Detroit Auto Show: Full Specifications on the Chevy Volt
The cover will be pulled on E-Flex and the Volt shortly
Today GM will be officially unveiling the Chevy Volt electric car to the world. But the press kit is already in the wild. The full specs of the Volt are after the jump and don't forget to the read the earlier posts on the Volt and GM's new E-Flex platform.
CHEVROLET VOLT CONCEPT SEDAN SPECIFICATIONS
Overview
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Model: |
Chevrolet Volt Concept |
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Body style / driveline: |
4-5-passenger sedan, unitized frame, electric propulsion, front wheel drive |
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Construction: |
body-frame-integral structure with composite exterior panels and roof |
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EPA vehicle class |
compact car (four doors with rear liftgate) |
Drive system
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Description: |
electrically driven system with onboard range extender, plug-in recharge capability |
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Battery system: |
|
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Type: |
lithium-ion |
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Energy: |
16 kWh (minimum) |
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Peak power: |
130 to 140 kW |
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Voltage: |
320 to 350 |
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100% recharge time: |
|
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110-volt outlet: |
6 to 6.5 hours |
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Electric traction system: |
|
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Max. electrical power: |
130 to 140 kW |
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Max. mechanical power: |
120 kW |
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Continuous electrical power: |
45 kW |
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Continuous mechanical power: |
40 kW |
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Generator: |
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Power: |
53 kW peak power |
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Drive: |
direct |
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Range extender: |
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Type: |
3-cylinder, turbocharged engine |
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Size: |
1L |
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Fuel: |
gas or E85 |
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Nominal speed: |
1500 to 1800 rpm |
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Max speed: |
3200 rpm |
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Fuel tank (gal / L): |
12 / 54.5 |
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Charger: |
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Type: |
plug-in |
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Voltage / amp: |
110 / 15 |
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Horsepower (hp / kW): |
160 / 120 |
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Torque (lb-ft / Nm): |
236 / 320 |
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Electric mode range: |
40 miles – full electric vehicle (EV) range |
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Estimated fuel economy @ constant state of charge: |
50 mpg during charge sustaining operation |
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Daily usage equivalent mpg: |
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@ 40 miles or less: |
not applicable – no fuel used |
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@ 60 miles: |
150 mpg |
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@ 80 miles: |
100 mpg |
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0 to 60 mph: |
8 to 8.5 seconds |
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Top speed (mph) |
120 (limited duration) |
Chassis/Suspension
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Front: |
independent, strut-type |
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Rear: |
semi-independent torsion beam |
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Steering type: |
electric, speed-sensitive, variable assist rack-and-pinion |
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Turning circle, curb-to-curb (ft / m): |
37 to 38 / 11.2 to 11.5 |
Brakes
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Type: |
electro-hydraulic power assisted; front disc, rear drum |
Wheels/Tires
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Wheel size (in): |
21 x 6.5 |
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Tires: |
195/55R21, low-rolling resistance |
Dimensions
Exterior
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Overall length (in / mm): |
170 / 4318 |
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Height (in / mm): |
52.6 / 1336 |
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Width (in / mm): |
70.5 / 1791 |
Interior
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Seating capacity (front / rear): |
2 / 2 |
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Headroom (in / mm): |
front: 37.3 / 947 rear: 35.9 / 912 |
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Legroom (in / mm): |
31.5 / 802 |
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Shoulder room (in / mm): |
50.6 / 1285 |
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Hip room (in / mm): |
53.1 / 1349 |
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Frank Thanos 11:45PM (3/04/2008)
GM's ALMOST got it with the Chevy Volt. The biggest boost that Toyota gets, comes from the regenerative braking in their Prius. It re-captures spent energy in stop-&-go driving. (think "freeway backup")
GM built this feature into their Tahoe hybrid; but, for some reason left it out of the VOLT design. They could have extended their 40 miles per charge.
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lawrence montambault 1:21PM (4/02/2008)
First gm says 60,000 chevy volts by 2010 ,then says 10,000 limited production chevy volts by 2010
& what next, ?? Oh ,its a concept car that we never intended to build but feel free to buy one of our expensive gas guzzlers instead??
