The 'Car of the Future' pays WHS a visit
Students get first-hand look of technological advancements of Chevy's new Volt
The Wahoo High School Industrial Technology students got a glimpse into the future when Sid Dillon brought a 2011 Chevy Volt to the automotive shop on Wednesday, November 16 for a demonstration.
The Electric Vehicle students were invited to the shop to listen to a presentation on a car that is on the cutting edge of automotive technology.
The students watched a video over the charging system and listened to a presentation by Shannon DeWine, Lyle Maly, and Dan Fagervik of Sid Dillon. It was a great opportunity to see a car that is on the cutting edge of the automotive world.
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Launch the media gallery 3 playerHere are some interesting facts mentioned during the presentation:
1. The Volt uses no gasoline until the car reaches about 40 miles per hour. At that time, the gasoline engine turns on automatically to power the electric motors on the front wheels.
2. The Volt is silent while driving on the batteries. A feature was added that sounds the horn quickly to let people at intersections know there is a car coming. Engineers feared that people with impaired vision would not hear the car approaching.
3. Most commuters travel less than 40 miles per day, which means you could drive to work, school, the store, etc., and never use gas while driving the Volt. If you charged the Volt at your workplace, you could double your range to 80 miles.
4. Driving the car on the batteries means you only pay for the electrical cost to charge them at night or during the workday. That amounts to about $1.50 per day. When the battery is run below 30% on a long trip, the engine kicks in and the Volt will get about 50 mpg or better. If your trip starts with a full charge and is shorter, say 60 miles, before plugging back in, it will involve 40 miles of electric operation and 20 miles with the gasoline engine running. In this case overall fuel economy will be in the neighborhood of 150 mpg!
5. The Volt is loaded with lots of technology. The car has an app that can allow you to watch your battery charge, lock/unlock your doors, check your tires and even start the A/C or heat before you get into your car, all from your cell phone!
6. The car uses heated seats, because engineers found that cars with heated seats use less energy because the heater fan doesn’t have to run as much, which saves precious battery power.
7. The Volt is a surprisingly good value. The cost of the car that came to the shop was about $42,000, but with a $7,500 tax credit from the government, the cost is a more affordable $34,500. That car payment will seem a lot less when you’re able to go a couple months without filling up!
8. The gas engine runs so little, that it actually makes itself start and run to prevent the gasoline in the tank from getting stale. As a result, you only have to change the oil once a year.
9. The Volt looks good! This car isn’t an ugly little compact car that stands out in traffic. This car looks good and has the same body as the Chevrolet Cruze.
10. The Volt has a great range even if you do not drive short distances. The Volt has a range of about 380-400 miles on only $1.50 worth of electricity and 6 gallons of gas. Imagine filling up your car for $18 when there is $3.00 gas.
For more information, please visit the following website: http://www.chevrolet.com/volt