![]() Once the lithium ion battery is depleted to about30% of rated capacity, it stays there until recharged using anelectrical outlet. Instead, it is connected directly to the electric motorand simply acts as a generator, providing the powertrain withelectrical energy. One misconception surrounding the Volt’soperation must be cleared up: The gas engine does not actually rechargethe batteries. But, says Lauckner, pull the gear shift knobinto the traditional “low” position and there’s noticeably moreretardation (and therefore more recharging) when letting off the gas.That’s the polarity of the electric motor being reversed so it canrecharge the battery. In the Volt, normal operation sees aminimum amount of regenerative braking so that the car appearscompletely conventional. In some cases, even letting off the gas feels likethrowing out a boat anchor. In many EVs,applying the brakes results in an abrupt transition from cruising toslowing down. In fact,Jon Lauckner, GM’s vice-president of global program management, saysone of the major challenges going forward is making sure the rest ofthe Volt is as quiet, since the lack of drivetrain noise will highlightany disturbance coming from other sources such as tires, wind or body.Īpeccadillo of most other electric cars - the artificial feel caused byregenerative braking (the energy from stopping is used to recharge thebatteries) - has been completely eliminated in the Volt. And, if anything, the Volt is even quieter than the alreadyimpressively silent Nissan, the lack of noise from the motor in totalcontrast to the racket that emanates from most gas engines. Neither will civility asthe Volt feels at least as sophisticated as the aforementioned Nissan.Its power delivery is equally linear and there’s the same lack ofhiccups and odd power surges that characterizes lesser electricvehicles. Things taper off above 100 km/h, but performance will notbe an issue for even the first Volts. From a stop, theChevy Cruze-based prototype (GM will start building pre-productionVolts in about a month) takes off with a healthy lunge, the low-endtorque characteristic of an electric motor about equivalent to amid-sized V6. There’s plenty of power– Chevrolet claims a time of nine seconds to get to 100 kilometres anhour, thanks to healthy 111-kilowatt electric motor. In a short drive around GM’s Technical Center in suburbanDetroit, the Volt proved every bit as sophisticated - if not more so –than the Nissan EV tested the day before. Though its64-kilometre range on electricity alone is less than the 160 km claimedfor the Nissan EV, the Volt can continue driving as long as you’rewilling to supply it with gasoline.Ĭrucially, it all works asadvertised. Indeed, the Volt is essentially anelectric car, but with the capacity to keep on driving once theelectrons have stopped migrating between anode and cathode. Todistinguish it from the lesser hybrid species, GM calls it anextended-range electric vehicle. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
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