Chevrolet Volt: Plug-in Electric Car

Motoring Channel Staff - 9/September/2008

Detroit, America — Is this the car that will return General Motors to the #1 spot?

These are the first images of the new model which is expected to pave the way not only for plug-in electric cars, but also for GM as a leader in the field.

It is the car the company hopes will be the first of many electric vehicles that will help it regain the mantle of the world's #1 automaker, currently held by Toyota.

General Motor's new electric car, the Volt, is slated for production in 2010 and could be on sale in America late that year.

However this may be an optimistic outlook.

More than 40,000 prospective buyers having registered their interest on the waiting list (and that number is climbing) on the GM-Volt.com website and there is already talk that demand will outstrip supply in its first couple of years on sale.

Nevertheless, this particular car is expected to kick start the electric car revolution, and pricing is expected to be competitive with hybrid cars at around US$40,000.

It is already the automotive equivalent of a rock star, generating massive interest whenever it's name is mentioned.

When it finally launches it will gain blanket coverage across all mediums, and could go down in history as the car that changed the world.

General Motor's innovative electric car is being labelled a 'make or break' vehicle for the company, and is expected to be one of the first (if not the first) mass produced electric car available in major markets.

The Chevy Volt has a small combustion engine, but unlike hybrid cars such as the Toyota Prius it does not send the petrol engine's power to the wheels. Instead the petrol engine is only used to charge the batteries, which in turn provide power to the electric motor.

The small petrol engine, expected to be around 1.0-litre in size, is purely a backup mechanism. The driveline and wheels and connected solely to the electric motor.

The main source of power will come from plugging the car into a wall socket, and charging its batteries with electricity from carbon neutral sources, such as wind and solar power, which ensure its carbon emissions remain at zero.

These are the first images of the production model Volt, which is expected to be sold worldwide, including in Australia where it could be badged as a Holden by 2012.

It has a subtle resemblance to the Honda Accord Euro at the front end, but overall it's a very futuristic design with lots of LED lighting innovations and

The Volt is a 4-seater, 5-door lift-back sedan design that

As well as it's plug-in capability, where users would presumably plug the car in overnight and charge its batteries, it can also use the heat generated from the brakes to recharge its batteries, and there is also the small combustion engine for backup purposes.

The American car company says on a full electric charge, the vehicle can travel about 60km (40 miles) on pure battery power. 

With a full tank of fuel however, the small engine can charge the electric motor and extend the range to 600km (400 miles).

For more information on the Volt electric car, see this FAQ sheet.

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