Through the kindess of General Motors/Chevrolet, I was able to take a couple of shots of the Chevy Volt’s interior.
The pre-production model, that is.
The reason, stated the product specialist, is that General Motors focused on the Volt’s underlying technologies: batteries, powertrains, and the systems to control them all seamlessly. This is a good thing, in my mind. Toyota and, to a lesser extent, Honda, capture the public’s opinion of reliable EVs and hybrids despite the fact that it was GM who brought electric vehicles to the masses in the form of the EV1, and currently sells plenty of hybrids (e.g., Chevy Malibu Hybrid, Silverado Hybrid, Tahoe Hybrid; GMC Sierra Hybrid; Cadillac Escalade Hybrid; etc.)
The product specialist said that the pre-production Volt fleet has logged more than 250,000 combined miles since production. GM has also subjected Volt batteries to more than 300,000 equivalent miles. Impressive figures when you consider the Volt’s only been around two years.
I could understand, then, why the specialist sounded almost apologetic about the Volt’s pre-production interior. The vents, for example, are just placeholders for the real deal. Same with the paddings on top of the dash. The specialist explained GM is finalizing the Volt’s feature list. Example: while the Volt will come with an optional navigation system
, it is unknown if it will controlled via a touchscreen or some other method.
One interior feature that won’t be changing is the Volt’s four-seating configuration. GM wanted to make sure that the Volt’s batteries would not significantly impact its truck space. The Volt seems to do this by the battery pack bisecting the car lengthwise. Most hybrids place their batteries behind and under the rear passenger seats, compromising truck utility.
The 2011 Chevy Volt is scheduled to go on sale in California later next year. GM will certainly showcase the production models to the press long before the sales date. What do you think of GM’s focus and changes on the Volt?
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