GM Invites Journalists for Volt-mule Test Drive

The picture you see here is the production version of the Chevy Volt, due out sometime next year. But even though the plug-in car from GM is a long way off, the General gave CNN’s Peter Valdes-Dapena a test drive in a Cruze-bodied Volt mule.

Under the economy car skin are the mechanical organs of the Volt, GM’s attempt at bringing the first mass market plug-in electric car to the market. GM invited journalists from all over the blogosphere for a quick test drive in way they say is an 80% complete production car, minus the exterior.

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The mule shares the same Delta-platform as the Volt, so the driving experience the test drive should give some idea of what the Volt will feel like. Brisk and heavy are the two things many journalists have to say because the T-shaped lithium battery alone weighs about 400lbs. Add that to the necessity of an electric and petrol-powered engine (to eliminate the “range anxiety” that comes with driving a vehicle whose electric-only range is 40 miles) and you have a car that feels much heavier than a petrol-only Cruze.

But that electric motor provides the performance-equivalent of a 250 horsepower V6 and provides 100% torque instantly. Slam the gas pedal, and apparently you are pinned to the seat. It may not be too long before some gearheads start twisting and tuning these into silent street sleepers, but for now that car cruises to 60mph in about 8 seconds, average for a small sedan.

But the car seems to drive and perform fairly well, even in test-mule stage. Acceleration and braking are smooth, but not perfect, and says the car is silent even standing outside of it. But he wasn’t able to see how the charge sustaining mode, the only function of the car’s 1.4 liter petrol engine, which is probably the 20% of the Volt’s powertrain still needing work.

The second half of 2010 is the target date for the Volt’s release, and the car will likely cost upwards of $30k, even with a $7,500 tax credit from the gov’ment. Lets just hope GM is still around by then.

Source: CNN

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