It is not right when many americans spend all their disposiable income, as well as some that is not disposiable, at the gas pump & heating oil pump
& then can't pay their other bills.
This is why usa is having a recession which is fast becoming a depression & will get way worst before it gets even a little better.
Gm should start worring about killing the goose that lays the gold eggs & take steps to prevent ruining the us ecomony for the sake of enrichment of oil barrons by going forward with the chevy volt
in unlimited production.
I think the chevy volt is a great idea & would like to see them mass marketed in unlimited supply
instead of a meer 10,000 cars. Thats only 200 cars per state, for crying out loud.
I also agree with previous posters that the batteries are too weak in the volt . 1996 ni cad
plug in electrics had a 150 mile range & current
ion lithium batteries have a 450 mile range.
At issue here is not meerly the range but hill climbing ability & air conditioner usage.
I live in new england, hills ,hills & more hills, with the ocasional mountian thrown in for good measure & i know of nothing except a short circuit, that knocks batteries down faster than a good steep hill.Air conditioner usage comes in at a close second, & with global warming ,this needs to be addressed.
Cars used to be hot in the summer, when the summer was only 70 deg, but reciently we have seen 98 to 120 deg heat spells, nearly everywheres & these
will become more common & longer lasting. So the need for good ac is firmly established.Going without ac is just not an option except for young people who can put up with sweating.
Many current kit cars, plug in electric build it yourself cars do not have air conditioning available because it kills the range by up to 66%
& the upgrades in battery pack and current controllers needed to handle hills can add $15,000
over & above the price of a plug in electric designed for driving on the flat :IE: the great plains states, without hills or mountians.
So there is no doubt that the batteries are way too weak for new england hills in the summer time,
with double load of hills & air conditioning.
The volt as currently set up with undersized batteries, would be in constant gasoline guzzling mode & new england battery range of maybe 3 or 4 miles ,considering multiple hills & constant ac use
in summer.
I understand that weak,undersized & not up to the task, batteries are cheaper to install & would bring the purchase price down , no,that is wrong,weak batteries would just maximize sales profits for gm.
Prehaps the solution is two models, one with weak batteries for the plains states & a more expensive model with high powered batteries for new england hills,mountains & summer air cond. usage.
Being on constant gasoline mode with weak undersized batteries is no cost savings improvement over my current honda civic 1.6 liter,4 cylinder.
GM needs to change its concept, at least as far as batteries goes, to make the concept practical.
And where is the regenerative breaking????
38 mpg is fast becoming unacceptable,and too expensive, probably by summer 08. I expect my next car to get at least 90 mpg in the real world.
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JDinFL 9:17PM (7/23/2008)
40 miles on nothing but electricity is good. Recovering electricity when you break is better. Good excelleration and top speed of 120 MPH is great. If I had the money and it was available, I'd buy it now...maybe... I need two more things in this car that I have not heard about. One is climate control (A/C and heat). Number two, I live in Florida and the Sun is free. Why isn't the hood, trunk lid and roof of the car covered in photo-voltaic solar panels? Why can't the car charge while driving? Why can't it charge all day in the parking lot at work? If my electric company is still using coal, gas or other natural resources to produce electricity, what good is this going to do when gas is $12 a gallon? I'm right back where I started from now with 30-40 MPG at $4 a gallon.
GM, you need to do better than this. I need my A/C and I should be able to drive all day or at least part of a sunny day using solar power to recharge the batteries.
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Jim Unruh 12:30PM (8/15/2008)
Great concept.
Cocerns:
#1 How much would one full electric charge cost?
#2 How expensive is battery Maintenance?
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Howard Conner 10:28AM (8/18/2008)
I would like to buy a high efficiency car such as the volt or the prius. But why does GM and Toyota insist on equipping their hybrid cars with rear drum brakes. I have no interest in ever buying a car with drum brakes again no matter what the power supply is.
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Jim David 4:18PM (6/14/2009)
I'm a retired master mechanic
drum brakes have less rolling friction than discs, that's why.
tricia 4:00AM (9/18/2008)
If I have a patent-protected good affordable electric vehicles for sale, who will be interested in bulk order?
