Auto's & Moto's

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The Opel Ampera

Some Voltecs for China

Soon, America will have the Chevy Volt. Shortly thereafter, Europe will have the Opel Ampera, and not long after that China will have a Buick version of the Volt.

While there aren’t many details available for GM’s latest Voltec offering, such as the name, MotorTrend is reporting that the the Buick ‘Volt’ will share sheet metal with the Opel Ampera. Likewise, the new Buick will hit the Chinese market by mid 2011.

Considering GM’s Buick success in China, a Buick ‘Volt’ seems like a no-brainer.

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The Volt’s lithium-ion battery pack

GM finally confirmed that the Chevy Volt will utilize an 8 gallon fuel tank to supplement the Volt’s EV range.

So, what does that mean for the Volt’s real world range and fuel economy?

Once the lithium ion battery pack drops down to 30 percent of its full charge, then the 1.4 liter engine begins generating electricity to power the Volt. The battery, however, is never recharged in this state. Still, in this state the Volt can travel at least another 300 miles, and then the battery has to be recharged. That will take about 8 hours at 120V, although a special 240V supply could drop that charge time down to about 3 hours.

But that won’t matter as long as you only drive 40 miles or less, right?

Not necessarily. According to the latest reports, “Most people will get less than 40 miles. ” And, once electric range is used and the Volt is dependent upon its gasoline engine, the Volt’s city fuel economy will probably be around 38 mpg.

Can it shock the the Golden State?

The Chevy Volt should meet its late 2010 production date, however, the Volt will only be available for sale in California until sometime in 2011.

Overall, seems like a fairly smart move. California is the by far leading state for the purchase of hybrid cars.