Electric car update (Part 5): GM Volt
News and rumors regarding electric cars have been increasing in these past few months, so I thought I'd do a little reading up on the most notable models being talked about.
Today we'll cover General Motors' much anticipated electric car, the....
Launch date: 2010 (?)- Price: Not announced, but maybe under $30,000 if production run goes as estimated. Obviously 2010 is too far off to make any certain predictions...
- Top speed: 120 mph (190 km/h)
- Autonomy: 40 miles (64 kms) between charges
- Battery life: Not announced
- Battery charge time: 6 hours
- 0-60 MPH (0-100 km/h): 8.5 seconds
- Chassis design: GM Global Design
- Technology partners: A123 (batteries)
- Company HQ: Detroit
- CEO: Rick Wagoner
- Sales estimates: They say 60,000 in the first year
- Website: http://www.gm-volt.com
The latest news
General Motors showed off a great-looking Volt concept car at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit this past January.
According to GM, the Volt will be powered by a next-generation battery pack that can be recharged by the car's small gasoline-powered, one-liter, three-cylinder engine. This gas engine is a supplement to the electric power system; it can up the Volt's range to 640 miles (1,000 kms).
GM says the battery pack is critical for a mass release, and that the necessary technology won’t be available until 2010-12.
Curious fact
GM pioneered electric vehicles back in 1996 with their EV1, which they later discontinued as noted in the 2006 documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car?". GM says they EV1 just wasn't ready for the market: limited range, little interior space, the small engine could barely handle hills or the A/C, and the car had no alternative power source when the battery ran low.
Insightful quote
GM Vice Chairman Robert Lutz says that 50 percent of Americans live within twenty miles of their jobs, so they could theoretically go to work and come back on a single Volt charge. “In that case, you might never burn a drop of gas in the life of the car.”
More news
- Article at MSNBC
- Photo gallery
- Article at Bloomberg
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Tags: GM, GM Volt, Volt, EV1, Rick Wagoner, automotive, auto industry, automotive industry, China, Chinese auto industry, Chinese automotive industry, alternative energy, electric cars
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