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Steve 7:02PM (9/23/2008)
We are currently driving less and buying fuel efficient vehicles. The problem is, with less gasoline purchased the federal highway trust fund is going broke. It will be interesting to see how the politicians will figure new ways to tax the people that are running on power from the local power grid
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Dee 9:45AM (12/09/2008)
It seems that you never provide all the spec's needed to evaluate your Volt. How much does the battery cost? How many times can it be recharged? How much does it weigh? It sounds like it must have at least 96 cells at about 4.0volts each. This is the worst kind of series circuit. What do you do if one cell fails? Lithum Ion batteries are not new, they were invented in 1916 and can only be recharged about 500 times. At the best 40 x 500 = 20,000 miles. If the battery costs $10,000, it would cost $0.50/mile just for batteries. My E320 gets 29 miles per gallon on $2.00 worth of gas, or $0.069/mile. That is almost 10 times better than the Volt. I think we would be better off planting trees than making hybid cars.
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Rod 9:28AM (1/01/2009)
I believe the Volt does have regenerative braking. I just read it on this site: http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080917/MULTI/80917011/1014
I met a representative from the power company at an energy show. They are interested in this becuase they see a day when thousands of cars are plugged into the grid. That is tons of power that can be diverted in peak times. In this case the power company pays you for what it takes. Afterward you go back to charging normally. Kind of like a mass buffer to even out loads. Interesting, don't you think?
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OhmExcited 1:53PM (1/07/2007)
Great info. Thanks for the details. It would be nice to seem some acceleration data. Although the Volt is literally a battery operated car, I see it as a small-engine car with battery-enhanced performance. Range is not important, because the ICE can do 70 all day long while keeping the battery topped off. The question is, how long will this car keep up with traffic where real power is needed? Will it run with other cars to the top of Donner Summit, or to the top of the Grapevine grade on I-5? Or will it run out of battery and arrive later, in the truck lane?
Will GM be pursuing nano-based batteries like Altair and A123? With a relatively small battery like the one they propose, normal daily use would be very abusive on conventional lithium ion type batteries, requiring replacement after a modest number of cycles. Here's hoping somebody out there can push battery tech to the next level.
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Tim 6:49PM (1/08/2007)
Kind of brings a tear to your eye... Pure Joy! Let's see if they actually build them.
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Tom Jacobson 12:47PM (1/08/2007)
It would be interesting if GM could offer two versions: one with the ICE and one without. The non ICE version would be lighter, lower cost and maybe offer some incremental daily range. An ICE that is not exercised can have problems and will still require maintenance (oil, filters, anti-freeze). My suspicion is that auto makers are loathe to give up the revenue stream from servicing and parts for ICEs.
Also the idea about pricing the Volt to be on par with the cost of running a gasoline based car just sounds like milking the profit margin to the max. What happens to the price of the Volt when gas is $5.00 per gallon, will GM just increase the price of the Volt to keep on par with fuel operating costs?
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Storm Connors 9:58PM (1/08/2007)
This is an intelligent solution! The problem with electric cars is the fixed range. If the range is adequate for 99% of your trips, a misjudgement can leave you 3 miles from home no matter what your range is. This solution makes an electric car suitable for almost everyone.
I think my opinion counts as I am an electric car owner. Stopping at someone's house to "borrow" some electricity might be a swell way to meet new people, but it is awkward.
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Bob 1:53PM (1/10/2007)
I would be very surprised if this new vehicle will be readily available and affordable for the general public. Making proposals is one thing, providing the motoring public with a high quality, affordable product is something quite different. I applaud the idea, but I am not holding my breath.
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Shawn 12:58PM (1/20/2007)
What a scam this "new" Chevy VOLT is. A range of only 40 miles on full AV mode??? It seems to me that this vehical is a decoy to say to the public "look we are trying to move away from big oil". GM built a pure EV (very attractive car too) in the 90's with a range of 150 - 200 miles per charge. The vehical was leased to consumers, then at lease end, taken back and destroyed! GM also purchased the patent rights of a new battery system that would have taken the range to 300 miles plus AND THEN SOLD THE PATENT TO BIG OIL!!! Why would they do that??? Do you think this battery technology will ever be avaiable again? I think everyone needs to rent the DVD called "Who killed the Electric Car". Its a cruel, oil dominated world we live in and this DVD gives the information to connect the dots between big oil, and friendly products such as a capable EV. Tell all your friends!
