|
|---|
Monday, December 20, 2010
General Motors has announced that the production numbers will go up from 30,000 annually to 45,000 annually in 2012. Some Chevy dealers had already begun trying to profit off of the Volt's low production numbers by telling interested customers that they are selling the car at a premium. Chevrolet is completely against this practice and the company has warned dealers not to engage in such activity. The release of the Volt will also be limited to only seven states by December of 2010 and there is currently no word on when the rest of the country will be able to purchase the car. The Volt has come under some scrutiny for its $41,000 price tag, but customers will be pleased to know that there is a $7,500 tax credit on the car which will help significantly reduce the price of the vehicle in the end. General Motors future success in the market of hybrid vehicles relies on today's success of the Chevrolet Volt. Luckily for GM the car seems to be off to a great start.
The car is a concept vehicle and a plug in hybrid vehicle. The car will run the first forty miles of its trip powered by onboard 16 - kWh lithium - ion batteries which can be charged from an electrical power outlet which gives power of 120 - 240 volt AC. The Chevrolet Volt can be charged from either a standard 120 volt outlet or a 240 volt outlet for charging. The Volt has an intelligent battery design which enables it to be fully charged in less than three hours if charged from the 240 volt outlet, and in about eight hours from a 120 volt outlet. Around 22 lithium - ion cells power the Volts electric unit with 150 horsepower and 273 lb - ft of instant torque. The car has no engine noise due it being electrical and with special sound reducing technologies; it is a very quiet car to drive.
