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At first glance, this sleek looking vehicle looks like a new speedy sedan from Chevrolet. However, do not allow your eyes to deceive you. This is the incarnation of the Chevrolet Volt concept. It most likely will not make its debut until the next decade and not much is known about this vehicle. However, what we do know is that the numbers this vehicle will put up on mileage will be quite astounding.

I have long been a strong dissident of current hybrid cars because of their cost and insignificant savings professed by their respective manufacturers. However, the Chevy Volt is definitely a vehicle that could change my opinion rapidly. GM hopes to sport an advanced lithium ion battery pack that can be recharged by a conventional 110 volt within 6 to 6.5 hours and provide up to 40 miles on sole electric power. Afterwards, the 3 cylinder gasoline or ethanol fuel based engine will kick in and provide approximately 600 additional miles before the need to refuel and it will recharge your batteries. In addition, if you fill the nominal 12 gallon tank with E85 flex fuel (ethanol), you can achieve an innovating 525 miles per gallon. Here’s a quick rundown:

Prospective Range Specifications

Type	Range	Miles Per Gallon (MPG)
Electric Motor	40 miles	N/A
Gasoline	600 miles	~50 MPG
E85	~6300 miles	~525 MPG

If these specifications hold up, GM will literally force Toyota and Honda to step up their hybrid technology tenfold. However, my argument about hybrids commanding premium prices will still stand if the Chevy Volt is unable to compete with popular gasoline only powered models. I realize that companies need to recoup their R&D costs for these new technologies, but consumers cannot be expected to “help” the environment if the cost to them is already beyond models that cost less and offer more. For example, if the Volt costs $30,000 while a regular Camry still costs around $22,000 and offers me more amenities than a comparable Volt, why would I want to pay $8,000 more? I may be able to save money on fuel due to the higher range of the Volt, but how soon can the car literally offer me these savings? In addition, I suspect that the Volt will not be offered at a major premium cost. Rather, GM will probably sell this vehicle competitively with the Prius (if it is still offered at that time).

You can learn more about the Volt from Jim Mateja’s article on Sunday’s, January 7, 2007 article here. For your convenience, I have uploaded the article as well. Page 1 of the article is here and page 2 is here. To find more pictures of the Chevrolet Volt, go here.

The Volt is a very promising vehicle that GM hopes to introduce by 2010. However, they are expected to encounter delays from battery manufacturers and it is possible that other competitors might have an ace up their sleeve to put more pressure on GM. If the Volt is priced to move and really does become reality, I will surely be re-evaluating my own position on hybrid vehicles. However, the government desperately needs to enhance the popularity of these hybrid vehicles to ensure that the public does not encounter any inconvenience. For example, if E85 is the next step, the government should encourage mass adoption and introduction of E85 fuel pumps and stations. Till then, I will be awaiting the production model of the Volt eagerly and let’s hope that GM does not falter in the steps leading up to this true hybrid.

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