Chevy Volt

Ezra Drissman
January 7, 2010

Ezra Drissman
http://www.GreenCareersGuide.com

Recent car manufacturers have been putting a lot of stress on making environmentally friendly vehicles and keeping their vehicles up to date with tougher environment standards. Chevrolet, owned by General Motors, is one of those companies who are leading in the revolution of clean and green energy to power their cars. The Chevrolet Volt is a concept vehicle and sports four doors with a rear lift gate. It is a four seat car that will run at a top speed of 80 to 100 miles per hour.

The car is a concept vehicle and a plug in hybrid vehicle. The car will run the first forty miles of its trip powered by onboard 16 - kWh lithium - ion batteries which can be charged from an electrical power outlet which gives power of 120 - 240 volt AC. The Chevrolet Volt can be charged from either a standard 120 volt outlet or a 240 volt outlet for charging. The Volt has an intelligent battery design which enables it to be fully charged in less than three hours if charged from the 240 volt outlet, and in about eight hours from a 120 volt outlet. Around 22 lithium - ion cells power the Volts electric unit with 150 horsepower and 273 lb - ft of instant torque. The car has no engine noise due it being electrical and with special sound reducing technologies; it is a very quiet car to drive.

After the first 40 miles a 4 cylinder gasoline/E85-powered engine generator will create on board electricity to a 53kw generator which will enable the Volt to travel a further 300 miles. The power from the generator is sent either to the batteries or the electric motor depending on how much the battery is charged and how much power is required for the car. There are many other features in the Chevrolet Volt as well such as liquid crystal element display, which is completely configurable by the driver along with a seven inch display for viewing vehicle information. It has a touch screen with climate controls for information and entertainment. There is the provision for an optional navigation system with its own onboard hard drive for storing music or whatever you like. There is also a standard Bluetooth device to be used with cell phones and Bluetooth and USB connectivity to enable fast music streaming.

The Chevrolet Volt has been scheduled and is expected to be released in late 2010. The price of the car is estimated at around $40,000.

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