New Chevrolet Volt.
16th February 2012
New Chevrolet Volt is a new green electric car which has the added extra of a 1.4 litre “range extender” petrol engine. Make no mistake; the Volt is an electric car which offers drivers the best of both worlds. Its Voltec® electric drive unit powers the car 100% of the time, and its main source of electricity is the high-tech liquid cooled/heated lithium-ion battery. What makes the Volt unique is that when the battery is depleted, the 1.4L high-efficiency petrol-fuelled generator seamlessly and instantly activates to supply electricity to extend the Volt’s range to over 300 miles.
So how does the New Chevrolet Volt work?
Plug it into a standard 230V outlet, let it charge for up to six hours and then it’s ready for up to 50 emission-free miles. After that, the Volt – and more importantly you – can keep on going thanks to the range-extender.
What’s more, you’ll barely notice the transition to extended range. What changes is the source of energy that powers it. When the battery’s finally depleted, the range extender takes over seamlessly – and a notification appears on the LCD instrument screen. As a driver, you don’t have to do anything at all.
The Volt uses regenerative braking, which allows the car to recapture energy while it’s decelerating and transfer that energy into the battery, thereby boosting the duration of the battery charge and, in turn, the Volt’s range. Despite all these innovations and exciting technology, driving the Volt doesn’t require any special skills – it operates in a way you’ll already be comfortable with.
The Volt is packed with clever technology. With 4 driving options you can adapt your driving to what is needed at the time. From Normal to Sport for the more assertive style to Mountain when you feel like travelling further abroad and finally to Hold where you can just use extended range until you decide to run at 0 emission mode.
On the inside, the Volt exceeds expectations of space, comfort, convenience and equipment. A high-tech infotainment system accessed from the centre console is one of the highlights, along with keyless entry, heated leather seats, bluetooth streaming and much more.
It’s also important that your Volt is protected. Chevrolet have developed an anti-theft/removal system for the portable charge unit. This way, you can plug your Volt into a standard 230V outlet and leave it to charge in the confidence that it will be protected. And to help prevent parking scrapes, you can opt for front/rear park assist, including a camera.
The New Chevrolet Volt is expected to be delivered in Lookers Chevrolet this Spring.
