The fuel economy and vehicle range estimated for the 2013 Chevy Volt should appeal to urban commuters. A minor extension of charging time is a small sacrifice for improvements to battery efficiency and range. These changes will extend charging time to 10.5 hours for a standard 120-volt outlet and four hours for a 240-volt charger. GM also notes that battery power consumption has been cut from 36 kWh per 100 miles to 35 kWh per 100 miles. Battery chemistry remains the same but capacity was increased from 16 kWh to 16.5 kWh and output from 10.3 kWh to 10.8 kWh. The Volt design team opted for minor tweaks to the original design when creating the 2013 model. This second-generation Volt will feature an all-electric range of 38 miles as well as improved performance in inclement weather. The 2013 Chevy Volt demonstrates GM’s commitment to improving this innovative vehicle.
These plaudits as well as positive experiences by Volt drivers could have encouraged GM to stay complacent. General Motors earned best-of-year awards from American and international press due to the Volt’s balance of all-electric drive and efficient engineering. Thus far, GM says, owners of existing 20 Chevrolet Volt models have traveled more than 65 million miles in their cars-roughly two-thirds of those miles on electricity drawn from the power grid.įollow GreenCarReports on Facebook and Twitter.The Chevy Volt has been the darling of the automotive press since the first units rolled off the line in 2010. Production of the 2013 Chevy Volt will start early next month at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant, and 2013 Volts will arrive at Chevrolet dealers starting in August.
The 2013 Chevrolet Volt will have a total range on grid power plus gasoline of 380 miles.
vehicles travel less than 40 miles a day.Īfter the battery pack is depleted, the Volt's 1.4-liter gasoline range extender switches on-not to power the wheels but to turn a generator that provides electricity to the 111-kW (149-hp) electric motor that actually turns the drive wheels. GM notes that roughly three-quarters of all U.S. Other changes to the audio system, the Comfort package, and a pair of available Safety packages for the 2013 Volt had been known since mid-April.īut the revisions to the battery pack had not been disclosed before today.Īs a range-extended electric car, the Volt travels 25 to 45 miles on grid energy used to recharge its battery pack by plugging in the car. A new interior color-Pebble Beige-is available in both cloth upholstery and leather seats with suede inserts.Īnd a removable rear-seat center armrest is included in the Premium trim package. Visually, the liftgate and roof are now body-colored rather than black. This is essentially the "charge-sustaining button" in the Opel/Vauxhall Ampera sold in Europe.Ĭhevy will also fit the low-emission package standard on later 2012 Volts sold in California to those 2013 Volts sold in New York state as well, making them eligible for High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane access with only a single occupant. Other changes to the 2013 Chevrolet Volt include a "Hold Drive" button that allows owners to conserve battery-pack energy for use at a particular time or when it will make the car most efficient. Results showed that the battery degrades more slowly and can operate at temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit). The revised cell chemistry, Chevy says, has been tested through the equivalent of 150,000 vehicle miles. Chevrolet says it will take 4 hours and 15 minutes using a 240-Volt Level 2 charging system, or 10.5 hours using 110-Volt household current.