Friday, April 13, 2012

A Chevrolet Volt in Fort Lauderdale

Here is something you don't see everyday and that's really quite a shame in my mind.

It's a Chevrolet Volt, and if you look at the front wheel you'll notice that there is an electric cord plugged into the car. 

The Volt is a next generation hybrid car.  It runs off of electric fully until the car is going faster than 70MPH, then the gas motor kicks in and helps it out.  The batteries are what drives the electric motor, and the electric motor is usually being used as a generator.  You can even use the car's motor generator to power your house in an emergency.

Ok, I'll admit it, I'm a car geek.  If I were to get a car, and had money to throw at it, this would be the one.  For just about everyone out there, this car would not have to use gasoline to get around.  You would drive it home at the end of your day, plug it into the wall, and by the morning you'd have a full battery pack to get you where you need to go for a normal commute.   If your batteries ran flat, the gas motor would kick in and get you where you are headed.

If your gas motor never kicked in, you're driving an electric car.  The pollution doesn't go away of course, you've shifted that to the power plant that supplies the electricity to your home or place of business.  If we had solar panels on the roof like we were all promised we'd have by now, that would mean free power and no pollution.  All that takes money, and the infrastructure is not quite there yet, not even in South Florida, but since the United States has the largest Alternative Energy market in the world, we're on our way.

Considering that an electric motor is 90% efficient in producing power where a gasoline motor is at best 50%, GM's claims of getting 90MPG in a traditional sedan is certainly plausible.  Just don't turn on the heater.

Until we get all this straightened out, you can just think about this lucky person who is filling up their gas tank, er Battery Pack, on the office's dime!

1 comment:

  1. Chevrolet Volt is a hybrid car.Nowdays companies are investing in hybrid technology because in near future electric cars will become famous.So, this shows the technology advancement.

    I have some information about cars for you.
    General Motors India is planning to launch Chevrolet Captiva next month.Very nice and impressive SUV,Chevrolet Captiva looks very fabulous and stylish.It's sizzling performance with mind blowing mileage and power make new avatar of excellence.

    Chevrolet Captiva is said to be a head turner with elegant and sporty exterior look with a rigid monocoque body. Captiva is packed with bold wheel cutouts and powerful shoulder line with satin silver finish skid plates in the front and rear that adds aggression and sophistication on the open urban roads.

    Chevrolet Captiva is a car with luxury and style both in interiors and exteriors. The exterior of Chevrolet Captiva is unmatched with a class-apart style. The sporty headlight makes the visibility very clear. The finishing touch on the exterior is done by the chrome finishing on the door handles and dual exhaust pipes. The alloy wheel base makes the look more complete and classy.

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