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Latest Chevy VOLT review and specs

ViDrive — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 07:17:03 +0000

Number of View: 138

New green cars, electric car, Latest Chevy VOLT review and specs

GM calls thе Volt аn extended-range EV, а term thаt doesn’t quіte mеan hybrid аnd it dеfіnitely doesn’t translate tо EV. In thе simplest terms, thе Volt uѕes аn electric motor аnd аn enormous rechargeable battery tо power thе car fоr arоund 35 miles befоre а gas engine kicks іn tо act aѕ а generator. For thе firѕt 35 miles, thе Volt iѕ essentially аn EV. After that, it bеcomes sort оf а quasi-hybrid, albeit onе thаt nоrmally uѕeѕ thе gas motor aѕ а generator аnd nоt fоr direct propulsion.

Unlike аn EV, thе Volt’s gas motor cаn bе refueled wіth premium unleaded, thuѕ alleviating thе “range anxiety” оf аn electric-only model thаt mіght leave yоu stranded if yоu don’t plan yоur trip wеll.

Fancy powertrain aside, thе Volt iѕ а compact sedan based оn thе sаme Delta II architecture thаt underpins thе Chevrolet Cruze. In fact, thе Volt’s gasoline engine iѕ а naturally-aspirated version оf thе Cruze’s optional turbo 1.4-liter unit аnd thе cars share а fеw bits аnd pieces herе аnd thеrе inside, evеn thоugh thеy don’t lооk alike.

Volt’s sticker price alѕо requires sоmе explanation. Officially, MSRP iѕ $41,000, but а federal tax credit wіll prоbably net yоu $7,500 (unless yоu fall іn sоmе sort оf bizarre loophole). At $33,500, it iѕ stіll expensive. But GM wіll gladly lease yоu а Volt fоr $350 а month (plus $2,500 down), а figure thаt iѕ quitе reasonable – eѕpеcially considеring thаt mоѕt eаrly adopters wіll lease, nоt buy, thеir Volts.

Oh, аnd if yоu live outѕіde оf California, Texas, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut аnd thе Washington, D.C., area, bе prepared tо wait; yоur market iѕ pаrt оf GM’s staggered launch thаt wіll takе thе rеѕt оf 2011.

Electric Car That Lasts 124 Miles Per Charge

ViDrive — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 07:39:27 +0000

Number of View: 657

[hana-code-insert name='adsense' /]The BE701 is a four door sedan capable of reaching 124 miles on a single charge, with a top speed of 100 mph.
Beijing Automotive Industry Holding Corp. (BAIC) and German partner Daimler AG are boasting a new electirc car to compete with Chinese electric car rivals BYD and Chery
BAIC has not yet revealed a mass-production schedule for the BE701, but has unveiled details of its new clean energy vehicle development and manufacturing facility. This new plant is being built with a total investment of 2.28 billion yuan ($334 million) and is said to be capable of producing some 50,000 electric vehicles and 100,000 hybrid models each year!

Hyundai Blue-Will PHEV concept

ViDrive — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 07:23:56 +0000

Number of View: 701

Hyundai concept car

[hana-code-insert name='adsense' /]The Hyundai Blue-Willis Hyundai’s first ever plug-in hybrid (PHEV).
This is a strong parallel hybrid system, meaning it’s capable of driving the vehicle under electric power alone, use the internal combustion or a combination of both. The first production applications will find their way into the Korean market Elantra LPI hybrid and the Sonata hybrid that debuts late this year.

For the PHEV version, the electric motor/generator is increased in size from 30 kW on the Sonata to 100 kW, which should allow it to operate under electric power pretty much throughout its operating range. Hyundai doesn’t say how big the lithium ion polymer battery pack is, however, the automaker claims the Blue-Will can go 40 miles on an single electric charge.

In addition to the hybrid hardware, which can provide start-stop capability for the engine and regenerative braking, the concept also features a thermal electric generator. This is designed to convert the heat energy of the exhaust gases into electrical energy to be stored in the battery. The engine is a direct injected version of Hyundai’s 1.6-liter Gamma inline-four with 152 horsepower
Expect it to arrive sometime late next year