Second Generation Chevrolet Volt

The Chevrolet Volt has been with us for five years now and when it was launched, we couldn't tell if it's a hybrid or a zero-emission vehicle like the Nissan Leaf. In general, this is the first ever PHEV (Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle) in the market and because it's a PHEV, you can either refuel it with petrol or charge the batteries in one plug. To commemorate the Chevrolet Volt's fifth anniversary, a regeneration to the first ever PHEV in the market has occurred and for the new Chevrolet Volt, this PHEV promises to go further, sticking through to its "FIND NEW ROADS" slogan.

2016 Chevrolet Volt

Here it is, the future really is now thanks to science and some clever American engineering. The new Chevrolet Volt looks more crisper to look at than the previous model, although some Chevrolet purists find the new look to be more sacrilege to the front just like what the Traverse, Impala, as well the upcoming Spark and Cruze had because by losing their trademark Chevrolet front face that has been around for ages, Chevrolet purists might simply just call it witchcraft. Putting the sins aside, it looks not too bad to look at.

2016 Chevrolet Volt interior

2016 Chevrolet Volt interior

On the interior, this is more of an improvement if I'm honest. Even though the outside looks somewhat resembled to the Corvette Stingray, it's surprisingly spacious as well although the back needs a bit more room if I'm honest. In terms of convenience, the Volt, like all Chevys, have 4G LTE connectivity so you can connect to the internet wirelessly and do whatever you like while you're stuck at traffic. There's also a wireless charger which makes the new Volt a handy power bank on the go but due caution however that it might use up most of its batteries, making its range a bit of a setback. If that's a problem, better set this Volt to run on petrol alone while letting its batteries do the talking on the electronics department. Sounds shoddy even if you're a city folk going out town with your friends.

2016 Chevrolet Volt

The new Volt is powered by two electric motors as well as a 1.5L petrol engine which now runs on regular rather than premium. Running on electric alone, the new Volt claims to have a range of 55 pure electric miles  but by running on unison, it can get up to the claimed total range of 420 miles on a full charge and a full tank of gas. That's over a thousand miles between fill-ups by charging regularly and overall, its overall fuel consumption is around 82 MPG-e city and 72 MPG-e highway. 

That's even less than the BMW i3, which costs 17,000 dollars more than the Volt's $25,670 suggested retail price, but mind you, the new Volt has the highest range by any PHEV available, meaning that most of the owners will rely on electricity alone and because it takes $650 dollars to fill the Volt per year, $150 less than what the previous Volt did, it's value for money as well. Think about the savings you'll get from this car.

In terms of charging the car, the Volt comes with either a 120-volt portable cord which lets the car to be fully charged for half a day or a more expensive 240-volt charging system, which allows the Volt to be fully charged after four and half hours later. There are many ways of battery management in the new Volt, including a brand new Regen on Demand system which transfers the kinetic energy from the moving car and stores it in the batter while slowing it down. There's also a programmable location-based charging as well.

Being capable on taking on city traffic, the new Volt offers safety tech such as an available Lane Keep Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and Forward Safety Awareness. For protection, it was utilized in advanced high-strength steel for better weight loss and added rigidity as well as implementing ten airbags.

So, should you buy one? As mentioned, the new Volt starts at $25,670 but don't rush for these ones just yet because just like the last model, the new model is available in selected US states, including California. Next year, it will be available nationwide.

Photo: General Motors

I'm talking about the Chevy Volt....

Chevrolet Volt runs deep...

I'm talking about the Chevrolet Volt. Unlike the Toyota Prius, this is more than just a hybrid because a Chevrolet Volt can be plugged in and offers an EPA-estimated 35 miles of zero emissions driving per full charge with the option and flexibility of a gas engine when you need it. Unlike the Nissan Leaf, the Volt offers 35 miles of gas and zero emissions driving and up to 375 total miles on a full charge with a full tank of gas. It's about more than the Nissan Leaf which offers a range of 73 miles on a full charge without the flexibility of a gas engine. Really?

Recharge side goes here

Refuel side goes here

Sure the Chevrolet Volt can't compete against the likes of the Nissan Leaf because both of them are in a very different league. While the Nissan Leaf is a full-fledged zero emissions electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt is a PLUG IN HYBRID vehicle. PHV, right? PHV! A PHV is a different kind of eco car that you can refuel it with petrol or recharge the batteries. This is somewhat more of a multi-tasker. This is designed for long trips and mostly, most eco-conscious drivers want to have one even though this is much more expensive than the Toyota Prius and the Nissan Leaf.

As told, the Chevrolet Volt has an electric drive unit and a 1.4L Internal Combustion engine combined for various purposes. The electric drive unit has a power output of 150HP and the torque output of 273 lb-ft. The Internal Combustion engine has a weaker power output of 80HP and if the electric drive unit's battery is out of charge, this engine will serve as a backup. While an electric charge was its first priority, the gasoline engine equipped on the Volt will serve for emergency purposes only.

When it was launched, the  initial availability starts at California (Los Angeles, San Francisco), Washington D.C., Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Texas. Later on, the Chevrolet Volt is now sold nationwide but sadly, where I came from, I can rarely see a Chevy Volt cruising around the streets of Seattle. In my point of view, it seems that there are most Leaf vehicles roaming around than the Volts.

Here in Forza Motorsport 4, this Chevrolet Volt is...um...let's be honest, it's hopeless. This was made for cruising, not for racing, and that's it.

