The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid concept car created by General Motors. However, the company has avoided the use of the term "hybrid," preferring to call it an electric vehicle with a "range extender" due to its design.^[2] The vehicle is designed to run purely on electricity from on-board batteries for up to 40 miles (64 km) —which is a large enough distance to cover the daily commutes of most Americans, which is around 25 miles (40 km). With use of a small internal combustion engine hooked to a generator to resupply the batteries, the vehicle's range is potentially increased to 640 miles (1030 km) on the highway. General Motors Corp. may build as many as 60,000 of its Volt electric cars for their inaugural year on the market, four times the sales of Toyota Motor Corp.'s hybrid Prius. ^[3] Image File history File links Gnome_globe_current_event. ... 1938 Buick Y-Job, the first Concept car A concept car or show car is a car prototype made to showcase a concept, new styling, technology and more. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 484 pixel Image in higher resolution (2376 × 1436 pixel, file size: 239 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Chevrolet Volt Metadata... Automakers, also known as carmakers, automobile manufacturers, motor manufacturers, or the automobile industry are companies that design and manufacture automobiles. ... General Motors Corporation, also known as GM or The General, an American multinational conglomerate corporation, is the worlds largest auto company by annual production volume for 2006, and the second largest by sales volume as of the first half of 2007, behind Toyota Motor Corporation. ... Car classification is subjective since many vehicles fall into multiple categories. ... The Rambler American introduced in the late 1950s was an early compact car. ... Cars can come in a large variety of different body styles. ... In automobile design layout is the place where both the engine and driven wheels are. ... Sketch of FF layout In automotive design, a FF, or Front-engine, Front-wheel drive layout places both the engine and driven wheels at the front of the vehicle. ... An automobile platform is a shared set of components common to a number of different automobiles. ... Delta is General Motors new compact front-wheel drive automobile and crossover SUV platform, a successor to the GM T platform; it also replaced GM J platform and the Z platform used by the Saturn S-Series. ... “Gearbox” redirects here. ... The number of US survey respondents willing to pay $4,000 more for a plug-in hybrid car increased from 17% in 2005 to 26% in 2006. ... 1938 Buick Y-Job, the first Concept car A concept car or show car is a car prototype made to showcase a concept, new styling, technology and more. ... General Motors Corporation, also known as GM or The General, an American multinational conglomerate corporation, is the worlds largest auto company by annual production volume for 2006, and the second largest by sales volume as of the first half of 2007, behind Toyota Motor Corporation. ... For battery powered passenger automobiles, see battery electric vehicle. ... Commuters on the New York City Subway during rush hour Rush hour at Shinjuku Station, Yamanote Line Traffic jam Commuting is the process of travelling between a place of residence and a place of work. ... The internal combustion engine is an engine in which the combustion of fuel and an oxidizer (typically air) occurs in a confined space called a combustion chamber. ... This article is about machines that produce electricity. ... Hybrid Synergy Drive The Toyota Prius is a hybrid electric vehicle developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation, and one of the first such vehicles to be mass-produced and marketed. ...

The Volt concept vehicle was officially unveiled at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) on January 7, 2007 in Detroit, Michigan.[1] An updated version was unveiled at the Shanghai Auto Show in April 2007 in Shanghai, China. At the time of unveiling, the Volt project had been in existence for less than a year. It was started in 2006 after Robert Lutz, Vice Chairman of Product Development and Chairman of GM North America, learned of plans for the Tesla Roadster, a high-performance electric sportscar.^[4] While the Roadster has a target price at or near US$100,000, the Volt is targeted to cost around $20K to 30K^[5]. NAIAS 2005, near the Audi exhibit. ... is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Detroit redirects here. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Largest metro area Metro Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... For other uses, see Shanghai (disambiguation). ... Robert Bob A. Lutz (born February 12, 1932, in Zurich, Switzerland) is the General Motors Vice Chairman of Product Development and Chairman of GM North America. ... The Tesla Roadster is the first fully electric automobile to be produced by electric car firm Tesla Motors. ... USD redirects here. ...

