www.oakvillebeaver.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, February 24, 2010 · 14 The Volt interior in this pre-production model may not be exactly what we'll see when the car goes on sale here next summer, but it is close, according to GM officials. Volt to go on sale here in summer of 2011 Continued from page 13 Charging the Volt is a piece of cake. Simply plug it into a normal 120-volt household outlet (a dedicated circuit is recommended) and a full charge takes about eight hours. However, a "quick charge" 240-volt unit will cut the charging time to about three hours. The cost of a charge is less than your morning cup of java. The Volt has been designed to be a high volume car so every effort was made to make it as traditional as possible. It will feature bucket seats, front and rear, with the typical centre stack that will have a colour multiinformation screen at the top and buttons and switches below. A floor console flows from the bottom of the centre stack to the back of the rear seats, with cup holders front and rear. Three trim levels are contemplated with cloth seats standard and leather available. All the other bells and whistles one would expect in a typical family sedan will be offered, including eight airbags, traction control and stability control. The 180 kg t-shaped lithium ion battery runs underneath the floor console and then crossways under the rear seats. GM officials say it is designed to have a 10-year lifespan and then will have to be replaced. However, they say even then it will still operate at about 70 per cent efficiency and they are currently working on programs where the batteries can be "traded in" for use in secondary applications. This will serve two purposes-- cut down on the cost for consumers and help reduce the number of batteries headed for the recycling heap. So what's it like to drive the Volt? It's not much different than your regular sedan. Simply hop in the car, buckle up, push the start button and the engine roars to life.... Well no, actually there is no sound and you have to keep your eye on the dash display panel to see that it is in electric (EV) mode. From there, simply pull the shift lever on the centre console back into drive and you're ready to go. I didn't get to do any real highway or city driving, but a few trips around Stanley Park left me with the feeling that the Volt is so much like any normal car (except for the absence of engine noise in EV mode) that consumers will find the jump to the Volt virtually seamless. The Volt has decent acceleration off the line, certainly in the nine-second range from 0-100 km/h as GM suggests. For an extra boost, push the Sport button on the centre stack and the car gets added power when needed to pass slower vehicles or pull into high-speed traffic from a freeway on-ramp. One neat feature of the Volt is a mobile phone application that was recently unveiled at the consumer electronics show in Las Vegas. Through OnStar, Volt owners will be able to check the charging process on their car and even start the charge (provided it's plugged in of course). After the test drive, I was left with the feeling that I was given a glimpse of where the industry may be heading in the future. Of course, price will have a big bearing on the success of the Volt and GM will not announce pricing until a month or so before launch. Speculation is it will cost in the $40K range, but we'll just have to wait and see. The car will be built at the Hamtramck facility in Detroit and demand for the Volt will outstrip the supply at the outset. GM marketers see what they call "early adopters" as the first buyers, followed by "fast followers" and then the mainstream buyers. "We know this is a crucial vehicle for the organization," said Odell. "Everybody is looking at this vehicle and we have to get it right."