Automotive The Racket

The Chevrolet Volt , the extended-range model of the U.S. firm will be sold in eight cities in China, according to the company anunciaco the Guangzhou Motor Show . The cities chosen for the marketing of this vehicle to be sold in the Chinese market at a price of $ 75,533 (56,370 euros), are Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Foshan.

In this way, China will become one of the first global markets which offer the Chevrolet Volt, a vehicle that can travel over 80 miles in electric mode, thanks to a 151 hp engine . When the battery is discharged, another motor fuel in this case, causes a generator to produce electricity, which allows travel another 500 miles.

The battery is charged by connecting the motor to the power supply of 230 V for just under four hours.The charger is located under the trunk, making it necessary to remove the charge for use. You can select four load intensities (16, 13, 10 or 6 amps) which, in principle, should allow recharging from any wall outlet without skip the PIA (the circuit breaker that controls the network overload). The smaller the selected intensity greater time to recharge.

Technically, the main difference between the Volt and a Prius is that the Volt, the electric motor is the main fuel and serves to increase autonomy. The Prius, the main engine is the gas and electricity is used to support or to move at low speed. Functionally, the difference is that the Volt can travel many more miles without hearing the gasoline engine (about sixty miles, compared with two of the Prius). Prius plug-in version, not yet commercialized, has an electric range of about 20 km. Also, the battery of a normal Prius has a capacity ten times less than the Volt and the plug about a third.

If the intention is very nice and the look of the Volt is reminiscent of attractive five-door Malibu Maxx, but I think Chevrolet is still far from providing a really sensible proposal for an electric car.

It seems that GM did not want at all to market an electric vehicle, but it does so many people buy a BlackBerry, although he does not see the utility and do not believe in his performance, is fashionable and others already have one.

If GM really believed in the concept of an environmentally friendly vehicle from zero or low emissions, would focus on raising the battery life achieves only a measly 60 km, but the real irony is that the Volt relies on a motor of 1.4 internal combustion to rotate a generator that feeds the battery once it is downloaded.

That’s where people are asking (not the people of GM, of course):

* Why not just a gasoline engine 1.4 and you? It would save space and weight of the battery and the car would perform better!

* Why not reduce the gasoline engine to 1 liter or less and is used in electric rear axle configuration and gasoline in front? Read the rest of this entry →

Recently it was revealed that General Motors plans to sell the Chevrolet Volt / Opel Ampera in China but under the name of the Buick brand, which is very popular in China market.

GM introduced the China Patent Office Ampera Opel artwork which underpin the new Buick still know the name of the model (Ohm Buick does not sound bad).

It is expected that the model for the Chinese market will be manufactured at the plant in Michigan, by the logic of not having to adapt new production lines and the Buick because XX is not expected to succeed like the Volt.