Bob Lutz GM’s 72-year-old Vice Chairman sits on the
cutting edge of new hybrid technology. It is in fact Mr. Lutz and his
belief in hybrid technology that has led Chevrolet to create some
interesti…
Bob Lutz GM’s 72-year-old Vice Chairman sits on the
cutting edge of new hybrid technology. It is in fact Mr. Lutz and his
belief in hybrid technology that has led Chevrolet to create some
interesting new hybrid models due out soon including the Silverado,
Tahoe, Malibu and Equinox. Under Mr. Lutz’s guidance, Chevrolet even
produced a fleet of transit buses powered by their Allison Electric
Drive Transmission system for King County, Washington. A fleet is
expected to save King County over 750,000 gallons of gasoline a year
over the non hybrids it replaced according to hybrid-car.org.
Perhaps
more important than any of the strides forward to date will be the 2010
launch of a brand new hybrid on its very own platform. We are of course
talking about the 2010 Chevy Volt, part sports car, part green machine,
all fun.
Officially unveiled at the North American International
Auto Show (NAIAS) on January 7, 2007 in Detroit, Michigan, the new Volt
represents one of the first hybrid coupes to market. It was designed to
meet the needs of most everyday commuters by providing electric power
for up to 40 miles based off of its battery charge. In between the
hybrid power and the internal combustion engines, the Volt is said to
be able to travel 640 miles on a full charge. Perhaps most importantly,
the Volt has been designed with the everyday user in mind.
With a
price point around $30-40k, the Volt can fit the budgets of most middle
class families looking to break the mold. Plus, based on a secret
source, Bloomberg revealed in August ’07 that first year production
will yield 60,000 Volts. That number is nearly triple the amount of
Prius that were made available to consumer post launch. A move that led
to waiting lists, purchases over sticker price and a variety of other
hype on Toyota’s behalf.
One of the other reasons the Volt
represents a large step forward for American automakers is the unique
E-Flex system. This new platform from Chevy will ultimately allow for
deployment across a variety of Chevy hybrids in the future and lies at
the core of its success. The design combines a small electric motor
with a lithium ion battery for the electric component while the gas
engines is based on a small 1 liter engine to do the work at higher
speeds. The combined package creates an engine with a peak output of
160 horsepower. Despite this low hp rating, electric engines accelerate
far faster than combustion engines as displayed with the Tesla Roadster
which goes from 0-60 in under four seconds according to their site.
In
addition to a new platform, new technology and a reasonable price, the
Chevy Volt and other cars that rely heavily on electronic propulsion
require less maintenance:
Filters need less changing due to decreased need for air filtration
Brakes need less changing due to friction breaking
Less moving parts equals lower probability of engines malfunctions
Reduced oil changes/engine maintenance to reliance of electric technology
Facts in hand
, take a minute to think about your next purchase and why a Chevy Volt may be the right car for you.
Learn about the chevy volt here http://www.chevy-volt.net
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