Ever since the Chevrolet Volt made its debut in late 2010, our team has been fixated on what we could do to make the next-generation Volt even better for our customers who are some of the most satisfied in the industry.
We paid close attention to how owners use their Volts in the real world: how many times they charge each day; how many miles they achieve on each battery recharge; how long they travel between fill-ups.
Did you know Volt owners travel on average 970 miles between fill ups?
We took all of that information and brought together the best electrification engineering team in the industry to make the next-generation Chevrolet Volt more efficient, resulting in increased range and improved performance.
Today, we revealed one of the most important parts of the next-generation Volt. I like to call it the heart of the car – the Voltec propulsion system. It consists of the battery, electric motors, drive unit, range-extending engine, power electronics and controls.
The number one thing we hear from them is the Volt is fun to drive, so we gave it even more punch.
Our team has developed two new electric motors for the drive unit that provide up to a 20 percent improvement in electric acceleration. Not only that, the overall operation of the drive system is up to 12 percent more efficient than today’s Volt.
The Volt’s battery system has already claimed its spot as among the best quality in the industry. Of the more than 20 million cells used in the more than 69,000 Volts on the road today, less than two per million had reported problems – or less than 50 cells overall. Let me restate that: only 50 out of 20 million battery cells reported problems.
Our battery system is also among the most reliable. A recent study of more than 300 model year 2011 and 2012 Volts on the road in California for more than 30 months showed many owners are still exceeding the original EPA-rated 35 miles of range, with about 15 percent achieving more than 40 miles on a single charge.
So how did we improve the battery?
The team worked to increase the energy density in each cell by more than 20 percent. That means we use about 100 fewer cells in our new pack while delivering more range.
We all know less weight means better acceleration and greater range, so in total, we’ve taken about 130 lbs. out of the propulsion system for the next-gen Volt – which means more range, but I can’t disclose that number just yet.
The new propulsion system is only part of the story of how we’ve changed the Volt. We’ll have much more news to share this January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, and I, for one, can’t wait to share more details with you. Stay tuned!
