The Auto Writer

Leaked photographs of GM's hybrid vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt, surfaced online earlier this week. What we have here is a car that is more refined than the concept, incorporating styling cues from the Malibu and Camaro.

Whether they were leaked or planted on the internet, the photographs of the production ready Chevrolet Volt that surfaced on Monday have generated a lot of response. Not a bad thing, considering that GM planned to reveal the Volt to coincide with its centennial celebration next Monday, but maybe something that took the bloom off of the rose.

For the record, the production ready Chevrolet Volt looks fine to me. I’m much more concerned whether the car will perform as promised, allowing motorists to drive on electric power only for 40 miles before the gasoline engine kicks in to extend its range.

The Lithium ION Powered Chevy Volt

Powered by a lithium ION battery, a 1.4L four cylinder engine will offer supplemental power when the battery’s juice runs low, extending its range by several hundred miles. When kicked in, the gasoline engine will provide power to an onboard generator, a move which will enable the battery to recharge. GM had previously indicated that the battery will never completely lose juice nor will it ever be fully powered, operating somewhere between 30-80% energy capacity at all times.

Meeting the 40 mile range is critical to the Volt’s success, as most drivers fall within that range when commuting to work. Conceivably, a motorist whose commute fell within that range would never need to use gasoline, tapping the car into their home electrical grid nightly to recharge. Trips to the pump could become virtually non-existent, especially for those drivers who are looking to use their Volt exclusively as a commuter/around town vehicle.

Potential Savings Of $1700 Annually For Commuters

This means that if a driver averages 35 miles per day driving, 365 days per year, they would put 12,775 miles on their Volt each year. Comparable gasoline cars in this category get a combined 30 mpg per gallon, meaning that 426 gallons of gasoline could be saved annually. At $4 per gallon, that would be $1700 in gas saved yearly plus a whole lot less stress on the environment in the form of harmful emissions and greenhouse gases.

Besides having a car that looks good and runs according to plan, price will be a huge factor in determining the Volt’s success.  Initially, GM was looking at a $30,000 price point for the car, but the costs could be as high as $38,000 when the car is released in late 2010. However, the latest price point appears to be closer to $35,000, which is still well above the cost of other hybrids, though those models aren’t of the plug-in variety.

Since then, GM has decided to go with a more cost effective engine (the same engine to power the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze), which might hold down costs. GM is also lobbying Congress to make sure that an extra large tax credit is offered to buyers, perhaps as much as $7000 per buyer.

Though the wind has been knocked out of next Monday’s big reveal of the Volt, expect that the news related to the Volt’s “surprise release” generates even more publicity for the model as well as for parent GM.

Maybe the early reveal wasn’t a mistake after all….