By Jim Kerr

Photo Gallery: Chevolet Volt concept

Unveiled at the recent North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the Chevrolet Volt concept car is a compact similar in exterior size to the current Chevrolet Cobalt. However, from its composite body structure to its 3D LED gauge display, this concept is distinctly different from the Cobalt, especially in the powertrain department. Utilising GM’s E-flex propulsion system, the Volt is capable of running strictly as an electric vehicle under battery power, or providing its own onboard electricity from a variable fuelled powerplant. The Volt’s E-flex system is designed to be a world car, capable of using energy from a variety of sources including ethanol, gasoline, bio-diesel, hydrogen and the electrical power grid.

GM’s EV1 electric car, launched in 1996, provided the experience to create a modern electric car. “The EV1 ‘died’ because it had limited range, limited room for passengers or luggage, couldn’t climb a hill or run the air conditioning without depleting the battery and no device to get you home when your battery charge ran low,” said GM Vice Chairman Robert A. Lutz. The Volt overcomes all these obstacles, including providing room for four to five passengers.

As an electric vehicle, the Volt has an operating range of 40 miles (65 km). Plug it into a standard 110-volt outlet and the lithium ion battery is fully charged in about six hours. The majority of commuters drive less than this every day, so theoretically, you could drive the Volt and never have to stop at the gas pumps. The Volt E-flex propulsion system does more than just get good fuel economy. The Volt’s 160 Horsepower and 236 ft lb torque accelerate the vehicle from 0 to 60 mpg in about 8 seconds.

Chevrolet Volt concept. Click image to enlarge

If you need to drive further, the Volt powertrain also includes a one-litre turbocharged three-cylinder engine that operates at a constant rpm to charge the battery. With a full tank of fuel, the Volt has a range of over 1000 km without being plugged in and has a maximum speed of 120 mph (193 kph). Operating over long distances, the Volt will achieve 50 mpg U.S. (approx. 60 mpg Canadian) but the benefits of GM’s E-flex electric car operation really shine on shorter trips. If you drive 80 miles (129 km), the Volt will get 100 mpg U.S. (approx. 120 mpg Canadian), and if your trip is only 60 miles (96 km), fuel economy is 150 mpg U.S. (approx. 180 mpg Canadian). I like the shorter trip part where you never have to stop for fuel at all – just plug it in at home every night.

Chevrolet Volt concept. Click image to enlarge

As a world car, the E-flex system in the Volt concept car uses a gasoline/E85 ethanol fuelled engine to charge the battery when necessary. In other countries, a diesel engine operating on bio-diesel could be used, or the car could have a fuel cell incorporated into the system and operate on hydrogen. An E-flex system could be built to utilize whatever type of fuel there is available in any part of the world.

According to Larry Burns, GM vice president of research and development and strategic planning. “Vehicles still operate in pretty much the same fashion as when Karl Benz introduced the ‘horseless carriage’ in 1886.” “While mechanical propulsion will be with us for many decades to come, GM sees a market for various forms of electric vehicles, including fuel cells and electric vehicles using gas and diesel engines to extend the range.” The Volt E-flex system is one possible iteration of this concept. While the Volt is purely a concept car, look for the E-flex system technology to possibly enter the marketplace as early as 2010.