GM announces improvements to electric car design

GM announced design improvements to the Chevrolet Volt, an electric car set to debut in 2010.

General Motors Corp. has added 6 or 7 miles of range to the Chevrolet Volt through aerodynamically driven design changes to the production-version of the vehicle, the vehicle’s chief designer said.

Speaking at the Management Briefing Seminar in Traverse City, Bob Boniface, the director of design for the Chevrolet Volt and E-Flex studio, said that the automaker has removed 120 counts of aerodynamic drag, or extended the electric range of the vehicle by about 6 or 7 miles.

Some of the changes that contributed to the better range, he said, include rounding the front corners of the vehicle, adding a small lip to the rear spoiler and sharpening the edge of the rear of the vehicle.

In addition, Boniface shared some detail about the center console of the extended-range electric vehicle, which GM plans to launch in late 2010. The center console, he said will have iPod-style controls, with a touch-pad for environmental and entertainment systems.

GM is aiming to launch a Volt that could drive at least 40 miles on electric charge alone and then could recharge using a small gasoline engine for hundreds of miles of additional range.

Source : Freep

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