GM Volt- fully electric vehicle

 
 
Yesterday (September 16th, 2008), GM unveiled the production model Volt.

The Volt is an extended-range electric vehicle (E-REV), not a hybrid.  Hybrids have small electric motors that move the car at slow speeds while a gas engine kicks in on the Autobahn.  The Volt however, utilizes an all-electric 161-horsepower 45KW (100 KW peak) motor capable of moving the car from 0 to 60 in 8.5 seconds with a top speed of at least 100 mph.

The Volt’s high-voltage battery pack will get you about 40 miles after a full charge from your homes wall outlet.  I know, I know, it’s still electricity so somewhere fuel is being burned or hydrogen is being split, but it’s still cleaner than igniting that Middle Eastern octane and your electricity costs will amount to a gas equivalent of about 50 cents per gallon, so it’s a whole lot cheaper to boot.

Ok, so what happens after 40 miles? 

The Volt has a small onboard gasoline/E85 combustion engine that only runs at one rpm in order to charge the battery pack.  This gas powered engine is not connected to the wheels or transmission, only the generator.  So, overall, you’ll have a total driving range of about 400 miles.  Thus, for each gallon you use to charge the battery you’ll be hitting about 50 mpg. 

Oh yeah, the insides pretty nice too.  There are two vivid 7 inch LCD screens that provide all kinds of data, including battery life, odometer, speedometer, music, etc.