The challenge facing the development of the Volt was how to give an electric car the kind of range people associated with their conventional vehicle. The answer can be found in the 1.4L ECOTEC® gasoline-powered generator. It keeps Volt on the road for longer drives. In other words, you get all the benefits of an electric car without the drawbacks of a limited range. Now that’s far-sighted thinking. And you can keep track of real-time information on Volt’s energy usage, power flow and efficiency on the 178 mm (7 in.) reconfigurable digital touch screen.
What A Charge
Recharging Volt couldn’t be easier. Simply plug the charge unit into any 120-volt household outlet using the 5.5 m charging cord. Volt’s battery can be fully recharged in about 10 hours.2 With the available 240-volt recharging unit, you can complete a charge in as little as four hours2 – significantly less than the approximately seven hours required to fully recharge a Nissan Leaf.3 And that’s not the only way that Volt outstrips expectations. You have to drive Volt to believe its utterly seamless and refined performance – highlighted by a 0-96 km/h acceleration time of under nine seconds. Changing attitudes – in a hurry. The instantaneous torque response is what you might expect from a high-end sports car, not a remarkably energy-efficient electric vehicle.
What A Car – What An App
Being at the forefront of technology applies to every aspect of Volt. That includes the standard OnStar® system with an unprecedented three years of the Directions & Connections Plan. OnStar® also features its RemoteLinkTM Mobile App for your iPhone® or select AndroidTM phones. It enables you to check on a series of important vehicle functions remotely, such as battery charge status þ and even allows you to schedule battery charging times to take advantage of off-peak utility rates.
Model Lineup
The Chevrolet Volt ($40,280) comes with fabric upholstery, air conditioning, navigation, OnStar, AM/FM/CD/DVD with XM satellite radio and radio recording capability, power windows, locks, and mirrors.
Options include the Premium package ($1,395) with perforated leather upholstery, heated front seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel, premium door trim; Rear Camera with Park Assist ($695); polished alloy wheels ($595), and special paint.
Safety features that come standard include dual-stage front airbags, side airbags, curtain airbags, safety belts with pre-tensioners, rear child locks, LATCH, StabiliTrak electronic stability control, anti-lock brakes (ABS), traction control, yaw control, roll control.