General Motors is rolling out some of most significant new model in decades: the shockingly cool Chevrolet Volt electric car is a marvel in many ways. A “range-extended” electric vehicle built in Detroit, the four-seat Volt can travel about 35 miles on a rechargeable battery pack before the car’s gas engine even comes on.
That’s theoretically infinite gas mileage, but the EPA has come up with a new way of measuring energy consumption for electric cars. Looking at how much electricity it takes to recharge the Volt’s batteries, the agency says the car gets the equivalent of 93 miles per gallon — apparently the highest rating ever for a U.S. car.
On the outside, the Volt looks pretty much like any traditional small car, but under the hood and frame, two electric motors, a four-cylinder gas engine and a huge T-shaped battery pack run the vehicle. Plug the Volt into any standard electrical outlet for eight to 10 hours to charge up its batteries and the car will operate on electric power alone for miles. Once the batteries run down, the gas engine automatically kicks in to keep the car going for another 350 miles or so.
The Volt is different from other electric cars, like Nissan's equally new Leaf. The latter can go up to 100 miles before the question becomes: Where's the nearest outlet? GM calls this "range anxiety,'' and says Volt drivers won't have the same worry. To turn on the car, you push a little blue rectangle button to the right of the steering wheel. You just need to have the car's key fob with you. It's an electric-car cliché, I know, but the car was eerily quiet when started. Barely even a detectible shudder in the car's frame. Then the car's electronic dashboard and LCD touch screen came to life.
In short, GM claims the Volt has the advantages of a pure electric car without the drawbacks. For that, the Volt has earned praise from several automotive enthusiast magazines.
No comments:
Post a Comment