The Chevy Volt
by J.D. AdamsFebruary 8th, 2008 at 21:32:59
The Volt is the unit of electric potential difference or electromotive force, named in honor of the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), inventor of the first modern chemical battery.
It’s fitting that the Chevrolet Volt should invoke his name, because this vehicle is a breakthrough design that will redefine the concept of electric transportation. The low suggested price of the Volt, and the 640 mile range (greater than most gasoline-powered autos), will make it attractive to the general public. Technically synergistic, the Chevy Volt was inspired by the Tesla Roadster, yet it incorprates innovations that will influence future designs by Tesla and other auto companies. What sets the Volt approach apart from the standard hybrid is that a powerful electric motor propels the vehicle at all times. A small gas engine is used only to charge the batteries. The Prius hybrid, by contrast, uses a small electric motor when going slow, and a gasoline engine kicks in when accelerating. The all-electric mode of the Volt can be sustained for 40 miles before recharging, which is accomplished from a 110 Volt outlet. Numerous Chevy Volt forums exist already in anticipation of its release in 2010.
February 9th, 2008 at 10:23 am
The images in the links you provided were the first I’d seen of the volt. It doesn’t look like it will be all that practical for a family car. Bummer.
February 9th, 2008 at 8:19 pm
An electric van would be cool, but the first wave of electric vehicles will be sedans that have a low coefficient of drag, to maximize the mileage. Justify the sleek lines of the Volt to your spouse by emphasizing the environmental benefits.
February 12th, 2008 at 9:43 am
Let’s hope that when the Chevy Volt goes on the market, it stays on the market and doesn’t go the way of the GM Impact, also known as the EV-1. There were about 1,100 EV-1′s built for the California market between ’96-’99 and were leased not sold. There were problems with the battery packs in the first version, but these were corrected.
However, as the wonderful documentary film, “Who Killed the Electric Car?” chronicled, GM decided to recall all of the EV-1′s and destroy them because they figured they couldn’t make a profit on electrics and it would be less expensive to lobby to get California to reduce its restrictive exhaust emission laws.
I own a 2007 Toyota Prius, which is a marvelous vehicle, and I hope to get a conversion kit that should allow it to do pretty much what the Chevy Volt is supposed to do, if it comes out in 2010. I won’t be rushing out to buy a Volt. GM’s conduct in destroying the EV-1 was reprehensible.
February 12th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Interesting comment. I think GM has learned their lesson. I blogged on this subject a while back: http://blog.onwardoregon.org/murder-mystery-of-the-ev-1/#more-400.
The affair was rather mysterious, and several parties were involved. The Prius also is a trendsetter. Good luck with the conversion kit.