The Chevrolet Volt is neither a purely electric car nor a hybrid. When first revealed as a 2-door concept car at the 2007 North American International Auto Show, we thought it was a hot electric Camaro.

 

Much has changed since then, including what the Volt has morphed into. The Voltec powertrain is a new class of propulsion, referred to as an Extended Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV). To explain how the Volt moves is another story of its own. Engineers at General Motors essentially combined electric vehicle and hybrid technologies; this is why it's been challenging to pigeonhole the Voltec system in a black and white manner.

 

Design

Chevrolet designers forged a creative happy medium between aerodynamics and style. Rather than go for a look-alike design that other manufacturers are following, Chevy devised a theme that won't look ho-hum in a year, while remaining in-line with the rest of the family. This sporty design allowed the Volt to transcend the image of goofy eco-vehicle, for futuristic and intelligent.

 

The 17-inch polished aluminum wheels sparkled on the sun-splashed summer days of Western New York State, and the black roof mated well with chrome and black painted beltline. The rear end looks like it was taken straight from the concept stage, with taillights blending into the black surrounding paint, giving the Volt another face from behind. The beloved Saturn Sky backup light managed to find its way into the Volt, too.

Slicing through the air with a 0.28 drag coefficient helps the drive system work as little as possible, we only wished that the low rubber skirt wouldn't catch onto everything.

 

FtD
Besides the Tesla Roadster, not many people have referred to "green" vehicles as being Fun to Drive.   Until the Chevy Volt came along, this was true.

 

The Volt rides on the same Delta II platform as the similarly sized Cruze, but that's where any similarities between the two vehicles end. The suspension was reworked to accommodate the added weight and distribution of the Voltec powertrain up front, while also trying to balance it with the T-shaped 435lb lithium-ion battery pack running down the center and back.

Operating the Volt consisted of simply plugging its charger into our 120V garage outlet, and plugging the other end into an outlet in front of the driver's door. Engineers were thoughtful in offering two ways to pop the charging door open, either from inside the vehicle or from a button on the keyfob. After plugging in, all we had to do was watch the half-globe on the dash illuminate green or listen for a soft confirmation chirp.

 

A cool feature we discovered inadvertently was that the plug is alarmed, so that if a Volt hater walks by and disconnects the charging cable, the alarm will go off. When the Volt is unlocked, the cable can be disconnected and the door closed.

 

During our week-long experience with the Volt, driving turned into a clever game. Watching the powerball on the display in front of the driver while monitoring the energy screens on the center console made us feather the throttle much more than we usually would.

The gentle acceleration paid off too, as decelerating and going down hills meant not only that 0 kw/h was being taken from the battery, but that energy was being put back IN! Our careful driving was positively reinforced by powerful visual images;  arrows depicted energy being transferred from the wheels back into the battery, captioned by the words: REGENERATING BATTERY. We found this visual feedback highly reinforcing, increasing our awareness of our driving style and behavior and improving our ability to drive smart over time. With our meticulously careful driving methodology, the Volt returned an impressive 80 miles on all-electric power, double the minimum 40 mile figure promised. During regular driving however, we got between 45-50 miles, which meant not one drop of gasoline was taken from the tank as we commuted on local roads.

 

The front-wheel-drive Volt is primarily powered by an electric motor rated at 149 horsepower (111 kilowatts) and 273 pound-feet of torque. This motor draws power from a 16-kWh lithium-ion battery pack until the battery charge is 70 percent depleted.

 

Once we ran out of battery juice, the gasoline-powered inline-4 came to life, producing electricity to recharge the battery [and actually powering the wheels in some circumstances], stretching the Volt's range more than 300 miles. The 1.4L engine runs extremely efficiently and allowed us to average about 56 mpg during highway driving.

 

All together, the Volt has one of the most advanced powertrains to date and can be the most fuel efficient vehicle in today's market for certain buyers.

 

Interior

The Volt's interior follows Chevy's latest theme of a "dual-cockpit" design. With large comfortable seats up front and two bucket seats in the back, the Volt's interior has been designed around the T-shaped battery pack. Storage space is plentiful and room all around is decent, but rear passengers might have a hard time getting in and out with a six-foot tall driver.

Designers did an awesome job at making the Volt feel futuristic inside too, with dual LCD displays, one in front of the driver and the other at the typical center dash location. Soft-touch, nicely finished materials adorn the top of the dash and arm rests while whimsical door panel designs continue the futuristic feeling. Adding to all of this is a gleaming white pearlescent finish on the center console and touch-sensitive buttons, a refreshing change from typical interior finishes.

 

After pushing the START button, we were treated to an audio sound byte that sounded so futuristic and electrically charged that we were absolutely titillated each and every time we powered the Volt on and off. We found ourselves, as well as our friends, grinning ear to ear upon every occasion. We were thrilled to discover a volume control for this delightful feature and of course set it to its maximum allowable level, enabling us to feel like the Jetsons.

 

The Volt's hatchback design is convenient for loading cargo, but the swooping rear roof line and battery pack location cap capacity at 10.6 cubic feet with the backseats up. The rear seats fold down to expand cargo capacity, and the open center helps with long items. The only additional item we wished for was a rear window wiper.

 

Tech

Despite the Volt having a technologically advanced powertrain, the hefty $39,145 price tag (before federal tax incentives) of the 2012 Volt brings with it a generous list of standard equipment.

 

This includes automatic headlights, LED daytime running lights, heated mirrors, keyless ignition/entry, automatic climate control, cruise control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, six-way manual front seats, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, cloth upholstery, Bluetooth, OnStar, and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player, auxiliary audio jack, iPod/USB interface and a touchscreen.

The Premium Package adds leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and heated front seats. A park assist package adds a rearview camera along with front and rear parking sensors. Other options include a navigation system (with voice controls, real-time traffic, DVD player and 30GB of digital music storage) and a Bose audio speaker upgrade.

 

The expected safety equipment comes standard, too, including antilock brakes, stability control, front side airbags, front knee airbags and full-length side curtain airbags.

 

In the NHTSA crash tests, the Volt scored the highest possible overall rating of five stars and did just as well in IIHS testing, earning the 2011 Top Safety Pick Awards.

 

Conclusion
GM's engineers outdid themselves; they took two powertrain models that we know very well, and combined them to create something uniquely different and unexpected. Like the folks at GM promised, the Volt answers the transportation problems of a large portion of drivers; simultaneously, the Volt unexpectedly instilled new emotions within our drivers here at theCD of possessing a higher consciousness and level of awareness: operating not simply a car, but a vehicle for social, moral, environmental, economic, political, and ethical change. We were shocked by both the power of the Volt and the power of GM's revolutionary out-of-the-box innovation and resulting creation.

No range anxiety, the reality of little to no gasoline consumption for daily commuting, and the feeling of driving something so highly advanced and all-American felt beyond great, exceeding our expectations by light years.

 

We hope GM pushes the Voltec powertrain into other vehicles to help bring down costs, making the E-REV revolution a reality for more drivers.

 

For the full review, check out the Volt in the Reviews and Info section.