General Motors Unveils the Chevy Volt
New Technologies put Plug-In Electric Cars in the Spotlight
Sep 17, 2008
On September 16, 2008, Chevrolet showed off the new Chevy Volt to the automobile industry, coming through on its promise to bring back plug-in electric cars to the marketplace. Unlike the hybrid vehicles that are currently on the market, such as the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic, the Volt’s 150-horsepower-equivalent engine will run solely on electric power.
A small gasoline engine is part of the system, but it only used to recharge the primary batteries. The gasoline engine is not coupled to the drivetrain in the Volt, as it is in current hybrid vehicles.
Battery Pack Design
One of the limiting factors in previous electric car models was the size of the batteries. In older electric vehicles, the batteries were so large that they took up the space usually allocated for a trunk. While the battery pack for the Volt is still quite large, GM has designed it so it resides under the car, in the space that would be used for the power train in rear wheel vehicles. The placement of the battery in this form factor provides a low center of gravity for the vehicle and distributes the weight evenly along the length of the car, resulting in better handling.
According to Automotive News, the battery in the Chevy Volt will store about 16 kWh of power, and require about seven hours of charge to fill it. The T-shaped lithium-ion battery, which weighs about 400 pounds, will be able to store enough power for the car to travel about 40 miles.
The auxiliary gasoline engine can add about 300 miles of range. GM states that these numbers apply only to the first generation technology, and they are already working on increasing the performance of the Volt and other future electric vehicle models.
Improved Road Performance
Another difference between the Chevy Volt and its electric ancestors is its performance. While older electric car models had low acceleration rates and traveling speeds, GM states that the Volt will be able to travel at speeds up to 100 mph and have a zero-to-sixty time of less than nine seconds. This performance is comparable to many gasoline cars currently on the road.
Electrical Efficiency
In order to conserve the amount of energy being consumed during vehicle operation, GM limited the electronic options within the vehicle. The Volt also employs regenerative braking, which is a concept that captures the energy lost during braking and uses that energy to recharge the battery.
The Chevy Volt is planned to be available for purchase in 2010, as a 2011 model year vehicle. The Volt uses a variety of technical innovations to provide drivers with an alternative to gasoline vehicles and hybrid vehicles currently on the market.
Sources
Peter Valdes-Dapena, “GM debuts the Chevy Volt”, CNN web site, September 16, 2008.
Automotive News, August 15, 2008
