A key component in General Motors’ attempt to survive and regain technological relevance is the 2011 Chevrolet Volt. Probably the only car in GM’s lineup that didn’t draw long sighs and eye rolls from a mistrustful U.S. Congress during recent hearings, the Volt is essentially an electric car that has the potential to out-green current hybrids like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. But unlike the full-electrics of the past, the Volt carries around a gas-burning engine that automatically kicks on to provide propulsion once the onboard battery pack’s charge is depleted.
T-Shaped Battery is the Heart of the Volt
We recently had the chance to drive the Volt—or at least an engineering mule of the Volt powertrain cloaked in the skin of a Chevrolet Cruze, the brand’s upcoming replacement for the compact Cobalt. This June, the Cruze mules will be retired and, for the first time, the Volt’s powertrain will be mated to the Volt body.
According to Tony Posawatz, the vehicle-line engineer for the Volt, the Cruze-based mules represent 80-percent-correct versions of how the Volt powertrain will feel when it arrives in showrooms in November of 2010. But GM wasn’t ready for us tofully experience the Volt; our drive was restricted to an electric-only experience, which is how the company imagines that most customers will use the Volt.
“The beauty of the Volt is the size of the battery,” affirms Posawatz. Weighing in at 400 lb, the lithium-ion pack allows the Volt to travel as far as 40 miles on electric power. The battery, made up of about 400 waferlike cells, sits beneath the center tunnel of the car. It’s six feet long and branches out under the rear seats, forming a T shape. (Having a center tunnel in a front-drive car gives the Volt mule’s cabin the feel of one from a rear-wheel-drive vehicle.) Like most traditional electric cars, the Volt will recharge via a wall plug; the engine is simply to get you to your destination when the charge is depleted. A full charge via a 110-volt outlet is expected to take six to seven hours, and GM anticipates a two- to three-hour charge time with the optional, Chevy-supplied 240-volt charging system.
Keep Reading: 2011 Chevrolet Volt First Drive - Car News
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