2013 Chevrolet Volt Electric

NEW FOR 2013:

- Increase in estimated EV range of five kilometres, to 61 kilometres.

- Hold drive mode in addition to Normal, Sport and Mountain drive modes, allows owners to conserve battery charge for use in the most efficient manner

- Body colour roof and liftgate, Pebble Beige premium cloth seats, Pebble Beige leather-appointed seats with suede inserts added.

- Available audio system with GPS-based navigation, AM/FM/Sirius XM stereo with CD player and MP3 playback capability, navigation and USB port, seven-inch-diagonal touch-screen display and Radio Data System.

- Removable rear centre armrest with storage included in available Premium Trim Package.

- Comfort Package includes heated driver and front passenger cloth seats and leather-wrapped steering wheel.

- Available Safety Package 1 includes auto-dimming inside rearview mirror, rear park assist and rear vision camera.

- Available Safety Package 2 includes front park assist, forward collision alert and lane departure warning systems.

The extended-range electric Volt takes us where no electrically driven vehicle has been before ? like Toronto to Montreal without stopping for a recharge. The Volt proves to be a nice car to drive ? this is no quirky spaceship. It delivers poised handling, good steering, solid refinement, and a seamless driving experience that eludes most hybrids. When the 1.4L gas engine does come alive to charge the lithium-ion battery pack, it is reasonably quiet. The Volt only seats four, however, and the cost of early adoption is high. For 2013, the estimated EV range increases by 5 km to 61 km, and there are some new available safety packages.

The Volt always runs on electricity, initially supplied by plugging it into a wall socket and charging the battery. Once the battery is depleted, a small gasoline engine starts up and acts like a generator to produce electricity to power the electric motor. While the Volt must always run on electricity, it is capable of sending some mechanical torque from the gasoline engine to the wheels to supplement the electric motor when the battery is depleted and additional power is needed, such as when passing.

The Volt uses a 111-kilowatt electric motor with 1.4-litre four-cylinder gasoline engine. There is no conventional transmission; instead, it uses the electric drive. Recharging takes about four hours on 240-volt and 10 to 12 hours on 110-volt. The electric-drive range is approximately?40 to 80 kilometres, depending on driving conditions.

Standard features include airbags (front, driver and front passenger knee, front seat, side curtain), OnStar, LATCH, content theft alarm, portable charge cord theft alarm, 120-volt charge cord with 8-amp/12-amp switch, 16.5-kWh lithium-ion battery, electro-hydraulic four-wheel disc brakes with ABS and regenerative braking, continuously-variable Electric Drive Unit, remote starter, LED daytime running lights with automatic headlights and Twilight Sentinel, LED taillights, body-colour power heated mirrors with integrated turn signals, driver activated horn chirp pedestrian alert, tire inflator kit, 17-inch painted aluminum wheels, automatic climate control, cruise control, front and rear floor mats, 7-inch reconfigurable LCD display, driver information centre, TPMS, E-Z key passing entry system, push button start, power locks, tilt/telescopic steering, steering wheel mounted Bluetooth/cruise/audio controls, universal home remote, power windows with driver auto-up/down and global auto-down, manual 6-way driver and front passenger seats, premium cloth seating surfaces, 40/40 split-folding rear seat, 6-speaker audio, auxiliary input jack, Bluetooth phone connectivity and media streaming, Chevrolet MyLink, satellite radio, and USB port.