Volt prototype hitting 40 miles on electric power alone

GM is getting closer to launching the Chevrolet Volt in November 2010 and recent road tests of the plug-in hybrid prove that the car is capable of its target of 40 miles on pure electricity.

“Today is a big day,” GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz told AutoObserver in an exclusive interview Tuesday. “Today is the first day it is running on the street on battery power.”

Lutz said that the Volt’s prototype which is powered by the same lithium-ion batter and small engine as the production unit is being driven on roads around GM’s Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan and is hitting 40 miles on electric power alone.

“It is reliably meeting its objectives,” said Lutz. “Even with a rough calibration, even with the wrong drive unit, the wrong body, etc. etc., it has been hitting its 40 miles on electric power.”

Recently announced, a virtual waiting list for the Volt showed that 20,000 people are showing interest in purchasing the car when it becomes a reality in late 2010.

 

Source: AutoObserver

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