ELECTRIFYING The Chevrolet Volt is the world's first mass-production car that is not driven by an internal combustion engine

By Justin Lee

CHEVROLET HAS UNVEILED the much anticipated production version of the Volt, an Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV). The car’s introduction coincides with Chevrolet’s parent company General Motors’ centenary celebrations.

First showcased as a concept at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, the production version’s aerodynamic looking exterior design is more conventional than that of the show car.

Forward propulsion comes from a 150bhp electric motor with 370Nm of torque that is powered by a 16 kWh lithium-ion battery. Top speed is 160km/h.

It can run solely on electric power for up to 64 kilometres. When the battery’s energy is depleted, a petrol engine (which can also run on E85 – an ethanol petrol blended fuel) kicks in to power the Volt’s electric motor as well as to recharge the battery. This mode of operation extends the range of the Volt for several hundred kilometres.

The Volt can also be plugged into either a standard household outlet. The car’s intelligent charging technology enables the battery to be charged in less than three hours.

Inside, the dashboard incorporates features such as a driver configurable liquid crystal instrument display, a standard seven-inch touch screen vehicle information display and touch screen-style climate and infotainment controls. An interesting design detail is the gear lever which resides in a cavity at the base of the dashboard fascia.

Production for the Volt is scheduled to start in late 2010 in the United States. The car will be sold there first and it will be introduced to the European market in 2011.

Chevrolet is also testing a few pre-production units in China now. But there is currently no indication on whether the Volt will arrive on our shores.