Louis Chevrolet was born 123 years ago in La Chaux-de-Fonds, a city whose name is associated primarily with luxury Swiss watches. Like many of his peers, Louis was supposed to become a watchmaker, but did not. He thought about other gears - he was fascinated by cars.

Now, a hundred years after its founding, created by Louis Chevrolet brand is the most profitable division General Motors. The American-Korean-European brand is GM's mainstay in most global markets. Few people in modern automotive world can offer the buyer and budget cars, and real muscle cars and innovative electric vehicles. Chevrolet has it all.

View and ride the main European innovations Chevrolet Russian journalists were able to celebrate the anniversary of the brand in the homeland of Louis Chevrolet, Switzerland. And we will start with, perhaps, the most innovative Chevy product in its entire history - an unusual hybrid.

Chevrolet Volt

Already from the name it is clear that there was no electricity here. We've been waiting for the Volt for four long years, ever since its prototype was unveiled at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show. At first, however, there was skepticism: before that no one had dared to mass production car with similar hybrid circuit, where the car is driven by an electric motor, and the gasoline engine only recharges the batteries if necessary.

Then there was obvious interest when it became clear that there would be a serial Volt. Then there was a long wait due to problems at the stage of preparing the new product for production. And now it’s happened: I’m driving an absolutely production copy of the Chevrolet Volt towards La Chaux-de-Fonds to show Louis Chevrolet’s hometown how much, a century later, the company he founded has grown to.

It's impossible to go. There’s just no time to look at the road, by God! In front of me are two large color displays: one nestled where the instruments are usually located, the other crowned the elegant center console, like a white piano. On the first, in addition to the digital speedometer, there is a blue cartoon battery charge indicator and a green ball that spins as if wound up and constantly bounces. This is an acceleration-deceleration indicator. The Volta driver is as useful as a goat of milk, but I, a graying guy like a ten-year-old boy, can’t take my eyes off the mercury-drawn ball: come on, let’s accelerate, and now we’ll slow down... Moreover, below, under large speed figures, a cheerful carousel of symbols spreads out - these are indicators of the operation of different machine systems.

But the screen located in the center is even more interesting. I realized this by touching the image of a blue leaf that hovered over the alarmingly blue engine start button. Immediately, instead of a map of the area of ​​the navigation system, the following series of funny pictures appeared on the display - an image of the state of the power unit and several numbers. The cartoonish wheels were spinning merrily and completely meaninglessly. So, what if you touch one of the blue tiles? Let's say, with the inscription "energy information". Yeah, out of 16 kilowatt-hours there are still ten left, and we spent gasoline... 0.00 l/100 km. Wow! So that's why it's so quiet in the cabin! I thought that Chevrolet engineers perfectly wrapped the engine in insulation, reducing vibration and noise from the engine to almost zero. But it turns out that it doesn’t work at all! Oh how many wonderful discoveries we have...

The magical power of electricity

From that moment on, as the novelists of the 19th century wrote, I turned entirely into hearing. I press the gas pedal... And the car aggressively rushes forward. And from somewhere far away, not even from the depths of the engine compartment, but even further away, comes the light echo of a seemingly passing electric train - the same one that until now I took for the almost destroyed sound of the engine. In fact, it is two electric motors whining quietly. They receive energy from a lithium-ion battery located under the floor.

It itself consists of 288 prismatic elements measuring approximately 13 x 18 x 6.5 cm, weighs 198 kg and is truly a work of engineering art. After all, to ensure it efficient work V temperature range from minus 25 to plus 50°C had to be developed liquid cooling and heating. And in order to avoid a drop in capacity (we all know how quickly mobile phones begin to discharge with age), electronics do not allow fully charged, nor completely drain the battery, leaving the operating range at approximately 65%. The capacity of this miracle battery is 16 ampere-hours, and, as it soon turned out, it lasts for 40 km.

However, I was not inclined to save money and stepped on the gas with all my heart, wherever the strict road laws of Switzerland allowed, driving the Volt head and tail. If I had been more careful with the accelerator pedal and kept the cheerful green ball on the left display in the center of the scale, or at least turned on the Hold mode, I could have driven more - the maximum that the battery is capable of is 80 km.

