Chevrolet Colt Fully Charged The Future of Automobiles and Electric Service PDF

when It hItS the hIGhwAy A Couple of yeArS froM now, the Chevrolet volt wIll GIve ItS ownerS A DrIvInG experIenCe unlIKe AnythInG they’ve
experIenCeD. for ApproxIMAtely the fIrSt 40 MIleS, the volt IS propelleD by nothInG but the eleCtrIC enerGy StoreD In ItS onboArD bAttery pACK. After 40 MIleS, A SMAll InternAl-CoMbuStIon enGIne KICKS In to ChArGe the bAttery.

“The move toward hybrids and electriication represents a fundamental shift in the auto industry,” says Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal (greencar.com). “People recognize that oil dependence is dangerous. Being vulner-able to the whims of the market and far-away, oil-exporting countries undermines our national security and our economic stability; high gas costs have changed those two concerns from abstracts to very real and personal challenges.”

Other automakers are working on electric-driven vehicles for North America, including Chrysler, Honda and Toyota. They’ll join an increasing number of hybrid cars and trucks—vehicles powered primarily by gas or diesel engines, but use stored electricity to deliver some drive power or other fuel-saving enhance-ments in the quest for greater eficiency. “In the past, consumer interest in ‘green’ cars was primarily driven by
concerns about air quality and the automobile’s overall environmental impact,” says Cogan. “The success of hybrids shows there is a growing desire for these high-fuel-eficiency vehicles in the marketplace. Their popularity has just begun.”So, while the traditional gas pump is not about to disappear from your local convenience store anytime soon, it will be joined by electric outlets, power cords and maybe even hydrogen tanks as sources to “ill up” your next car.

More hybrIDS Are CoMInG
From economical mild hybrids such as the Chevrolet Malibu and Saturn Aura, which deliver comparatively little electric drive, to more conventional hybrids such as the Toyota Camry and Ford Escape, which use battery power at low speeds, there are more and more of these fuel-saving vehicles coming every year. And it’s not just small cars and crossovers that are receiving the hybrid treat-ment; GM earlier this year launched hybrid versions of its full-size SUVs, the hybrid Cadillac Escalade coming fall 2008 and hybrid full-size pickups coming in 2009. Dodge is also planning a near-term launch of hybrid versions of the Durango SUV and Ram truck. Even Porsche is readying a hybrid version of its high-performance Cayenne SUV.

The appeal of hybrids with many consumers transcends better gas mileage. They are seeking ways to reduce their carbon footprint via lower-polluting vehicles or protesting the reliance on foreign oil. Several studies have shown the price premium on most hybrids doesn’t pay back the owner in saved fuel costs for many years, and there are often less-expensive, non-hybrid competitive vehicles that offer comparable eficiency. However, a recent survey found that 72 percent of respondents indicated interest in a hybrid for their next car, and 46 percent said a premium of $5,000 over a comparable non-hybrid wouldn’t dissuade them.

The Tesla Roadster and Fisker Karma are high-proile, electric-driven vehicles that will share the road with the Volt and other mass-produced hybrids. But while they’ve generated plenty of electricity in the media, it remains to be seen whether they’ll light up the market. The Tesla—backed by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk—is a two-seat, pure-electric sports car based on the Lotus Elise, while Fisker’s entry is a
four-seat sedan that, similar to the Volt, augments battery power with an internal combustion engine. The company calls it a plug-in hybrid.
Both are touted as delivering sports-car-like performance, and the Tesla Roadster’s conventional charging system delivers a range of about 220
miles—less if the driver drives it, well, like a sports car. It also carries a sticker price of approximately $100,000, and production is aimed at only 100 per month (it is nowhere near that level currently).

Fisker’s Finland-built conventional sedan layout is more mainstream, but a projected $80,000 price tag and, like the Tesla, comparatively low production mean neither of these electric performance cars will be a common sight in middle-America driveways. GM has suggested the Chevy Volt will be targeted at approximately $40,000 when it goes on sale —and even if that is still a ballpark price, it suggests the Volt will be attainable to a vastly wider range of customers.

Download Chevrolet Colt Fully Charged The Future of Automobiles and Electric Service PDF

 

Filed Under (Chevrolet) by m4d35 on 05-09-2009
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