Obama Drives New Chevrolet Volt

MANILA, Philippines - President Barack Obama tested the new Chevrolet Volt for the first time during his visit to the Compact Power, Inc. (CPI) plant in Holland, Michigan last July 15. South Korean LG Chem-owned CPI recently received a $151 million US stimulus grant and will produce each Volt’s 220 lithium-ion battery cells that will power the vehicle.

In what could be a symbolic act from the man that most expect to get the economy back on track, President Obama tried out the vehicle that could substantially help push the economy into recovery. The Chevrolet Volt will most likely be one steadfast foot soldier in the slow march out of economic depression, as it will provide a very practical, reasonably affordable, reliable and even enjoyable mode of transportation that will additionally create a considerable number of jobs such as at the new CPI plant.

The innovative new Chevrolet Volt is equipped with a battery pack storing 16 kW-h of energy which is capable of running the vehicle for 40 miles (64 kilometers). This means that for almost everyone using the Volt as a daily driver to and from work (which is its intended primary use) the vehicle has enough range to cover the daily distance, since a very few people live more than 20 miles or 32 kilometers (half the Volt’s range and therefore its effective distance from home) from their place of employment. Beyond 40 miles a 1.4-liter four-cylinder gasoline powers up a 53 kW AC generator to recharge the battery pack and provide an extended range of 300 to 350 miles (480 to 560 kilometers). For daily city use though, the Volt will primarily be charged via wall socket plug when the vehicle is in the garage. A 110/120-volt outlet will completely charge the battery pack in eight hours, while 220/240-voltage requires only around three hours.

The fact that the Chevrolet Volt runs solely on electricity (it uses the gas engine only to recharge its batteries) earns it the classification of being an Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV) as opposed to being a plug-in hybrid, since a hybrid uses both electricity and a combustion engine to propel the vehicle. There are “best-of-both-worlds” practical implications in the Volt being an E-REV instead of a purely electric vehicle (EV) or a true hybrid. The Volt precludes the need for an expensive and space-consuming amount of battery cells since it can recharge its own batteries versus an EV, while running solely on electricity and never burden the gas engine with propelling the car gives it more than double or even triple the fuel economy of a hybrid.

Having considerably less battery cells also frees up more passenger and cargo space, reduces weight and effectively lowers the Volt’s retail price versus most EVs; while never requiring operation to shift back and forth between the AC motor and gas engine to drive the vehicle makes the Volt less prone to failure and easier and cheaper to maintain than any hybrid.

Fuel economy cannot be measured the traditional way if the Volt is used only on a daily city cycle because there will actually be no gas used up since the vehicle will be charged via wall socket everyday. On an extended range, with the 1.4-liter firing up the AC generator, consumption is expected to reach triple-digit EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) ratings since the gas engine will only be required to run the generator and never drive the actual vehicle.

Another impressive thing about the Chevrolet Volt is that it is one of the first electrically-driven vehicles that actually look good. This could be stemmed from the fact that it requires less space to store batteries and therefore isn’t prone to awkward, space-creating shapes, therefore Volt’s exterior design is not compromised. Its front bears current Chevrolet fashion with its two-tiered grill, as does the wrap-around quad brake-lamp rear. The shape of lights all around come in stylish angles that are neither too conservative nor outlandishly futuristic as most electric vehicles employ. In fact, despite the Volt’s body being classified as a four-door hatchback, its overall shape is one of proportionate, even sporty, lines and angles, while its rear hatch looks more like a semi-notchback, especially from side profile views. All in all, the Volt is an environmentally-friendly, economically “super conscious” and an innovative vehicle where its shape and style can actually be something one can be proud of at family or office gatherings.

Another fact that the one can be confident about is the Volt is the fact that it runs on electricity and that commands some credence to its sporty styling, as its entire 273 lb-ft. of torque is instantly available from standstill, no RPMs (revolutions per minute), no lag and no power bands to consider.

On more levels than one the new Chevrolet Volt could probably be one of the most relevant vehicles to be introduced to the global automotive market today. It is extremely economical to operate on a daily basis, is more environmentally-friendly than almost every production vehicle before it, is reasonably affordable and easy to maintain for an electrically-powered vehicle (with the proposed US government rebate for each purchase), and is both fun and stylish. More importantly, production of the Volt (and other Chevrolet models that will succeed its engineering cues) will help usher in a renewed economic activity, as evidenced by the $151 million US government stimulus package for the CPI plant that will produce the Volt’s battery cells, among other materials. Such investment packages will boost economic recovery as these create new jobs since products like the Volt are ventures into new technologies and manufacturing processes.

Going on sale beginning late this year, the Volt will definitely help alleviate economic conditions on a multitude of levels beginning in the US. In a show of confidence, the Chevrolet Volt E-REV has even earned the current US president’s two thumbs up.