Volt edges closer to production

Vancouver–It can take a while for the future to arrive. Back in 2007, GM unveiled the Chevrolet Volt, a snarly, low-slung concept with a new electric-drive system. A year later, the company rolled out a closer-to-production version with more conventional styling.

You still won't be able to buy one in Canada until at least the summer of 2011, but it's getting closer. Earlier this week, I drove the Volt. I went less than 20 kilometres, most of it under 40 km/h, but notably, it was what automakers call an "integration vehicle," the first time the technology and design have come together.

While it has a gasoline engine, electric motor and lithium-ion-manganese storage battery, the Volt isn't a hybrid. Rather, it's an extended-range vehicle that always uses electricity to power the wheels. After it's recharged by plugging into a wall outlet – eight hours at regular 120V household current, or three hours on 240V, at an estimated cost of around a dollar – it will travel about 64 km. Once the battery runs down, the 1.4 L gasoline engine starts up and acts like a generator to supply more electricity. Top speed is 160 km/h.

Prior drivable versions were "mules," with the Volt's powertrain grafted into Chevrolet Cruze sedans. My ride isn't exactly what'll roll off the assembly line, but final changes are expected to be minor. Showroom versions will probably have different instrument panel displays, knobs and steering wheel, slightly modified headlamps, and far better fit-and-finish. But overall, this is pretty much it.

It differs from an all-electric vehicle in that, once the battery depletes, you don't have to find a plug and wait for it to recharge. It's also different from plug-in hybrids, which will eventually come to market (Toyota featured a prototype at the Toronto auto show); these can be plugged in to increase the distance they can run emission-free.

Unlike them, the Volt is all-electric at all speeds; hard acceleration or most highway speeds in a hybrid vehicle require the gasoline engine to assist the electric motor. The Volt has been designed to the 64 km range threshold because, as GM says, 75 per cent of Canadians drive less than that each day.

In theory, many Volt owners will never burn any fossil fuel, other than the occasional start-up programmed into the engine to keep its fluids flowing. GM's counting on the gasoline backup as its ace in the hole over upcoming electric-only vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf. Had the company allowed it, I could have driven the Volt back to Toronto, stopping only at gas stations. It's going to be a long time before we see similar infrastructure for electric recharging.

Driving the Volt is unremarkable, and I mean that as a compliment. It doesn't feel much different than a conventional car, and that will be part of its charm with many buyers: no learning curve, no unusual requirements, and nothing that doesn't feel familiar. Press a button to start it, put the shifter into Drive, and put your foot on the accelerator pedal.

I had to take it easy in Vancouver's Stanley Park, but this is the reality of most city driving. Unlike a gasoline engine, electric motors produce torque immediately, and the Volt feels peppy. A "Sport" button adds a turbo-like power boost, meant primarily for hills and highway passing, as it depletes the battery faster.

Regenerative braking and deceleration put some charge back into the power pack, and if desired, a special setting increases the recharging threshold, with a sensation similar to downshifting a stick shift. (Powered solely by its electric motor, the Volt doesn't have a transmission.)

The brakes feel conventional, and while I'd need to carve more curves to say for sure, steering seems equally normal. Overall, it isn't much different than driving a Cobalt.

Price will be paramount, but GM's mum on that until it gets closer to market. Guesstimates predict it'll be relatively expensive. Much of the cost will be in the battery pack, made in Michigan (as is the car itself) using cells made by LG Chem in Korea.

The T-shaped battery runs the length of the cabin under the centre console, dividing it strictly into a four-seater. The battery warranty is eight years, but is expected to last at least 10.

Like Nissan and others working with electricity, GM is investigating secondary uses for the batteries. Once beyond their vehicle capability, they could be sold for power storage applications, boosting their resale value and possibly reducing their cost to the consumer.

The automaker is also tying in OnStar, and has designed a mobile phone application that will let owners check battery charge and range, and even start the charging process remotely. This will include pre-heating or pre-cooling the interior while the vehicle's plugged into the wall, reducing the drain on the battery while driving.

GM has built 80 of these pre-production cars so far. Nine are in cold-weather testing in Kapuskasing: cross your fingers that the engineers will reconcile Volt's ground-hugging, aerodynamic front fascia with the reality of just how firm a Canadian snowbank can be.

When my time with Volt was over, I drove to the airport in an experimental Chevrolet Equinox that runs on electricity produced from hydrogen by an on-board fuel cell. There's no telling when that one will come to market, if ever.

But make no mistake: the future is almost here.

Travel was provided tofreelance auto writer Jil McIntosh by the auto maker.jil@ca.inter.net

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