Digital Media Concepts/Chevrolet Volt

 Overview  The Chevrolet Volt is one of the most popular hybrid cars in the commercial market today.With its extensive space inside,a powerful engine,reasonable price, and award winning emissions/safety standards; Volt has rapidly gained consumer confidence and has won many awards.

It was developed by General Motors and has been on the market since 2011. About 130,000 Volts have been sold in the United States since it was introduced in 2011.

History
The First Hybrid Car was invented by Ferdinand Porsche in 1899. Even Thomas Edison tried out the venture of creating a low cost electric car,but then Ford Model T came out it destroyed any chances for the development of an affordable electric car. The Cost of Model T was only $650 while the Electric car cost about $1750.

The development of electric vehicles picked up again when there was gasoline shortage in 1970s.Congress passed the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Research,Development and Demonstration Act of 1976 to start research on electric and hybrid vehicles. The Hybrid cars were still not successful as their speed and range were limited when compared to gasoline cars. The interest in electric and hybrid technology gained momentum again in the 1990s with the passage of Clean Air Act Amendment and the 1992 Energy Policy Act. In Addition California passed new emission regulations which forced automakers to take another look at electric and hybrid technology in cars.

In 2000, Toyota Prius was introduced which was the world's first mass produced hybrid electric vehicle.This became an instant hit and become the best selling hybrid worldwide. Success of Toyota Prius and entry of Tesla Motors propelled rest of the car makers to get in the field of electric and hybrid vehicles. In 2010 Chevrolet Volt (hybrid) and Nissan Leaf (electric) were introduced.

Specifications
{| class="wikitable"
 * colspan="2" |

Fuel Tank

 * Fuel Tank Capacity, Approx : gal
 * 8.9
 * Aux Fuel Tank Capacity, Approx : gal
 * N/A
 * colspan="2" |
 * N/A
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |

Cargo Area Dimensions

 * Trunk Volume : ft³
 * 10.6
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |

Brakes

 * Brake Type :
 * Regenerative
 * Brake ABS System :
 * 4-Wheel
 * colspan="2" |
 * 4-Wheel
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |

Emissions

 * Tons/yr of CO2 Emissions @ 15K mi/year :
 * 1.3
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |

Transmission

 * Drivetrain :
 * Front wheel drive
 * Trans Order Code :
 * MKV
 * Trans Type :
 * 1
 * Trans Description Cont. :
 * Automatic
 * Final Drive Axle Ratio (:1) :
 * 2.64
 * colspan="2" |
 * Automatic
 * Final Drive Axle Ratio (:1) :
 * 2.64
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |

Vehicle

 * EPA Classification :
 * Compact Cars
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |

Interior Dimensions

 * Passenger Capacity :
 * 5
 * Passenger Volume : ft³
 * 90.0
 * Front Head Room : in
 * 37.80
 * Front Leg Room : in
 * 42.10
 * Front Shoulder Room : in
 * 56.50
 * Front Hip Room : in
 * 53.70
 * Second Head Room : in
 * 35.80
 * Second Leg Room : in
 * 34.70
 * Second Shoulder Room : in
 * 53.20
 * Second Hip Room : in
 * 51.30
 * colspan="2" |
 * Second Leg Room : in
 * 34.70
 * Second Shoulder Room : in
 * 53.20
 * Second Hip Room : in
 * 51.30
 * colspan="2" |
 * Second Hip Room : in
 * 51.30
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |

Weight Information

 * Base Curb Weight : lbs
 * 3543
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |

Engine

 * Engine Order Code :
 * L3A
 * Engine Type :
 * Gas/Electric I4
 * Displacement :
 * 1.5L/-TBD-
 * Fuel System :
 * Direct Injection
 * SAE Net Horsepower @ RPM :
 * 149
 * SAE Net Torque @ RPM :
 * 294
 * colspan="2" |
 * SAE Net Horsepower @ RPM :
 * 149
 * SAE Net Torque @ RPM :
 * 294
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |

Suspension

 * Suspension Type - Front :
 * MacPherson Strut
 * Suspension Type - Rear :
 * Compound Crank
 * Suspension Type - Front (Cont.) :
 * w/Coil Springs
 * Suspension Type - Rear (Cont.) :
 * w/Coil Springs
 * colspan="2" |
 * Suspension Type - Rear (Cont.) :
 * w/Coil Springs
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |

Wheels

 * Front Wheel Size : in
 * 17 x 7.0
 * Rear Wheel Size : in
 * 17 x 7.0
 * Front Wheel Material :
 * Aluminum
 * Rear Wheel Material :
 * Aluminum
 * colspan="2" |
 * Rear Wheel Material :
 * Aluminum
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |
 * colspan="2" |

Steering

 * Steering Type :
 * Electric Pwr
 * }
 * }

Emissions
Emissions-Chevy Volt has about 60-70% less smog causing emissions than other plug-in hybrids.It has consistently been awarded the Green Car of the Year award since 2015.

Safety
Chevy Volt has a 5 Star rating for all safety tests and has held this 5 star status for last 5 years.It comes with Smart Features like Lane Departure Warning,Blind Spot Monitor,Available Forward Collision Alert system and Automatic Braking.It has something called Teen Driver Technology which "encourages safe driving habits".It comes with the standard GM OnStar Technology for remote assist and monitoring.

Price and Sales
'''The Price for a 2018 Chevrolet Volt is about $38,445 for a 4 door sedan. Chevy Volt sold about 20,000 cars in 2017 in the United States and about 4000 in Canada. There are many attractive lease options are also available for the Chevy Volt. The Sales of Chevy Volt are declining for last two years. No apparent reason is given by General Motors, but it is widely regarded that sales for hybrids in general goes inversely to the price of gas, and the anticipation of 2018 Chevrolet Bolt EV may have a dampening event on Volt Sales. GM also made an announcement that Volt will stop production in 2022 and this may also have halted the consumer confidence.'''

Controversies
Volt being a Hybrid Car with a big battery shares all the controversies and downsides of a lithium ion battery. Lithium Ion Batteries are known to explode and burn uncontrollably. Many people in the industry are afraid that these electric cars will have deadly accidents in which Lithium Ion batteries will explode. Manafacturer's are taking great precautions to avoid any such accident, but there is not enough data to create a fool proof battery. Another controversy that dogs the electric/hybrid vehicles is their price. All electric/hybrid vehicles are 3-5k costlier than comprable gas only models. This is a high price to pay for Environmental consciousness especially if the gas prices are low. Finally people question the environmental friendliness claim of such hybrids because the electricity that runs has to generated too, and most of electricity generation today depends on fossil fuels, So it many critics minds we are not helping the environment but just swapping one fossil fuel with another.

Awards
Some of the awards that that the Chevrolet Volt has received are the 2011 Motor Trend Car of the Year, 2016 AutoBytel Car of he Year,2016 Green Car of the Year.It is the hybrid with most awards and accolades.

References