Yorkregion.com - Wheels - GM studio to design next generation of electric vehicles
GM studio to design next generation of electric vehicles
Wheels
Dec 26, 2007 01:20 PM
By: ROBINSON/BEINTEMA AUTOFILES
General Motors has announced the opening of a new studio dedicated to the company's next generation of electrically driven vehicles.
The newly renovated studio is located within GM's Advanced Design Center, which was responsible for the Chevrolet Volt concept revealed at the 2007 North American International Auto Show last January.
GM's new E-Flex Systems Design Studio will develop a variety of vehicles using the E-flex propulsion system, starting with the production version of the Chevrolet Volt.
It is the only studio on the planet specifically designated to designing a wide variety of electric plug-in vehicles with a range extender.
The Chevrolet Volt, GM's electric plug-in vehicle, will be the first vehicle designed in the new studio.
The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in electric vehicle that will run up to 40 miles without ever using a drop of gasoline, which according to government data, would be enough to handle approximately two-thirds of daily commutes for American drivers.
The first vehicle in GM's E-Flex family, the Volt, will be powered by an electric motor, which draws its energy from on-board batteries.
The batteries, in turn, will be re-charged by a small internal combustion engine that will run on gas, diesel or ethanol. When not in use, the batteries will be re-charged by simply plugging the Volt into an electric outlet.