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The 2012 Chevrolet Volt Review: The Chevrolet Volt is unique in the world of hybrid and electric vehicles. It is powered by an electric motor all the time, unlike a hybrid, in which the gasoline engine powers the car part of the time. Its on-board gas engine is used only to charge the battery when the car runs out of electricity; the engine itself never powers the wheels directly.
This gas engine’s presence is meant to remove "range anxiety," a malady suffered by owners of all-electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf. The Leaf can go up to 90 miles on a charge, but when you're out of juice, you're stranded.
The Volt is a compact sedan, not a large one, and holds four people, not five. The rear seat has a console down the middle to prevent that. I'm not sure why, but I'm guessing that it limits the weight the car can carry, thereby increasing the range of the electric powertrain.
Chevy showed a concept version of the Volt several years ago and it was much more angular than today's car. Styling is a little bit advanced and different from end to end. Especially notable is the silvery "grille," through which no air can pass as the air travels in under the bumper. The dark strips below the side windows are an iteration of a design concept from the original design.
The interior is where the Volt goes a little wild. Despite being finished in hard plastics throughout, it is very evocative of modernity and even a little adventurous. The twin cockpit theme, from as far back as the original Corvette, is in evidence, and the shiny plastic door inserts convey the old painted feeling of those cars. But of course this car is built like a fortress and has umpteen airbags to protect you.
The instrument panel features two rectangular screens, one directly behind the steering wheel and one in the center spot on the dash. Both convey, in brightly colored graphics, what's happening with the car. You can monitor where the power is coming from, how the battery is being charged, along with recent fuel economy. It tells you after every charge how well you did, and what proportion of your mileage was powered by electrons, and how much was powered by hydrocarbons.
I drove my Crystal Red test car the entire 23 miles to work each day on pure electricity. The engine started on the way home. Averaging the electric and gas driving, I got 53.6 mpg, similar to a Toyota Prius hybrid. I burned just 4.4 gallons all week.
The car feels strong, pulls eagerly away from stops, and sails down the road in blissful silence. My car's stereo was happy to put out the music, although one time, I sat and let it play for about 20 minutes and I could see that it was draining the battery!
You can monitor your driving habits to see how efficient you are. There's a little gadget you can set up in the panel directly in front that shows you, using a rising or falling sphere, whether you're rolling along fine or are accelerating and braking too much. The goal, for economy, is to keep the ball floating in the middle; hard acceleration or braking move the ball off center. It's a learning tool, much like the ones found in Hybrids.
Charging is easy. You just uncoil the thick orange cord and plug it in the wall. Then, pop open the nicely finished mini door on the left front fender and plug in the flashlight-sized plug. It has a handle and a built-in flashlight to locate the outlet easily. The lights on the charger glow green, the car chirps its horn once, and a small green circle illuminates on the dash near the windshield. You can check the charge progress by opening the car and looking at the dash display.
I was happy to see, each morning, that I had a full battery. It's displayed like a row of gold bars in the T shape of the actual battery, which is hidden below the central tunnel and back seat. I enjoyed the quality of the car, despite its non-luxurious interior materials, it felt solid, looked fine and worked perfectly. The seats, dressed in optional leather in my tester, held me comfortably.
I wish the Volt had a longer electric range than 32 miles, because it feels great to drive under electric power. My car had a $39,145 base price, plus $4,975 worth of options. At nearly $45,000, I could be looking at a Mercedes-Benz. I assume that future versions will increase the electric battery range and, with volume sales, the prices should come down. There is a $7,500 tax credit to help ease the pain, as well.
By Steve Schaefer © AutoWire.Net - San Francisco
The Bottom Line: The 2012 Chevrolet Volt has the power train of the future, today. An on-board battery pack can drive the car for about 30 miles, and when the batteries are running low, a small gasoline engine starts and runs a generator, and that powers the same electric motors that move the car.
With a system like this you can never be stranded with dead batteries, like in a pure electric car. The Volt automatically starts the gas engine to produce electric power to get you home safely. With a full tank of gas, and a full charger on the battery pack, the Volt can go over 300 miles. And this is a car that can use no gasoline, and produce zero emissions, if you drive around 30 miles per day. Then you just charge it up at home, or work, and you good to go all over again, using no gas and leaving a much smaller carbon footprint. It’s a win-win-win situation, and it’s the drive train of the future in today’s world. You should “Drive one, Buy one, Today ©”
Bottom Line Review provided by: Tony Leopardo © AutoWire.Net
The 2012 Chevrolet Volt Bottom Line Review provided by: TonyLeopardo © AutoWire.Net - “Tony the Car Guy” is an automotive writer, editor and publisher in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you have a question or comment for Tony send it to TonyLeo@pacbell.net or visit AutoWire.Net at www.autowire.net - And remember:
“ You Are What You Drive © ”
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Column Name: Volt has the power train of the future, today.
Topic: The 2012 Chevrolet Volt
Word Count: 1,114
Photo Caption: The 2012 Chevrolet Volt
Photo Credits: Chevrolet Volt Internet Media
Series #: 2012 - 14
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