Chevrolet Volt

Chevrolet Volt hybrid car is a vivid representative of the European "C" class. Chevrolet Volt is almost of the same size as Chevrolet Cobalt and it is built on the base of a global General Motors E-Flex platform.

This automobile's developers prefer calling it electric automobile rather than hybrid as it is started by a front axle electric motor of 161 hp, which is fed by a set of lithium-ionic batteries.

Additionally, Chevrolet Volt is provided with a gasoline engine. It is a 71-horsepower 3-cylinder 1.0-liter turbo-charged engine that consumes either gasoline or ethanol E85. This engine is actually needed to recharge the batteries and it never powers the vehicle directly.

The batteries can also be recharged with the help of a usual rosette, which takes about 6 - 6.5 hours. Chevrolet Cobalt can do some 40 miles with its batteries being fully charged, which is enough to get to the shop and back home as the producers believe.

The maximum distance the car can do with its fuel tank being full is about 1000 km whereas the car does 0-100 km/h in 8.5 seconds.

As state Chevrolet management this car's owner can save up to 2 tons of fuel annually it doing about 40 miles a day, and if the batteries are charged every night he or she won't need fuel at all.

The only considerable problem the company's engineers encountered with on the way to serial production of this model is that there is no supplier of such batteries that can endure endless charge-discharge during thousands of miles without their properties' deterioration.

If there is any supplier the manufacturer is ready to produce over 100 000 of such models annually and they will cost somewhere like Ford Focus.

Chevrolet Volt that its developers prefer calling electric automobile rather than hybrid is provided with a powerful electric motor as well as with a small 1.0-liter gasoline-powered engine.

Total horsepower of electric and gasoline engines makes up 160 hp.

Chevrolet Volt is thrice as economical as an ordinary car provided with the same gasoline engine this concept is provided with.

Chevrolet Volt can do 64 km with its gasoline engine being shut off provided the battery is charged. The fuel consumption makes up some 1.8-2.0 liters per 100 km if gasoline engine if linked in.

It takes 8.5 seconds for Chevrolet Volt to do 0-100 km/h; the car's top speed makes up 193 km/h.