Chevrolet Volt: pure juice
By Alain Pairault
General Motors will market in the United States, from November 2010, the Chevy Volt, a new type of electric car and major card to change its image of manufacturer of greedy cars in fossil fuels. From the outset, GM assures that the Volt is four times more economical than the queen of hybrid cars, the Toyota Prius. With lithium-ion batteries, the American chose a completely electric drive. When the internal combustion engine intervenes during the journey, it will only be for recharging the batteries and making it possible to easily cover distances of 500 km. A simple domestic electrical outlet and a specific cable supplied with the car allows recharging of the batteries in 3 hours. GM Volt's technology should allow it to travel 368 km with only 4 liters of petrol against 60 km with the same amount for the Prius. The maximum speed of 160 km, announced by the manufacturer, is also quite impressive. Small flat, the price of the Volt will be around 40.000 euros (minus 5.000 euros in aid), a very high price compared to the Prius which starts around 25.000 euros. GM announces that the first vehicles could be sold (only in California) on the Ebay auction site. With this asset, and if this car keeps all its promises vis-à-vis the certification bodies, General Motors will relaunch the great game of the automobile market.
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