2011 Chevrolet Volt Details, Price and Pictures

The Chevrolet Volt heralds a new era in the electrification of the automobile by creating a new class of vehicle known as the Extended-Range Electric Vehicle, or E-REV.

The Volt uses electricity to move the wheels at all times and speeds. For trips up to 60 km, the Chevrolet Volt is powered only by electricity stored in its 16-kWh, lithium-ion battery. When the battery's energy is depleted, a gasoline/E85-powered engine generator seamlessly provides electricity to power the Volt's electric drive unit while simultaneously sustaining the charge of the battery. This mode of operation extends the range of the Volt for several hundred additional kilometers, until the vehicle's battery can be charged. Unlike a conventional battery-electric vehicle, the Volt eliminates "range anxiety," giving the confidence and peace of mind that the driver will not be stranded by a depleted battery.

The Chevrolet Volt can be plugged into a standard household 230v outlet for charging. The vehicle's intelligent charging technology enables the Volt's battery to be charged in less than three hours. Charge times are reduced if the battery has not been fully depleted. GM estimates that it will cost less than one euro at night for a full charge that will deliver up to 60 km of electric driving.

Charged up for performance

On the road, the Chevrolet Volt offers spirited driving performance in a remarkably quiet interior. More than 220 lithium-ion cells contained within the Volt's battery pack provide ample power. The Volt's electric drive unit delivers the equivalent of 150 hp/110 kW, 370 Nm of instant torque, and a top speed of 161 km/h. The lack of engine noise, combined with special sound-deadening materials, makes the Chevrolet Volt an extremely quiet vehicle to drive.

GM estimates that the Chevrolet Volt will cost about two euro cents per km to drive while under battery power, compared to 12 euro cents per km using gasoline priced at €1.50 per liter. For an average driver who drives 60 km per day (or 22,000 km per year), this amounts to cost savings of €2,200 annually. Using night-time electricity rates, GM estimates that an electrically driven kilometer in a Volt will be about one-sixth of the cost of a conventional gasoline-powered vehicle.

Chevrolet Volt

Talk about expectations. The Chevrolet Volt, General Motor's extended range electric car, can't just make some modest profits for General Motors.

Now it's expected to save the state of Michigan, says the Associated Press. "The Volt is crucial. So much depends on this car. It cannot fail," the story states.

Yikes. No pressure, here. The car is considered so important because Michigan isn't content with just making cars anymore. Everyone does that. Now it wants to be a high-tech center.

"Detroit," Mike Smith, head of the Reuther Library, is quoted by the AP as saying. It "has two choices: Remake itself. Or die on the vine." He pauses. "We HAVE to reinvent ourselves."

2011 Chevrolet Volt to cold-weather testing in Canada

2011 Chevy Volt

The Olympics aren't the only interesting and noteworthy event currently taking place in Canada. General Motors says it has shipped its fleet of 2011 Chevrolet Volt test vehicles to the cold and snowy climes of Kapuskasing, about 500 miles northwest of Toronto. Current temperature? A frigid 23-degrees Fahrenheit, or -5 Celsius.

This latest test session comes just months after The General ran its fleet of Volts through Death Valley (about 100 degrees F) and the mountains of Tennessee. Not surprising, really. After all, every new vehicle goes through a rigorous set of test cycles, and, as the first mass-production, mass-market extended-range electric vehicle ever attempted, it's of the utmost importance that GM gets this vehicle right the first time.