Internal combustion

It was only when the battery was exhausted that I finally heard the sound of the engine. I won’t say that it’s loud - even when I forced the Volt to rush along the narrow paths of rural Switzerland as quickly as possible. And to my surprise, the 4-cylinder engine with 86 horsepower was not that much inferior to the 150-horsepower electric pair. But the gasoline “four” also had to rotate the generator shaft, which in turn recharged the batteries - electricity in them, however, also comes from energy recovery during braking. Yes, in general, the agility of this “Volt” has decreased, but it’s not even critical.

And in general, I unexpectedly liked this Chevrolet’s behavior on the road - at least on the smooth asphalt of the Alpine republic. He runs briskly - 9 seconds to a hundred, that's not a pound of raisins! - it holds its trajectory confidently, driving the Volt is easy and simple. It looks very good - both outside and inside.

A car based on the Cruze was built: wheelbase they have the same, only the “Volt” is a little shorter, narrower (with a wider track, however) and lower. But it looks much richer, more elegant and modern than its gasoline relative. A significant role in achieving this effect was played by the sofa deliberately divided into two persons, elegant, high-quality finishing, black leather interior with inserts white and 17-inch light alloy wheels, shod with special low profile tires with reduced rolling resistance. And of course, one cannot fail to note the carefully designed aerodynamics of the body: the air resistance coefficient is 0.28, a very decent result for a relatively short car. As the Americans calculated, this alone made it possible to increase the total range at one filling station by 80 km, and on electric power alone - by 13 km.

The miracle is still postponed

As a result, if you add up the consumption of electricity (16.9 kWh per 100 km) and gasoline (1.2 l/100 km), it turns out that the Volta driver will have to spend approximately 109 rubles for every hundred. And the owner of Cruz-1.6 will spend 191.4 rubles. Impressive?

However, don't rush to call your Chevrolet dealer. Firstly, if sales of the electric miracle begin in Russia, it will not be until 2013. And secondly... Apart from small ones, not too much significant shortcomings Cars, such as poor visibility due to the windshield pillars extending far forward and a low ceiling above the sofa, the Volt has typical electrical problems that its owner will have to put up with. It takes 4 hours to charge, which is no longer very convenient. Where do you plug in the 6 meter charging cable? How will the battery be charged at -30°C? What if it snows and rains at this time? In California, where Volts have already been sold since last fall, it is, of course, easier - no frost, no slush, no snow. Can you imagine what will happen if your Chevrolet, along with a wire and a miraculously found socket, becomes covered with an ice crust, as often happens to cars on the winter streets of our cities? This means you need, at a minimum, a warm garage.

But all these, however, are childish questions. The main reason to postpone the general electric revolution for now is the price. In Europe, the Volt costs E41,900. Meanwhile, the Cruze 1.6 can be bought there for E14,990. So, what do we have? A car that weighs almost half a ton more than its pure petrol cousin accelerates three seconds faster, according to maximum speed inferior to 30 km/h, its trunk is 103 liters smaller, and there are only four seats in the cabin. And almost three times more expensive?!

Its only indisputable advantage is almost six times less harmful emissions. True, here environmentalists do not take into account the cubic meters and liters of gas or fuel oil that must be burned in the furnaces of European state district power plants to generate electricity. But that's not even the main thing. If you care so much about cleanliness environment, buy a bike. There will definitely be less hassle with it than with charging the Volt.

This section publishes reviews of Chevrolet Volt owners, photos of these cars, personal experience for operation, maintenance and repair. From the reviews you can learn about all the pros and cons of this car, its advantages and disadvantages over other models.

• Additionally: Chevrolet Volt reviews and tests

Chevrolet: reviews Reviews of Chevrolet Volt May 11, 2013

I've been driving a Chevrolet Volt for almost six months and have only positive emotions. I have to travel 55 km from home to work there and back. The battery life is quite sufficient. When driving purely on battery power, 100 km requires 1.3 liters of gasoline. Well, if you go only to gasoline engine(which happens extremely rarely), then in the city on average you need 5.8 - 6.2 l/100 km.

