Much Needed Infrastructure Before Chevy Volt Goes National
December 9, 2009 Kyriaki (Sandy) Venetis While we keep hearing about all the functionality of the Volt, Chevrolet’s first plug-in hybrid electric car, there’s still a way to go before it hit’s the road in mass production.
The Volt is designed to drive up to 40 miles on a single electric charge without the use of gasoline. “When the driver of a Volt needs to go farther, the car’s engine-generator kicks in to produce enough electricity to power it for another 300 miles” before needing to refuel or stop to recharge the battery, explained Robert A. Lutz, General Motors vice chairman of global product development, at last week’s Los Angles Auto Show.
Where work still needs to be done is in the area of real-world battery charging infrastructure. The Volt has been designed with the idea that it can recharge anywhere, so GM is partnering with a number of utilities to install over 500 Pacific Coast charging stations for public use.