The second-generation Chevrolet Volt, due out as a 2016 model year vehicle, caters to the requests of current Volt owners with things like its fifth seat, more immediate power delivery, and certainly, its extended EV range.
That last staple of the 2016 Volt’s revamp has as much to do with the engineering of the Voltec powertrain’s new battery pack as it does the reworked two-motor drive unit.
Automotive News highlights this fact, reporting that the new 192-cell battery pack can carry the Volt up to 50 miles before the gas-powered generator kicks in, up from 38 miles from the first-generation’s 288-cell unit. Part of that has to do with weight-reduction and improved aerodynamics. For instance, the new Volt weighs somewhere around 200 pounds less than the current car, including a 31-pound reduction from the battery pack alone.
Another part of that improved electric range is the Voltec system’s lowest permitted state-of-charge. AN says that Chevrolet engineers allow the next-generation car to drain 9 percent more capacity from the pack before the internal-combustion unit kicks-in to boost regeneration.
And then, of course, the new battery pack has been more effectively optimized by General Motors and their battery partner, LG Chem. Occupying the same approximate volume, with 31 fewer pounds and 96 fewer cells, the 2016 Chevrolet Volt has an 18.4-kWh capacity to the 2015 model’s 17.1.
So, whether you own or lease a first-generation Chevrolet Volt, or you’re just an intrigued consumer, the 2016 Volt will keep more coin in your pocket given a regular charge.
Comments
As I talked to the crowd climbing over competitive electric vehicles — the BMW I3 and I8 and the Kia Soul — at the Green Living Show in Toronto, most did not know much about the Volt. GM has done a poor job.
The Volt comes in two flavors — the pure EV for markets like California and the Volt that most of us know with the standard aux. gas engine (optional in BMW I3 of course).
GM should re-badge the Volt as VOLT EV for the fully electric vehicle and VOLT ER (Extended Range) for the one with the gas engine. It really is a huge advantage that isn’t recognized in the marketplace — and the name plate differentiation will at least help alleviate a bit of that.
They already have the Bolt, and GM has done an EXCELLENT job for putting the Gen 2 Volt technology on the New Malibu.
The volt only comes in one form. It’s an EV first and foremost. The range extender is not optional. It’s part of the design mechanics, not an after thought. Unlike the i3, where it’s extra.
Your confusion is exactly why they shouldn’t do that. The Spark EV is not a Volt model, yet you said that it was. That’s the kind of crazy-confusion people get if things like that are made.
Going forward, it’s likely the Spark EV will be replaced with the Bolt. Then it will be easy to distinguish Bolt (all-electric small hatch) and Volt (premium plug-in hybrid).
The Volt is an EV, with a gas range extender that produces electricity when the battery is depleted. Their is only one type of Volt, not two.
The part that caught my eye was the fifth (sort-of) seat and the more immediate power delivery. The extended EV range is great too but the lack of a fifth seat has been a real bummer for me, and the intentionally ramped power delivery is irritating.
Clearly, GM has listened to us early adopters.
Great car GM… I’m sure the 2016 model will be even better! 🙂
LOVE my Volt… 48,000 miles and counting.
I love my Volt and will almost definitely buy a second-generation car when my current lease is up. (I’m still tempted to buy a Bolt, which is what causes the “almost” qualification.) Chevy did a great job with the new car.
My only disappointments are the switch to traditional bulbs in the taillights (offset by the addition of yellow turn signals, which are a big safety plus in my mind), elimination of the mirror turn signals, and the Honda-like front end design. The drivetrain improvements are exactly what I’d hoped for and the extra 10 miles of range will mean even fewer gas miles for me. (More than 96% of my driving has been on electricity after 16 months.)