Very convenient charging - I left it overnight and in the morning the battery indicator was full. To charge the battery, the Chevrolet Volt comes with a special Charger.

At first it took me a long time to get used to the fact that the car was very quiet. Random passers-by are very surprised there is no sound, but the car calmly drives uphill. I really like the seats - although they are not very big, they are comfortable. The Chevrolet Volt is a cramped car. There is a battery installed in the center of the car, which seems to divide rear seat into two separate ones.

Good chassis, automatic transmission does not cause any complaints. The car obeys the steering wheel perfectly and stays on the road. I am completely satisfied with the acceleration of the car. Good low beam.

Advantages of the car

The cost of travel is cheaper than with a regular car.

Disadvantages of the car

There is no separate button to control the radio. To turn on the radio, you need to press the main screen and the climate control and radio will turn on. A little inconvenient.

Vladimir

Chevrolet: reviews Reviews of Chevrolet Volt April 30, 2013

I am sure that cars like the Chevrolet Volt are the future. Yes, it is still very expensive. But this is an exclusive, and it cannot be cheap!!! From the outside, the car looks simply amazing. The inside of the cabin is even more interesting. The stunning high-gloss white dashboard blends perfectly with the car's interior.

Very beautiful automatic gear shift knob. Two touch screens make the interior look like a salon spaceship from science fiction films. There's only room for two passengers in the back. There is a battery in the middle of the chairs, but it is hidden by a decorative panel and everything looks very original and beautiful.

It’s great that almost everything is done by a computer. It completely controls the operation of all systems in automatic mode. The speed is not great, but it is enough for me. The suspension is a little harsh, but the Chevrolet Volt handles the road very well.

Since I run almost exclusively on batteries, I use very little gasoline. I drove 2000 km and used only 28 liters of gasoline. Very convenient battery charging - there is a special charger that can be connected to a simple outlet.

Advantages of the car

Ecologically safe car, very quiet.

Disadvantages of the car

Small ground clearance, high price.

Anastasia

Chevrolet: reviews Reviews of Chevrolet Volt April 20, 2013

How many times have I regretted buying a Chevrolet Volt? No, at first it was very cool to drive a car, of which there are only a few, not just in Moscow, but throughout the country. It’s very good in winter - without warming up, I turned the key and drove off. Well, of course, I was pleased with the savings on gasoline. Yes, and the interior is original, good leather seats, 2 clear and convenient touch screens.

That's all advantages of Chevrolet Volts are gone. There is no dynamics at all. I understand that you can’t accelerate much on a battery, but not to that extent. Overtaking is quite problematic, the automatic transmission periodically stalls. The computer controls everything - sometimes it’s just infuriating.

But all this is nonsense, the problems began when the car started to break down. But there are no spare parts. The headlight bulb has burned out. I came to the service, and they said that there were no such things, I had to wait a whole month for a ride. But thank God I found one that matches Chevrolet Aveo. But when problems with the suspension started, we definitely had to wait almost 2 months for spare parts. The breakdown was not serious, so I drove slowly. In general, the Chevrolet Volt is a very good car, but to buy spare parts...

Advantages of the car

Good interior and exterior of the car, economical.

Disadvantages of the car

Disgusting service, no spare parts. Poor driving dynamics

Chevrolet: reviews Reviews of Chevrolet Volt April 08, 2013

I’ve been interested in hybrids for a long time; I don’t really like the Honda Insight and Prius, but I liked the Chevrolet Volt right away. The driving life of the battery without charging according to the passport is not very long - up to 80 km, but on average I travel 50 km a day. I only go to work and to do shopping at the supermarket. I checked the gasoline consumption without a battery - 100 km requires 6 liters of gasoline.

From the outside, the Chevrolet Volt looks like a regular sedan. There is not enough space inside, but with my height of 180 cm I fit in the cabin without special problems. Original panel controls - there are two regulators - light and air conditioning. All other parameters can be changed using touch screen instrument panels. It’s very convenient to remove dust - wipe the screen with a special cloth, everything is in order.

