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13 · Wednesday, February 24, 2010 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.oakvillebeaver.com $ $ any oil changepackage any oil change package 5 OFF 5 OFF 345 Speers Rd., Oakville Valid at all GTA locations. Expiry: Jan. 31, 2010 Code: 5443 See store for details. ¡ Getting all charged up over Chevrolet's new electric car Story and photos by Lorne Drury Metroland Newspapers Carguide Magazine VANCOUVER, B.C.--No one can predict exactly where the automotive industry will be 10 or 20 years down the road, but General Motors is betting its Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric car will be taking lots of folks down the road most travelled. The car was first shown as a concept at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in 2007, but the Volt that will go on sale in selected U.S. markets at the end of this year and in Canada next summer is much different looking than the sports carlike concept many of us first saw more than three years ago. The car now resembles your everyday four-door Chevrolet sedan because, as GM officials insist, that's the sweet spot of the market. However, once the Voltec electric powertrain system is refined, there's a chance they'll spin off a sports car or an SUV somewhere down the road using the same technology. While production of the Volt is still a few months away, GM had a few pre-production models (called integration vehicles) in Vancouver as part of their participation in the Winter Olympic Games. Since these were the `green' Olympics, it was only fitting that the official vehicle supplier of the Games was there to show off its green technology. The Volt wasn't the only green vehicle there, though. Because of their agreement to have 30 per cent sustainable fuel vehicles, GM also had a small demonstration fleet of Ontario-built Equinox hydrogen fuel cell vehicles to ferry people around during the than the iconic Corvette sports car. It is based on the new Cruze sedan platform and will accommodate four passengers in comfort and features a hatchback design that allows for a decent amount of luggage space in the rear. What sets the Volt apart is that it is an "extended range electric vehicle", so there is no reason for the "range anxiety" customers normally voice concerns about with electric vehicles. On a full charge, it will go about 64 km in electric mode and once that power is used up, a 1.4-litre gasoline engine kicks in to operate a generator that powers an electric drive motor and increases the vehicle's range to about 500 km before a fill up or recharging is required. Top speed is estimated at 160 km/h and the 0-100 km/h time will be in the nine second range. According to General Motors' research, the 64 km range is adequate for about 75 per cent of all commuters, meaning they would be able to operate in electric only mode for the bulk of their driving. To keep the gasoline engine in peak operating order, however, periodic start-ups are programmed into the computer. "This is really a no compromise vehicle," said Odell, noting that the power will be equivalent to that of a 250 hp V6 engine. While this process sounds similar to the gas-electric hybrid system that is becoming more mainstream these days, what is different is that in a hybrid the vehicle only operates in electric mode for short periods of time and at low speeds. When the gasoline engine kicks in, it actually powers the drivetrain rather than the electric motor so fuel consumption will be greater than in the Volt. Continued on page 10 The long awaited Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric car is due to start production late this year with launch in selected U.S. markets before coming to Canada in mid-2011. Games. "We believe there are many solutions to the environmental problems," said Tom Odell, technology planning manager for General Motors of Canada, which will offer a range of gas-electric hybrids, electric and hydrogen fuel vehicles at some point in the future. "However, all directions point toward electric," said Odell, noting that the hydrogen fuel cell vehicles are a bit further down the road, but possibly on the market as early as 2015. As part of a select group of journalists, I had an opportunity for a short spin around Vancouver's picturesque Stanley Park in a Volt, one of 80 such pre-production vehicles that have been built to date. After the Volt concept was first shown, GM installed the electric powertrain system in a few Malibus and later built what are called "mules" in the industry before the integration vehicles, the first real application of all the different bits and pieces that will make up the end product. There will be minor design changes before actual production and the interior, for example, may look slightly different and the fit and finish will be better, but this is close to what the end result will be. As this is written, some Volts are in the Northern Ontario town of Kapuskasing undergoing cold weather testing, while others are being tested in desert conditions down south. The Volt that will go on sale is much less sporty looking than the original concept, but it will be the second most aerodynamic vehicle ever for GM (the EV1 electric car of the '90s had the best aerodynamics), even better