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Plug and Play
by Barclay Nelson
An exciting new “American Revolution”
I had a chance to get a sneak preview of the 2010 Chevy Volt
at the Winstar 350 NASCAR race at the Texas Motor Speedway. The Volt is an
exciting “American Revolution”. The wheels on hybrids are driven by both
gas and electric motors. On hybrids, the electric motor only runs under
certain situations before the gas motor either takes over or starts contributing
power. With the Volt, there is a gas motor in the car but the gas motor
doesn’t drive the wheels. Unlike a hybrid, the wheels are driven only by
an electric motor. The gas motor simply charges the battery when the
battery runs out. So the car runs on battery power alone until the battery
runs down. I got a charge out of the new design and features
The interior looked modern with a slick dash console.
The lithium ion battery is really big and long. It stretches down the
middle of the car and divides the two back seats. The current battery has
a 10 year 150,000 mile life before it needs replacing. The battery
recharges in about 8 hours when plugged into a standard 120V outlet or 3 hours
with a 240V outlet. Volt uses less energy than a refrigerator
Over the course of a year, the Volt will use less energy than
your refrigerator. Maybe this is part of the reason why the government is
still offering an enormous $7,500 tax credit for buyers of this car. Technological advancement in electric car batteries and
engines is moving rapidly. I would guess that the performance of the final
production version in late 2010 might be even better than what Chevrolet is
stating right now. To follow the Volt’s development and learn more go to
www.chevy.com/volt.
Barclay Nelson is an Investment Advisor that writes about
outdoor and urban adventures and experiences. Read his stories on
www.carladynews.com,
www.cocktailatlas.com, and
www.travellady.com; or contact him at
barclay@birch-consulting.com
Photo Credit Barclay Nelson |
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The
Volt is really attractive from both front and rear. It’s sleek design
gives it one of the highest aerodynamic ratings of any car. Despite it’s
sleek looks and our proximity to some very fast vehicles at the WinStar 350, I
wouldn’t exactly put the Volt in the race car category. Horsepower and
acceleration numbers are modest. You will however find yourself making
significantly fewer pit stops than a race car. The Volt will go 40 miles
without using a drop of gas. This is good enough for 76% of Americans who
have less than a 40 mile round trip work commute. What happens after you
hit 40 miles? Don’t worry, you won’t be stranded in pit row. When
the battery runs out the gas powered generator kicks in to charge the battery.
On a single tank of gas the car will go another 260 miles for a total range per
tank of 300 miles.