Future Chevrolet is electric
There's more to the Chevrolet Volt than just a pretty face. It signals the future of personal motoring, says Chevrolet, with a vehicle that is as easy on the environment as it is on the eyes.
The Volt conveys an immediate message of agility and sophistication, with the exterior proportions of a classic sports car. Volt’s athletic design challenges the notion that an environmentally conscious vehicle can’t possess an aesthetic spirit to match its driving characteristics.
“We’ve leveraged our resources around the globe to develop the design aesthetic for the Volt,” said Ed Welburn, vice president, GM Global Design. “It was important that the design capture the face of Chevrolet as it’s recognized around the world.”
Design and engineering collaboration between GM designers and GE Plastics, using unique material technology and design engineering support, helped achieve Volt’s stylish package, with classic Chevrolet performance cues that hint at both Camaro and Corvette.
Inside, a host of current or near-term technologies and materials, combined with ingenious use of ambient light, creates a light and airy interior.
“First and foremost, this is an advanced technology vehicle that uses little or no fuel at all. But we didn’t see any reason why that should compromise its design,” said design team leader Anne Asensio, executive director, GM Design. “Our job was to design a vehicle people could easily imagine seeing on the road. It couldn’t be a ‘science project’. It had to be realistic, executable and carry the essence of the Chevrolet brand. We wanted a size that connected with everyone, so we designed a small car.”
Sized for an urban-centric lifestyle, the Volt concept sedan is similar in size to a Chevrolet Cobalt, with an overall length of 4,318 mm, a height of 1,336 mm and a width of 1,791 mm. However, the Volt’s proportions, dictated by the layout of its electrically driven powertrain system, make it distinctly different from its mainstream Cobalt sibling.
“The configuration of the drive and energy components dictated we push the front wheels forward and outward to the corners,” said Bob Boniface, design director, GM Design, and lead exterior designer. “We wanted to keep the overall dimensions relatively small. This is an urban-centric car, so it needs to fit into small areas.”
The Volt’s proportions, combined with large 21-inch wheels, wide track (163 mm, front and rear), short front and rear overhangs and a tight wheel-to-body relationship, create an athletic, confident stance.
The Volt’s roof, side glass and beltline are constructed of GE Plastics transparent, glazed polycarbonate material that delivers the scratch resistance and gloss surface appearance of glass, combined with the formability of a plastic composite. As a result, Volt provides the driver and occupants with exceptional visibility.
In addition to the upper daylight opening and roof, key exterior panels are made with a GE Plastics composite and fit together like a puzzle. The front door hinges extending into the front fenders enable easy entry and exit, create a graceful, forward-leaning door cut line and incorporate a plug-in recharging port access on both sides of the vehicle.
Chevrolet cues include the twin-port front grille, centre-positioned bowtie and lower air intake. Jewelled horizontal headlamps use light-emitting diode (LED) elements.
“On the interior of the Volt, you’ll find technologies, materials and an environment that enable the car to help make life simpler for a person who’s environmentally conscious and leads a city-centered lifestyle,” said Wade Bryant, design director, GM Design. “It’s ergonomically correct, provides connectivity to the world, and demonstrates smart responsibility through the use of lightweight, recyclable materials.”
Bryant said the interior environment of the four-passenger Volt is defined by a host of current or near-term technologies and materials. “It’s definitely based in reality. All the things you see on the interior are within reach in the next few years.”
A dual-mode technology display provides two visual levels of vehicle information to the driver in the instrument cluster.
The first level of information – configured similarly to a conventional instrument cluster – provides traditional data in the form of analog, 3-dimensional (3D) LED displays, including three gauges for fuel level, speedometer, odometer, battery level and the transmission “PRNDL” indicator. The second level of information – a transparent screen positioned in front of the 3D LED displays – delivers colour, animated data related to the Volt’s advanced propulsion system with a holographic-like appearance.
“The dual-mode instrument cluster was developed to highlight the car’s plug-in capability,” said Bryant. “The powertrain technology is the key feature, so we wanted to make sure the interior communicated that, and the driver would have a sophisticated, fun and useful interaction with the electric-drive system.”
The cluster uses Super Imaging, creating invisible, fluorescent inks that are printed on the transparent screen. When illuminated by an ultraviolet (UV) laser projector located behind the instrument cluster (from the driver’s perspective), the inks become excited, and provide 4-colour illumination and animation.
Compression-moulded foam with a textile-patterned surface layer is applied on the entire lower instrument panel, lower door trim panels and rear quarter trim areas. The material enables soft, tactile, low-gloss surfaces throughout the interior cabin that appear hand-crafted and specifically tailored to the car. It is also inexpensive, wears well and enables flexibility in design.
Moulded GE plastic panels are used on the upper instrument panel, seat backs, center console sides and door inserts. Light, strong, affordable and recyclable, the panels are clothed in scrap leather to achieve a soft, hand-crafted surface.
The Volt's transparent upper roof allows lots of natural light in during the day, while Gelcore LED indirect lighting around the roof perimeter shines down during evening hours when needed. LED functional storage lighting passes through transparent zippers to provide more ambient light and allow occupants to easily find the storage unit. Hot spots on the interior surface of the glass roof provide touch access to lights and OnStar buttons.
While at floor level, the 400-lb battery pack runs longitudinally down the centre of the car, where the traditional driveshaft would be, separating the four individual seats and creating the Chevrolet signature dual cockpit.
“People buy environmentally friendly cars because they feel it’s the right thing to do, not necessarily because of their looks or to make a fashion statement. But the Volt is different, ” concludes Boniface. “It’s something one would buy because it is so compelling to look at, and the fact that it has the potential to never burn any gasoline – that’s just a bonus.”
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