By IANS,
New York : General Motors (GM) Tuesday unveiled the Chevrolet Volt, an electric vehicle equipped with what it calls industry-changing technology that will go on sale in 2010, and with which it hopes to turn around its fortunes.
“The Volt is symbolic of what General Motors stands for today. Certainly that means cutting-edge technology, exciting design, fast and efficient product development,” said GM chairman Rick Wagoner at the event in Detroit.
“The Volt symbolises General Motors’ commitment to the future,” Detroit Free Press quoted Wagoner as saying.
The four-seater Volt, equipped with potentially industry-changing technology, is expected to drive 40 miles on an electric charge alone and about 400 miles using an onboard gas-burning generator to recharge its lithium-ion battery. The electric motor alone drives the wheels.
An overnight charge is expected to cost less than “your favourite” cup of coffee, and annually use less energy than a typical home refrigerator, the company said in a statement.
GM did not announce pricing for the car, which will have about 150 horsepower and a top speed of 100 miles per hour.
In 2007, GM unveiled a design for the concept Volt at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, with promises of unprecedented fuel efficiency. The biggest US automaker (which has ceded the No. 1 world spot to Japan’s Toyota) regularly uses the Volt concept car in its advertising, identifying it as “future product.”
If GM and its partners can develop strong enough lithium-ion batteries – like giant cell-phone batteries – the car will go into production in 2010.
Standard features in the Volt will include a touch screen to display vehicle information, and Bluetooth capability for cell phones and music streaming. Drivers will be able to configure the instrument display, which will be shown on a LCD screen, GM said in a statement.
Based on photos of Volt released inadvertently last week, many people posting comments on car blogs have expressed disappointment that the production car does not look as angular and aggressive as the original concept vehicle.