2011 Chevrolet Volt

This is not a hybrid vehicle; rather it is an electric car that has been designed to function in all types of climates with a total range of almost 400 miles. Using GM’s proprietary Voltec propulsion system, the electric drive uses a 16 kW lithium-ion battery to provide an electric range of between 25 and 50 miles depending on environmental circumstances. There is also a 1.4L gasoline engine installed that can extend the driving distance for another 344 miles when beginning with a full tank. The car then has to be plugged in to recharge the batteries or fill the tank up with gas. Other models in this line have to be recharged when the power cells run down and can’t rely on the type of backup that the Volt uses.

This model has been in the works for a number of years, as each piece of the vehicle was designed, analyzed and produced with an eye towards saving weight. Even the tires and sound system was specially created to be used with the Volt. All of this attention has created one of the most aerodynamic cars in the automotive market.

GM engineers have performed many years of validation testing to cover every aspect of the production run. They have driven prototypes for more than one million miles and have done over 4 million hours of performance testing on the battery packs to ensure that everything will produce as well in the field as on the design lab. This makes the Chevy Volt a most appealing choice.