GM has just announced the changes to the 2013 Chevy Volt. Chevy Volt fans will be happy to hear that the 2013 Chevy Volt’s EV range has been extended three miles to 38 miles on a single charge.
GM has just announced the changes to the 2013 Chevy Volt. Chevy Volt fans will be happy to hear that the 2013 Chevy Volt’s EV range has been extended three miles to 38 miles on a single charge. The miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) will increase from 94 miles to 98 miles and the total range, including extended range operation, will be 380 miles.
GM’s engineers improved the Volt’s range making minor changes to the material composition of the battery cell chemistry. Manganese spinel chemistry remains the foundation for the Volt’s battery system, but the amount of each material has been slightly modified to provide better life performance.
“The best way to explain what we’ve done at the cell level is to compare it to a cake batter recipe. Sometimes if you use more sugar and less vanilla you get a better tasting cake. We’ve done some work at the cell level to modify the ‘ingredients’ to make a better end result,” said Bill Wallace, GM director of Global Battery Systems Engineering. “This attention to detail will allow our customers to experience more pure EV range, which is the true benefit of owning a Volt.”
In addition, the total storage capacity of the Volt battery has been increased from 16 kWh of energy to 16.5 kWh, and engineers have expanded the state-of-charge window to use 10.8 kWh of the total battery energy – up from 10.3 kWh used in the 2012 model. The improved EV range capability will result in slight increases to the Volt’s charge times. A full recharge using a 120V takes 10.5 hours and 4.25 hours using a 240V outlet.
