Chevrolet Volt

Feast your eyes on Chevy’s electric future!

This is the Chevrolet Volt, officially unveiled today to mark the American car maker’s centenary celebrations – and parent company GM claims it will change the face of motoring!

When production begins, the Volt will become the first mass-produced car in history to be powered by means other than the internal combustion engine.

Set to hit US showrooms in 2010 before coming to the UK in 2011, the Volt is powered by a 148bhp electric motor fed by a lithium-ion battery pack capable of 40 miles between charges – meaning zero CO2 emissions.

The motor, which generates 370Nm of torque, can be charged from a 240v mains supply in three hours, or by a small onboard petrol motor that switches on when power is running low. The petrol unit is not connected to the wheels and can run on plant-derived ethanol too, lowering its overall CO2 output.

The Volt can reach a top speed of 100mph and is built on GM’s Delta chassis – the same platform underpinning the forthcoming Astra hatchback. As such, the possibility of an electric Astra in future is not unrealistic, though insiders suggest Vauxhall is presently in favour of a Griffin badged Volt for the UK, expected to cost around £20,000.

For more information and pictures of Chevy's seminal electric car, be sure to pick up issue 1,031 of Auto Express - on sale Wednesday 24th September.