General Motors plans to revamp Chevy Volt's battery

2011 Chevrolet Volt

Last month, the gasoline-electric hybrid car, the Chevrolet Volt, caught fire during a crash test from NHTSA. The NHTSA denied that the Chevy Volt or any other electric vehicle have greater risk of fire than petrol-fed vehicles.

Scoop: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/11/chevy-volt-battery-catches-fire-in-nhtsa-lab/

Then, NHTSA conducts investigation on the Chevrolet Volt's fire investigation, figuring out how did fire catch up on the Chevy Volt and it turned out that the battery is the caused of this.

Scoop: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/11/26/nhtsa-releases-chevy-volt-fire-investigation-details/

Because of this, General Motors may soon plan to revamp the Volt's battery so this event won't be happened again. Those 5,000 people in North America who had a Volt would consider having a "loaner car" until the Volt problem is solved. Also, General Motors delays the launch of the Opel Ampera, the Chevrolet Volt's German cousin, in the European region.

Scoop: http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/01/gm-may-redesign-chevy-volt-battery/

Verdict: If you have a Volt, better not drive it for a while because of the "battery fire" issue or consider driving the Nissan Leaf instead. Besides, there's not even a Leaf-related "battery fire" issue. The question is, are electric cars has greater fire risks that petrol-fed vehicles? We're not really sure....

Two Americans share the same prize!

What did I know? Chevrolet's true eco-car, the Volt, and Ford's new Explorer won the 2011 North American Car (and Truck) of the Year at the 2011 NAIAS in Detroit, Michigan!

Scoop:

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/01/10/chevrolet-volt-ford-explorer-named-2011-north-american-car-and/

Congratulations to the both of them!

Chevrolet Volt

2011 Chevrolet Volt

2011 Chevrolet Volt interior

Despite its status as an electric vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt is not merely a full-fledged electric car because it combines an electric motor and a 4-cylinder internal combustion engine, but any reasons about Chevrolet's full fledged eco-car remains slim for now.

The Chevrolet Volt seems to be different from the 2007 Volt Concept that was appeared in the 2007 North American International Auto Show at Detroit and possibly be the spiritual successor of the sacred GM EV1 electric vehicle. You might thought that the age of electric cars is dead, but think again, the age of electric vehicles has just been reborn thanks to the inception of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle, Nissan Leaf, and other plug-in hybrids coming to the future, and the Chevrolet Volt has a high hopes to become the most efficient hybrids in the world.

Two worlds combined into one because the Chevrolet Volt has an electric drive unit and a 1.4L Internal Combustion engine combined for various purposes. The electric drive unit has a power output of 150HP and the torque output of 273 lb-ft. The Internal Combustion engine has a weaker power output of 80HP and if the electric drive unit's battery is out of charge, this engine will serve as a backup. While an electric charge was its first priority, the gasoline engine equipped on the Volt will serve for emergency purposes only.

There are six colors available for the Volt; Black, Crystal Red Metallic Tintcoat, Cyber Gray Metallic, Silver Ice Metallic, Viridian Joule Tricoat, and White Diamond Tricoat.

The Volt's initial availability starts at California (Los Angeles, San Francisco), Washington D.C., Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Texas this month. Other regions of the U.S. will follow next year or so.

My thoughts about the Volt:
The Volt might be beaten by the Nissan Leaf in terms of its EPA ratings, but on the brighter side, this is much more fuel efficient than the Toyota Prius. Much disappointing about the Volt is its initial pricing of about $40,280 (I'm thinking about over 3.5 or 4 million Philippine Pesos), which means people would go shopping for the Nissan Leaf instead. The Volt's price tag really put a hole on our wallets but on its brighter side, this electric vehicle can go anywhere it wants. It's just what the North American TV commercial said, we are nomads. This electric car can go further...

It's disappointing that Covenant Car Company doesn't have plans to bring the Chevrolet Volt to the Philippines until our government approves the law to sell electric cars.



Photo: General Motors

Volt is Green Car of the Year

Remember when the soon-to-be-on-sale Chevrolet Volt won two COTY awards from Motor Trend and Automobile Magazine?

At the Los Angeles Auto Show, the Chevrolet Volt is awarded as "Green Car of the Year"! Not bad for America's true eco car!

Scoop: http://www.freep.com/article/20101118/BUSINESS0101/101118055/Chevrolet-Volt-named-Green-Car-of-the-Year

Too bad we. Philippine Chevy fans, can't get the Volt unless the government has yet to approve sale of electric cars in the Philippines.

Ah...America runs on eco cars...

Volt can kill two birds in one stone...in an COTY kind of way...

Chevrolet Volt

While not yet on sale (available only in selected U.S. cities, including Los Angeles), the Chevrolet Volt really "kills two birds in one stone", that is, won two COTY awards. One is from Motor Trend, and another one from Automobile Magazine.

Full scoop:

From Motor Trend:http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/1101_2011_motor_trend_car_of_the_year_chevrolet_volt/index.html

From Automobile Magazine: http://www.automobilemag.com/features/awards/1101_2011_automobile_of_the_year_chevrolet_volt/index.html

So much for Chevrolet's full-fledged eco-car. Not yet in selected dealers yet, but the Volt gained a lot of reputation. And yes, Chevy runs deep, just like the new TV ads in celebration of 100 years of Chevrolet next year.

Kudos to General Motors for receiving a lot of praise about Chevrolet's true eco car. And yes, no Chevy Volt for you, Pinoy Chevrolet fans, yet.

What will the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) react about the Chevy Volt? Yes, it is an eco car fit for environmentalists. However there could be an anatomy of a disaster on the Volt if things not met our eco car satisfactory.