Earlier this year, I did a preview article on the first of the next generation of hybrid vehicles, the Chevy Volt. The Volt differs from a normal hybrid because the gasoline engine never directly drives the wheels of the car. Instead, the engine acts as an electric generator and charges a bank of batteries that power an electric motor. The batteries can be charged each night by plugging them into an outlet in your house and provides 40 gasoline-free miles each day. This method of drivetrains will soon be availability from other manufacturers as well.
We have learned some new things though. The Volt will go on sale towards the end of 2010, and it will cost about $40,000. It will qualify for a $7,500 tax credit which will help ease the sticker shock a little bit. GM has even recently announced iPhone and Blackberry applications that will notify you of the current charging status. A new higher-tech version of OnStar will empower the car to even choose the times to charge at night when the utility rate is the lowest. Talk about a smart car.
Although I haven’t gotten behind the wheel of a new Volt, several auto journalist have, and the impressions have been overall positive. Some said it’s a little unnerving when you are driving and the engine is charging the batteries because the RPM of the engine doesn’t change. You press the gas pedal further down, the car speeds up, but the engine will stay at the exact same RPM. I think this is something people would get over if they only had to pay $50/month to drive their car everyday.
The other new news is that the Volt will be built at a GM plant in Hamtramck, Michigan which is just outside of Detroit. GM will be spending $336 million to upgrade the plant.
These next generation hybrid vehicles are what’s next in the auto world and it will only help us to further reduce the dependency on foreign oil. They may not be for everybody at first, but expect one of your cars in the next 10 years to feature this new and exciting system.
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