Category Archives: Chevrolet Volt

Beijing 2010: Chevrolet Volt MPV5 crossover announced

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The rumored extended range electric crossover we saw revealed in General Motors’ design patent drawings is now a reality. The Chevrolet Volt MPV5 concept will make its debut tomorrow at the Beijing Motor Show, and just as we suspected from seeing Volt design chief Bob Boniface’s name on the patent, this five-passenger crossover rides on the same Voltec architecture as the Volt.

The new Chevrolet concept integrates design elements from the Volt, including the headlight, taillamps and grille, with a five-door hatch body style very similar to the larger Orlando and a length about four inches longer than the current HHR.

Propulsion comes from the same 150 horsepower engine and 16 kilowatt-hour battery used in the Volt. However, its larger frontal area and increased drag mean that this one only has a 32-mile electric range as opposed to the Volt’s 40 miles. The Crossover has full seating for five and 30.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the seats. The dashboard appears to be lifted directly from the Volt, including the dual LCD displays. We wouldn’t be at all surprised to see this as the second Voltec product in the GM North American lineup. If built, this would likely be classed as a light truck and do wonders for GM’s CAFE numbers on that side of the business.

[Via: GreenAutoblog]

GM to double the size of its battery lab ahead of Chevy Volt debut

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Before the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid debuts late this year, General Motors Co. is doubling the size of its battery lab located in the Technical Center in Warren, Mich.

In a statement, GM said that the facility will expand from 30,000 square feet to 63,000 square feet, increasing its space to develop chargers, build batteries for trials and run tests. The new space will begin to be built later this month and it is scheduled to end this summer. The lab, which opened in January 2009, is part of GM’s commitment to build batteries for the Volt in a plant south of Detroit. The lithium ion cells used in the batteries are from South Korean supplier LG Chem.

[Via: 4WheelsNews]

 

First Pre-production Chevrolet Volt Rolled off the Line

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Chevrolet Volt - attributions Wonderdawg777

Last Wednesday at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, the first pre-production Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid rolled off the line, according to a statement from General Motors Co.

But don’t expect to see these pre-production versions at the dealerships as they won’t be sold there and will instead be used as test cases, which ensure that the quality targets by the Volt engineering team will be met. In the next few months, workers will be producing more pre-production Volts. The manufacturing engineers would then be examining these vehicles as the plant prepares to produce retail models. The Volt has a range of up to 40 miles on battery power. The Volt will go on sale in November and for the first year, GM expects to sell up to 11,000 units

U.S. Government to Purchase First 100 Chevy Volts and Thousands of Hybrids

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In an effort to make the government’s fleet of vehicles more green, the Obama administration has reportedly announced plans to add more hybrids this year followed by plug-in hybrids next year. The plan should double the number of hybrids in the government’s fleet, a step towards achieving its goal of reducing fleet petroleum use by 30 percent by 2020.

The new plan involves purchasing 100 plug-in vehicles by the end of next year, and the front-runner is the Chevrolet Volt. According to Ward’s Auto, the White House has announced that the government will purchase the first 100 Chevy Volts to roll off the assembly line later this year. The government is also considering adding the plug-in hybrid electric Dodge Ram to its fleet, though how many units it’s considering has not been released.

Whether or not the Volt and PHEV Ram are being considered because the government just happens to be part owner of their parent companies remains to be seen, but we haven’t heard mention of the excellent Ford Fusion Hybrid.

GM has responded to the suggestion that the first 100 Volts will go to U.S. government fleets by stating,

We are pleased to see that the Federal government is interested in the greening of their vehicle fleet. Media speculation has led to reports that the GSA and DOE will be buying the first 100 Chevrolet Volt’s because we will meet this criteria. At this time we have no further details regarding these purchases.

[Via: Ward's Auto]

GM Invests $336 Million Into Detroit Plant to Build Volt

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The production of the Chevrolet Volt marks an important transition for General Motors. It marks the first plug-in electric drive vehicle that the automaker is building for sale to anyone that wants one. No more of the limited lease-only deals that were done with the EV1 a decade ago. To demonstrate its commitment to transforming transportation, GM decided to build the Volt on its home ground right in Detroit.

Today, GM is announcing that it’s spending $336 million to re-tool the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant to build it. The factory, which had been building the Cadillac DTS and Buick Lucerne, is being refurbished for the Volt. GM will start building pre-pilot Volts on the assembly iine in about March of 2010 to verify production processes. The Hamtramck plant will also build the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera beginning later in 2011 for European consumption.

The Hamtramck investment is part of $700 million being invested in Michigan facilities to produce the Volt and its components. That includes a new engine line at the Flint South engine plant and the battery pack assembly plant in Brownstown Township south of Detroit.

[Source: GM]