In light of the concerns of fire with the giant laptop batteries powering the Chevrolet Volt, nearly everything came to a halt as the plug-in electric hybrid was under heavy scrutiny after a Volt randomly combusted after a crash test. But after a hearing in front of a U.S. House panel with the U.S. National highway Traffic Safety Administration, nothing out of the ordinary was found and as a result, operations with the Volt restarted, complete with a new marketing campaign.
“The world is learning from Detroit again. And we couldn’t be prouder,” said GM’s CEO, Dan Akerson in a full report after the hearing.
Check out more news on the Chevrolet Volt.
In terms of the new marketing campaign, GM will be releaseing a new television spot that will first appear on News Corp’s Fox News channel.
Check it out after the jump.
Refresher: The 2012 Chevrolet Volt is powered by 16-kWh, ‘T’-shaped lithium-ion battery that powers the electric drive unit, which allows it to drive 40 miles on battery power alone. The system puts out 149-hp and a maximum torque of 273 lb-ft, allowing the Volt to go from 0-60 mph in about 9 seconds, hitting a top speed of 100 mph. The battery can be re-charged by plugging into a household outlet and takes 4 hours to recharge on 240 volts, and about 10-12 hours on a standard 120-volt outlet. The Chevrolet Volt also carries an 84-hp 1.4 4-clyinder engine that allows the five-door, FWD sedan to travel additional miles while averaging a fuel-economy of 50 mpg. A fully charged battery and full tank of gas will allow the Volt to travel 379 miles. The 2012 Chevrolet Volt gets an EPA estimated 93 miles per ’gallon-equivalent’ when driving under electric power only, 37 mpg when in gasoline mode and over the long term it is estimated to get 60 miles per gallon in combined gasoline-powered and electric-powered driving. Prices for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt start at $39,995 but with a full federal income tax credit (which range from $0 to $7,500), the Volt can cost a total of $32,495.
- By: Chris Chin
Source: AutoNews