E-Flex drivetrain

The concept vehicle appeared in the Detroit Auto Show^[6] introduces the E-Flex^[7] drive system, which is an attempt to standardize many components of possible future electrically-propelled vehicles, and to allow multiple interchangeable electricity-generating systems. The initial design as envisioned in the Volt combines an electric motor and 16 kWh (58 MJ) lithium-ion battery plug-in system^[8] with a small engine (1 litre) powered by gasoline linked to a 53 kW generator. The vehicle is propelled by electrical motors with a peak output of 120 kW (160 horsepower). Ordinarily, the vehicle would be charged while at home overnight (plug-in hybrid). A full charge reportedly takes 6.5 hours from a standard North American 120 V, 20 A household outlet. The vehicle has two charging ports for convenience, one on each side.^[9] A concept car is a car prototype made to showcase a new vehicles styling, technology, and overall design before production. ... NAIAS 2005, near the Audi exhibit. ... The article on electrical energy is located elsewhere. ... The kilowatt-hour (symbol: kW·h) is a unit for measuring energy. ... A megajoule (abbreviation: MJ) is a unit of energy equal to 1000000 joules. ... Li-Ion Camera Battery Lithium ion batteries (or Li-ion) have become very common and dropped in price recently. ... Petrol redirects here. ... The kilowatt (symbol: kW) is a unit for measuring power, equal to one thousand watts. ... Electric motors of various sizes. ... The kilowatt (symbol: kW) is a unit for measuring power, equal to one thousand watts. ... This article is about a unit of measurement. ... Hybrids Plus plug-in hybrid Toyota Prius conversion with PHEV-30 (30 mile or 48 km all-electric range) battery packs A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid vehicle with batteries that can be recharged by connecting a plug to an electric power source. ... Josephson junction array chip developed by NIST as a standard volt. ... For other uses, see Ampere (disambiguation). ...

Since the electrical drivetrain is not affected by the method used to charge its batteries, several options could be available for an engine. The primary configuration specified in promotional literature uses a turbocharged 1.0-liter engine with three cylinders. It would be a flex-fuel engine capable of running gasoline or E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline). Fuel would be supplied from a "saddle" tank 45 liters (12 gallons) in size. Air foil bearing-supported turbocharger cutaway made by Mohawk Innovative Technology Inc. ... A flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV) or dual-fuel vehicle (also sometimes called only flex-fuel) is an automobile that can typically alternate between two sources of fuel. ... Petrol redirects here. ... Logo used in the United States for E85 fuel E85 is an alcohol fuel mixture that typically contains a mixture of up to 85% denatured fuel ethanol and gasoline or other hydrocarbon by volume. ... Information on pump, California. ...

The second option is the Volt fuel cell vehicle, which appeared in the 2007 Shanghai Auto Show.^[6] A fuel cell is an electrochemical device similar to a battery, but differing from the latter in that it is designed for continuous replenishment of the reactants consumed; i. ...

Other options have also been mentioned, such as a pure ethanol (E100) engine, a diesel engine capable of running biodiesel fuel, or even a hydrogen fuel cell, once that technology becomes practical. (The Ford Airstream concept, which debuted at the same show, uses a fuel cell plug-in hybrid design.) A diesel engine built by MAN AG in 1906 Rudolf Diesels 1893 patent on his engine design A Diesel engine is an internal combustion engine which operates using the Diesel cycle. ... This article is about transesterified plant and animal oils. ... A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device similar to a battery, but differing from the latter in that it is designed for continuous replenishment of the reactants consumed; i. ... The Ford Airstream is a new concept car which made its debut at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan. ...

This general layout is considered a plug-in series hybrid design since mechanical power initially drives the generator, which in turn charges the battery pack. Power is then drained from the batteries to run the electrical motors which move the vehicle. The internal combustion engine does not have any mechanical linkage to the wheels (unlike current vehicles such as the Toyota Prius), and can run at a constant speed for optimal efficiency. Hybrid vehicle designers have found many ways to generate and store energy, and to apply the energy to vehicle propulsion. ... Hybrid Synergy Drive The Toyota Prius is a hybrid electric vehicle developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation, and one of the first such vehicles to be mass-produced and marketed. ...

