Granted you are still using fossil fuels to fuel up the Volt but if you use it as a daily commuter vehicle in a city, you may only need to fill up for gas every month or longer. What’s more, you don’t have to wait 300 million hours for the batteries to recharge but just 5 minutes as you refill the gas tank at any gas station. The gasoline engine extends the range of the Volt to almost 600km combined electric and gasoline drive. The engine is not directly connected to the wheels like how it is in a conventional hybrid such as the Toyota Prius. It’s a 1.5L gasoline engine that is there solely for charging the batteries when they’re dead or require more power for sportier driving. But when the batteries get depleted you don’t need to panic because the Volt has it’s own on board charging system. Compared to something like the Tesla Model S that has an electric range of over 300km between charges, the Volt may seem like it only belongs in a city where a power outlet is easily accessible. The Chevrolet Volt has an electric range of 85km. Just be careful when accelerating hard out of a tight corner because the inner wheel will spin from the instantaneous torque of the electric motors. Around corners it’s not as bad as you might expect from an economy electric vehicle and what’s more, the electro-assisted steering feels precise and like it’s actually connected to the front wheels. When you accelerate from a stop, the instantaneous torque from the electric motors will give you the “pin you the back of your seat” feeling… albeit not quite as strong as in a Tesla Model S for example. However it doesn’t feel as slow as a normal car because with electric vehicles, you get instant power the moment you put your foot down on the accelerator pedal. Performance – The Chevrolet Volt has an 18.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that powers two electric motors producing 149hp, roughly the same amount of power as a gasoline powered economy car. ![]() So at the moment it appears that the electric car is the best alternative to the gasoline car and Chevrolet is among the first to offer a vehicle that majority of the public can actually afford. Yes, there is hydrogen fuel cell technology but that’s still too expensive and most of the hydrogen comes from natural gas, a fossil fuel. As we move further into the future, it would seem as though the electric car will be the vehicle that moves the masses.
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