Chevy has been known in the past as the killer of the electric car. In the mid to late 90s, Chevy had produced a limited number of electric cars in California: the EV1. After a brief time in the spotlight, for both the media and the lessees, the cars were systematically returned to Chevy and crushed!
Now, only after a dozen years or so, Chevy has returned to the alternative fuel market with a large number of technologies and platforms to offer in a few of their automotive offerings. The most notable and highly anticipated of those vehicles is the Chevy Volt. General Motors has already begun the push for alternative fuel technology with the Hybrid models of the Malibu, Tahoe and Silverado and the E85 flexfuel systems for the Malibu and quite a few of their trucks and SUVs. There is also the Hydrogen-powered fuel cell for the Equinox, but nothing beats the 40 mile commute (with ZERO gas used) of the Volt!
The car is not only appealing to the eyes but it is also a marvel of modern technology the likes of something from a blockbuster sci-fi movie. Well whadda ya know, the Volt is IN a blockbuster (presumed) sci-fi movie, Transformers 2! There are many nifty concept ideas that were put into the pre-production model (seen here), but the production design can only be seen from the outside at this point.
The internal workings of the design are still under wraps, but it has been released that the system makes use of a Lithium-Ion battery to power the car and all its peripheral equipment. There is a small 3 cylinder gas engine that recharges the battery when the overall charge reaches 30% remaining capacity. This system has a reported 150 mpg when the charging system is being used. Short commuters will essentially use no gas at all. The car’s battery is said to be chargeable from a regular 110V AC home outlet in about 8 hours.
The scheduled production release date is rumored to be next fall, for the 2010 season. The unconfirmed price at this time is also rumored to be around $39,000 with a $6,000 instant rebate and the known $3,000 tax break from the government will make this car barely affordable at about $30,000. However, the savings seen at the pump will not be realized for about the first year or so since the monthly payments will be a bit steep for most. It is also undoubted that less gas, but more fuel stabilizer, will be sold. This will be necessary to counter the effects of stale gas on the gas tank and recharging system, as most mechanics recommend not leaving unused gas in a metal container for longer than 2 weeks.
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