The automatic transmission is sometimes a little slow. The Chevrolet Volt does not drive very dynamically when driving on batteries, but it has very good handling and a smooth ride. I drove 8,000 km, changed the oil, the service guys looked at the battery - everything is fine. It's great that it's free warranty service for 5 years.

Advantages of the car

Very original design dashboard, low consumption gasoline, comfortable suspension.

Disadvantages of the car

Small battery range, high electricity bills.

The public presentation of the 2nd generation Chevrolet Volt hatchback hybrid 2015 took place, which in its essence has become even closer to full-fledged electric vehicles.

New Chevrolet Volt 2015-2016

According to the creators, they took into account all the claims and requests of the owners of 1st generation cars, so this new product has a great chance of a significant triumph.

Design of Chevrolet Volt 2015-2016

The change of generations presented Chevrolet hatchback Volt 2015 is fashionable and progressive appearance with streamlined silhouettes and a sporty front. The sides and hood of the new Chevrolet Volt have acquired the most aerodynamic stamps, tight head optics has become even more futuristic, and the rear dimensions have also been transformed in the same direction.

Chevrolet Volt 2nd generation, front view

The classic Volt aerodynamic blades covering the radiator grille have a different texture. By the way, on a 2nd generation car, energetic blinds are located directly behind them, helping to reduce the resistance to oncoming air flows by high speeds movement.

Chevrolet Volt_2015-2016, side view

Generally speaking, the design of the new Chevrolet models The 2015-2016 Volt is much more interesting than its predecessor, and in this regard, the new product has taken a decisive step forward.

Exterior of Chevrolet Volt 2015-2016

Following the appearance, the interior of the car has also changed. New car received a traditional salon for 5 seats, which is decorated in the most dynamic style, in which there are virtually no corners, all components of the exterior trim have a rounded edge, and the front panel and central console have become much more ergonomic and more welcoming to the driver.

Chevrolet Volt 2 2015-2016 interior

In addition to all this, the interior of the 2015-2016 Chevrolet Volt 2nd generation has acquired good lighting, there is leather steering wheel and airbags - 10. What remains old behind the wheel is the size of the independent luggage compartment, which can hold a maximum of 301 liters.

Overall dimensions of Chevrolet Volt 2015-2016

The 2nd generation of the Chevrolet Volt hatchback 2015-2016 has grown:

• steel length - 4582 mm;
• With all this, the wheelbase size became 2694 mm;
• the width of the car reached 1809 mm;
• height - 1432 mm.

The revision of the configuration and the introduction of the largest number of modern parts gave the creators the opportunity to significantly reduce the weight of the equipment, which became 1607 kg, which is 114 kg less than the previous model.

Chevrolet Volt 2 2015-2016, rear view

Chevrolet Volt 2015-2016 configurations

List of exact Chevrolet equipment Volt 2015-2016 has not yet been published, although some equipment included in the basic equipment of the new product will have: LED running lights daytime lights; airbags - 10, including knee airbags for the driver and front passenger; electrical package; heated seats in front; MyLink multimedia with 8-in. touchscreen and support for voice control, as well as Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink systems; equipped with a rear view camera and there is a wide range of electronic assistants.

Dashboard Chevrolet Volt 2 2015-2016

Among the settings there is a parking assistant, a lane tracking system, a blind spot monitoring system and other advanced systems.

Technical characteristics of Chevrolet Volt 2

The 2015-2016 Chevrolet Volt 2nd generation has a modified Voltec power plant, consisting of gasoline engine internal combustion and 2 electric motors, 1 of them plays the role of a generator. Gasoline, used in many travel modes only to recharge the battery, has 4 cylinders with 1.5 liters. The suspension layout has not changed. There is a brake mechanism on all wheels - disc, ventilated in front, and the steering mechanism of the new model is planned to be supplemented with electromechanics.

The main traction electric motor, although new, did not receive an increase in power - 151 hp, and its torque increased from 370 to 398 Nm. Regarding the generator engine, its power, on the contrary, decreased to 61 hp. Feeding the electric motors is guaranteed by the new accumulator battery, created with LG Chem and more typical of full-fledged electric vehicles. In its lightweight system, there were fewer cells (192 instead of 288), although at the same time the capacity increased from 17.1 to 18.4 kWh, which, in combination with fresh power plant made it possible to increase the car's driving range to 80 km solely on electric power alone, or to 676 km with an internal combustion engine in operation.