GM plans to keep the lithium-ion battery in a state-of-charge (SOC) range of between 30% and 80%, with the on-board generator starting to recharge the battery at the 30% level.^[10]

Related and similar vehicles

The concept vehicle has four doors with a rear liftgate, and it is capable of carrying four to five passengers. This is an improvement over General Motors’ EV1 of the 1990s, which only seated two. The top speed has also been increased on the Volt, from 80 MPH (nearly 130 km/h) to 120 MPH (slightly over 190 km/h). The battery pack size has also been reduced between the two, from about 300 L in volume in the EV1, to just 100 L in the Volt. EV1 redirects here. ... The liter (spelled liter in American English and litre in Commonwealth English) is a unit of volume. ...

The purely electric range of the Volt will be considerably smaller than that of the EV1, but the overall range will be much higher. However, there was a 1998 prototype version EV1 in series hybrid configuration, that also had four seats and the same all-electric range of 40 miles (60 km) as the Volt, and it featured combined range of 390 miles (630 km), though with a different engine engagement control program. In contrast to the current Volt, this car was actually a running prototype. However, it used an exotic turbine engine which did not run on gasoline, requiring higher-octane alternative fuels. EV1 redirects here. ... For other uses, see Octane (disambiguation). ...

The Opel Flextreme concept vehicle is based on the same platform and technology, but designed for the European market; it has a diesel engine and a hatchback body. The Opel Flextreme is a diesel plug-in hybrid concept car created by General Motors. ...

Production plans

Although a production date has not been announced, several sources have speculated that General Motors hopes to have the Volt on the market in 2010. ^[11] To help spur battery research, GM selected two companies to provide advanced lithium-ion batteries: Compact Power and Continental Automotive Systems. ^[12] However, on August 9, 2007 GM selected A123 to provide batteries. ^[13] Lithium-ion batteries (sometimes abbreviated Li-ion batteries) are a type of rechargeable battery commonly used in consumer electronics. ... LG Chemical Co, Ltd. ... Continental Automotive Systems (CAS), a division of Continental AG, is a leading brake and electronics supplier to the automotive industry, delivering systems, components, electronics and engineering services for vehicle safety, comfort and powertrain performance. ... is the 221st day of the year (222nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... A123Systems is a developer of next generation Lithium-Ion batteries. ...

Clearly, battery technology will have a large impact in determining the success of the car.

The initial production run for first year of sales of the Volt may be as many as 60,000 or 100,000 vehicles, or four times the sales volume of the Toyota Prius in its first year.^[14] Hybrid Synergy Drive The Toyota Prius is a hybrid electric vehicle developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation, and one of the first such vehicles to be mass-produced and marketed. ...

With the outcome of the 2007 UAW-GM contract talks, assembly of the Volt was assigned to Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly.^[15] The United Auto Workers (UAW), headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, officially the United Automobile, Aerospace & Agricultural Implement Workers of America International Union, is one of the largest labor unions in North America, The UAW has approximately 540,000 active members and over 500,000 retired members in the United States, Canada... On September 24, 2007 at approximately 11:00 a. ... Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly is a General Motors automobile factory in Hamtramck, Michigan. ...

Chevrolet Volt battery makers

• A123Systems
• LG Chemical

A123Systems is a developer of next generation Lithium-Ion batteries. ... LG Chemical Co, Ltd. ...

See also

• Denis Gray, GM's battery testing lab director.
• General Motors EV1
• General Motors XP-883
• Genset trailer
• Opel Flextreme
• Tesla Roadster

EV1 redirects here. ... The XP-883 was an experimental plug-in hybrid car demonstrated by General Motors in 1969. ... Genset trailers are gassoline fueled trailers with generators which can be hitched up to an electric vehicle and provide the average energy required to give the vehicle unlimited range. ... The Opel Flextreme is a diesel plug-in hybrid concept car created by General Motors. ... The Tesla Roadster is the first fully electric automobile to be produced by electric car firm Tesla Motors. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For information on Wikipedia press releases, see Wikipedia:Press releases. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 218th day of the year (219th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For information on Wikipedia press releases, see Wikipedia:Press releases. ... For information on Wikipedia press releases, see Wikipedia:Press releases. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 235th day of the year (236th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Official Chevrolet page about the Volt
• AutoblogGreen: It's Here: GM's Plug-in Hybrid Is the Chevy Volt
• Leftlane News: GM Reveals Chevrolet Volt Concept
• Chevrolet Volt Concept Site
• Chevrolet Volt Development Site