2011 Chevrolet Volt Review

Preview

What We Know

Although still a long way from production and not fully completed yet, the 2010 Chevrolet Volt is still on track for a fall 2010 on sale date. GM officials brought a cosmetically correct show car by the Inside Line offices to give a more detailed look. GM officials said that although there are Volt powertrain mules testing in the United States, it was the only car in the U.S. with production bodywork. Tony Posawatz, vehicle line director for the Volt, said, "In the spirit of quick tooling, for testing, we've grafted the Volt's propulsion system to GM's new global compact vehicle platform." The same platform will be used for the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze and Posawatz confirmed that the Volt's wheelbase and track measurements will be identical to the Cruze. "Volt will be built in a high-volume plant with a multitude of other vehicles, it's designed to be that mainstream," said Posawatz. "It's intended to look and be efficient." But the Volt, currently expected to be a 2011 model, is far from mainstream. Posawatz said the Volt has undergone 3-4 times more wind tunnel testing than a typical GM car. "We put more time in the aero because of its free development cost, as opposed to battery technology costs," Posawatz continued, "But if you let the wind design a car, they'd all look like NASCARs, so it was important to us to keep some of the original Volt concept car's nuances." Although the Volt runs on electric power, a 1.4-liter four-cylinder gas engine provides additional electric power for extended trips. When asked why they didn't use a smaller engine given the fact that it's not actually powering the car, Posawatz replied tellingly, "Only if you want your play to be just that one car. This is more displacement than you need for the Volt, but if you wanted to go one size bigger in a car, you already have the engine you need." The plug-in Volt's lithium-ion battery is expected to provide an average of 40 miles of driving range, and fully recharge in less than three hours using a 220-volt outlet or under eight hours using 110-household current. The 16 kW battery takes eight kW/hours for the recharge, with an average U.S. cost of 10 cents per hour, according to Britta Gross, GM's manager of hydrogen and electrical infrastructure commercialization. Besides the annual savings in fuel cost that GM predicts from Volt ownership, Gross reminds us that the Volt will qualify for a $7,500 tax credit, not tax deduction. Although official pricing has not yet been determined, the Volt is expected to be priced near $40,000. But Posawatz acknowledges that educational tools are important to help consumers understand how the Volt's electric plug-in power impacts independent households and businesses. "We can and will do a great car, but if the marketplace isn't ready..." Posawatz trailed off. Posawatz, however, assures us that the automaker is already working on second-generation Volt, and that the car is indeed, a long-term play for GM.

What Edmunds.com says

If it can fulfill its promises of range and reliability, the Chevrolet Volt could become a revolutionary car for GM.