The Chevrolet VOLT, Life After 40 Miles

SITTING behind the wheel of a 2011 Chevrolet Volt prototype on Wednesday, I found myself confronting what may be the greatest fear that future owners of electric vehicles will face: a battery-charge indicator showing just a few miles of remaining range.

If I were out on a desolate Interstate in a vehicle powered solely by batteries, I’d be praying to the god of electrons for a place to pull off and plug in a charging cord. But my drive is at General Motors’ proving grounds here, and I’m about to experience what the Volt’s vehicle line director (and my passenger), Tony Posawatz, says is the car’s trump card: a gasoline-powered generator under the hood.

Like other reporters, I had already driven Volt prototypes in the battery-powered mode, and they were predictably smooth and silent...

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SHOWTIME - 11/24/2009 10:13:14 AM

+1 Boost

Actually, it's a lot better looking than the Prius and Insight. But I still wouldn't get it.

Need4Speed - 11/24/2009 1:23:51 PM

-3 Boost

Uhm...get over it!...life is too short to worry about how a car looks.

LACMAN - 11/24/2009 11:53:06 AM

-1 Boost

Did any of you read the article? We have talked about the design of the Volt for over a year now. You either like it or you dont. The article was about the technology.

carguy68 - 11/24/2009 1:06:27 PM

+2 Boost

That thing is ugly!

rxh8me9000 - 11/24/2009 2:08:47 PM

0 Boost

I still dont understand why Electric and Hybrid vehicles are so ugly,but I do like the Volt,its a step in the right direction

veyron1001 - 11/24/2009 4:34:50 PM

-2 Boost

After 40miles its burning diesel. Putting o such harmful emissions into the air. Zero emissions my foot.

DinamoR - 11/24/2009 6:26:47 PM

-1 Boost

diesel? I thought it had a gasoline engine? Diesel would be awesome, it would mean you can run it on bio-diesel, and drive for ever with low/no emissions

I95SPEEDINGTICKETS - 11/24/2009 11:37:49 PM

+3 Boost

So let me get this right.
Toyota has Gasoline Hybrid Vehicles that has vehicle run on Battery Power till Battery runs out of power then ICU Engine kicks in to Power Vehicle and Recharge Batteries

GM Claims to have a Fully Electric Vehicle which after 40 miles Requires an ICU Engine to kick in and Generate Electricity to Power Vehicle and Recharge Batteries.

Both Vehicle Require Batteries, ICU Engines burning Gasoline/Diesel and Electric Motors so what exactly makes the Volt that much more advanced than the Prius ?

I am genuine in my question and not trying to be silly.
What are the Performance advantages of the Volt over the Prius or Similar sized Hybrid ?
I don't just mean acceleration, i mean also Mileage, Emissions, Torque...... The Works ?

tango - 11/24/2009 11:55:56 PM

+1 Boost

I think a decent solution for the charge-sustaining mode, but it's far more expensive that software changes. Why not employ a small CVT arrangement? The engine could be kept at a constant speed but the output shaft to the generator unit would increase in speed, thus increasing the rate of charge. The constant speed of the engine would be less intrusive than the hi-and-lo effect that is apparently currently existing.