The battery absolute charging time is 4.5 hours. The car can accelerate in 8.5 seconds. On the scale of the transition to modern Chevrolet development Volt 2015-2016 received a more strict body with an intensive frame, an increased content of durable parts.

Price Chevrolet Volt 2015-2016

Start Chevrolet sales Volt 2 will be available in 2015, but the manufacturer has not yet spoken about its intentions to sell the new car outside the United States. The cost is not known now new Chevrolet Volt 2015, they promised to announce it closer to the start of sales. According to preliminary data, chevrolet price Volt 2nd generation in the USA will be approximately 40 thousand dollars.

The Chevrolet Volt debuted at the 2015 Detroit International Auto Show. In general, for development hybrid sedan new generation, General Motors spent $435 million. The second generation of the hybrid received a stylish and modern appearance; the car has elongated and pointed headlights, under which there are LED sections of daytime running lights. running lights. At the front of the car, instead of the usual radiator grille, we can see two large chrome trims. In general, the silhouette of the car looks fast and dynamic thanks to the flowing contour lines and relief stampings on the hood and sides.

Chevrolet Volt Dimensions

The new generation Chevrolet Volt has increased slightly in size compared to its predecessor, it dimensions are: length 4582 mm, wheelbase 2694 mm, width 1809 mm, height 1432 mm. Trunk large sizes no different, with just 301 liters of empty space for your belongings. Despite the increase in size, the car did not gain weight, this was achieved thanks to the lightening of both electric motors by 45 kilograms, and the battery managed to lose another 9 kilograms by reducing energy cells, there are now 192 of them instead of 288, but this did not entail a decrease in capacity , thanks to innovative technologies, it has only increased from 17.1 to 18.4 kilowatt-hours.

Chevrolet Volt engine

The Chevrolet Volt has a hybrid powertrain consisting of an internal combustion engine and two electric motors. The internal combustion engine is used exclusively to recharge the batteries, and the car is driven by electric motors. The second generation of the car has a more powerful power unit, it is an in-line naturally aspirated four with a volume of 1500 cubic centimeters, delivering 101 at its peak. horsepower, the predecessor had an inline four-cylinder atmospheric unit volume of 1400 cubic centimeters, developing 84 horsepower.

Thanks to these innovations, the Chevrolet Volt has good dynamics; it shoots up to 50 kilometers per hour in just 2.7 seconds, and the hybrid will reach a hundred in 8.5 seconds. The power reserve was also increased; the sedan will travel 80 kilometers on batteries alone, and if you fill it up full tank, charge all the batteries and use the internal combustion engine, it will be able to cover 676 kilometers. The batteries can also be replenished using a regular electrical outlet, which will take approximately 4.5 hours, and the car can also charge at a time you specify when electricity rates are lower or the network is less congested.

Bottom line

Chevrolet Volt is truly innovative car, it has a modern and stylish appearance, smooth body contours, an elongated silhouette and a swift front end design. The car is unusual, but it won’t hurt your eyes in traffic. The salon is a kingdom of comfort and innovative technologies, in addition to improved finishing materials compared to the previous generation, here you will find a lot of clever systems and innovations designed to make your trip comfortable, interesting, and most importantly the main thing is safe. Hybrid power unit The sedan accelerates quite quickly and consumes little fuel. Definitely, such cars are the future; hybrids produced nowadays are quite expensive and have some disadvantages, but after some time they will be able to be eliminated and this will become a breakthrough in the automotive industry. The Chevrolet Volt has made its own important breakthrough; unlike other cars of this kind, it does not look pretentious or futuristic, it has a completely ordinary appearance and an interior familiar to car enthusiasts. The novelty is the technology of the future, wrapped in the classic wrapper of an ordinary car.

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Chevrolet Volt Specifications

sedan 4-door

City car

• width 1,809mm
• length 4,582mm
• height 1,432mm
• clearance???
• seats 5