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Dan Petit 9:51PM (1/16/2007)
Top Tier gasolines are really stable over time for fuel injected engines. (My old 92 Chevy Chassis 454 Winnebago with Throttle Body Injection does just fine when only half a tank is used every 6 months).
The thing that concern me is what life span the vehicle will be designed for. I would like to see a 30 to 40 year lifespan for major parts less the traction battery. (Reinvesting in 8 years would be OK with me for an upgraded traction battery or the OEM if improved). Wear and tear on the gas engine would be minimal unless abused, altered, or incorrectly/insufficiently serviced. Open Scan tool access to datastreams revealing "Abuse Management Active/Inactive" would help assure retention of resale.
If it held it's resale value as do pure electric vehicles, (or match that of several Japanese OEM's), then you may actually consider this type of vehicle as an "Equity Savings Account" that you also drive.
(As I do with my current SUV from Japan, 80 percent of which is made in the USA).
(Since most people have a hard time saving cash into a standard savings account nowadays, an "Equity Savings Account" or "Never being upside-down" regarding what it is worth vs. what you owe on it).
Also, keeping more of our money circulating locally at the city, state, and national levels could revolutionize the American economy once again, instead of a significant amount of our cash going out of the country.
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Dan Petit 10:33AM (1/17/2007)
Top Tier gasolines are really stable over time for fuel injected engines. (My old 92 Chevy Chassis 454 Winnebago with Throttle Body Injection does just fine when only half a tank is used every 6 months).
The thing that concern me is what life span the vehicle will be designed for. I would like to see a 30 to 40 year lifespan for major parts less the traction battery. (Reinvesting in 8 years would be OK with me for an upgraded traction battery or the OEM if improved). Wear and tear on the gas engine would be minimal unless abused, altered, or incorrectly/insufficiently serviced. Open Scan tool access to datastreams revealing "Abuse Management Active/Inactive" would help assure retention of resale.
If it held it's resale value as do pure electric vehicles, (or match that of several Japanese OEM's), then you may actually consider this type of vehicle as an "Equity Savings Account" that you also drive.
(As I do with my current SUV from Japan, 80 percent of which is made in the USA).
(Since most people have a hard time saving cash into a standard savings account nowadays, an "Equity Savings Account" or "Never being upside-down" regarding what it is worth vs. what you owe on it).
Also, keeping more of our money circulating locally at the city, state, and national levels could revolutionize the American economy once again, instead of a significant amount of our cash going out of the country.
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Tim 3:16PM (1/20/2007)
Shawn- Please educate yourself on PHEVs. There is lots of info on the web. The Volt is basically a 40 mile BEV with a 600 mile “range.” A 40 mile BEV is perfect because over 70% of drivers commute LESS than that each day. Yet the range extender will allow them use the car for longer trips and when they "forget" to recharge. In fact, the main complaints/fears about the EV1 was (1) people having to schedule their lives around a 6-8 hour recharge, (2) Fear of getting stuck with dead batteries and (3) not being able to carry more than 2 people. The Volt and in-fact the E-Flex architecture is designed specifically to eliminate these problems and change the public's perception of EVs. E-Flex is just an important step in the transition from all petroleum to all electric. Ultimately, buyers will be able to choose which “range-extender” option (gas/ethanol, Biodiesel, or Fuel Cell) best meets their needs. This is why the custom-tailored flexibility of this design is so significant. Think of it as “water wings.”
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David Scorca 3:55PM (2/06/2007)
The 40 mile range wouldn't be a problem if people would become open minded to the possibilities. I would personally rather a full EV car but I am certain most people are too spoiled to accept the limited range. I would gladly change my lifestyle fore the benefits.
When will this car become available? Never, but all of a sudden you'll see it mass produced as soon as the oil runs out.
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