| RSS Web Feed for Renewable Energy UK | REUK Shop | Directory | Bookmark Site | About Us  

GM Volt Electric Car



GM Volt Electric Car

General Motors plan a new electric car called the Volt with 40 mile range

transport | news
Printer Friendly Version Print Article     

The US carmaker General Motors has its sights on opening up a new market with its all electric car provisionally called Chevrolet Volt. This plug-in vehicle, still just a concept, would have a range of 40 miles on one charge - sufficient to meet the needs of almost 80% of drivers. The vehicle will be able to carry up to five passengers, and will cope well with hills and running air-conditioning unlike previous prototypes.

To increase its range, the Volt would also include an onboard generator powered by a turbo-charged 1 litre, 3-cylinder petrol engine with a 12 gallon fuel tank. When the batteries get low, the generator would kick in to recharge the batteries, but the car itself would always be powered by the electric motor. This gives an overall range of 640 miles (at around 50mpg) after which either the car needs recharging or refueling. Top speed for this electric car will be between 100 and 120mph.

To increase the green credentials of this vehicle, the petrol engine can be used to burn bio-ethanol E85, or replaced with a more efficient biodiesel engine or even with a hydrogen fuel cell.

GM Chevrolet Volt Concept Electric Car

GM hope that the technology behind the E-Flex System generator could in time be fitted to many of their other models. However, this technology is at best 2-3 years away yet, and some experts doubt it is feasible at all.

GM plan to use lithium ion batteries rather than NiMH which are more commonly used in electric and hybrid vehicles. Lithium battery technology provides more range than NiMH, however they need to be carefully maintained between 30 and 80% of charge if they are to last the lifetime of the vehicle. The current cost of a suitable lithium ion battery pack is around $10,000 which means that the Volt is not going to be cheap.

Batteries really are the sticking point with this concept since GM's desire for a battery pack which will last 10 years and 4,000 discharge/charge cycles is not matched by existing technology.

Charging the batteries would take just over six hours, and the car can be plugged into any standard power point for recharging. The electric motor can produce the equivalent of 160 horsepower (121kW) and provide plenty of torque.

Article Last Modified: 17:43, 8th Jan 2007


Related REUK Categories

transport | news
© 2006-2008 REUK - All Rights Reserved
Page Last Updated on 11th October 2008 at 09:50:05am

Latest
Articles


solarDAB Solar Powered DAB Radio
Find out more about the world's first solar powered DAB radio
shopping
09:49, 11th Oct 2008

Convert Digital Mains Timer To Low Voltage
Convert a cheap digital mains timer into a low voltage programmable timer relay
electronics
16:21, 5th Oct 2008

Simple Well Pump Controller
Find out how to automatically get water from the well into a header tank
water
11:52, 1st Oct 2008

Solar Powered Poultry Lighting
Put together a solar system to power poultry lighting - increase winter egg production
solar
10:05, 27th Sep 2008

Solar Powered Security Spotlight
Protect your home with a solar-powered motion-detecting security spotlight
solar
14:22, 25th Sep 2008

Shed and Garage Solar Lighting
Light your shed or garage with solar powered lighting
lighting
14:03, 25th Sep 2008

Wind Up Eco Media Player
Find out more about the Eco Media Player - the world's first windup video player from Trevor Baylis
shopping
12:55, 25th Sep 2008

Solargorilla Laptop Charger
Find out about the Solargorilla - a rugged solar powered laptop charger
shopping
12:55, 25th Sep 2008



REUK Shop

Popular Items


12 VOLT 3 WATT SOLAR PANEL
Waterproof 12 Volt 3 Watt Solar Panel - 199 x 136mm with fitted leads (fiberglass and resin).
£19.99 each.
Solar Power



EFERGY HOMECO2METER
efergy homeCO2meter wireless electricity monitor
£38.99 each.
Energy Saving



6V 250MA SOLAR PANEL
Waterproof 6 Volt 250 milliamp (1.5 Watt) Solar Panel - 130 x 135mm with fitted leads (fiberglass and resin)
£13.99 each.
Solar Power



300 WATT POWER INVERTER
Convert 12V DC battery power into 230 AC to power portable televisions, computers, video recorders etc. 300 Watt power rating - peak power 600 Watts
£29.99 each.
Renewable Energy System Parts



SOLAR PUMP CONTROLLER WITH RELAY
Solar water heating system microprocessor controlled circuit with fitted 10A relay
£25.99 each.
Complete Circuits



SUNSAVER 10A SOLAR CONTROLLER
10 Amp at 12 Volt solar charge controller - epoxy encapsulation, marine rated terminals
£35.99 each.
Solar Controllers