Michigan wllz

2011 Chevrolet Volt

FLINT — Cynics all over the Web wonder if the Chevy Volt will be able to deliver on the incredible promises General Motors has made about the technology.

But company officials believe they are creating the technology that will power the vehicles of the future.

The media was invited to attend a celebration at Flint Engine South where the Volt’s 1.4-liter four cylinder engine will be built alongside a turbocharged variant of that engine that will power the upcoming Chevrolet Cruze.

“This is going to change the country,” said Duane Zuckschwerdt, regional director for Region IC of the United Autoworkers. “This is the future.”

If the Volt can deliver on GM’s promises, Zuckschwerdt might just be right.

The Volt is an entirely new kind of car, called an extended-range electric vehicle or E-REV. It will have a 16 kilowatt battery capable of powering the car for up to 40 miles, allowing most owners to drive their daily commute on battery power alone. Plug it into the wall socket at home and drive to work and back. Repeat.

But battery-powered cars are not new. Where the Volt breaks new ground is it will also have a gasoline engine to generate electricity once the drive battery is exhausted.

Consider a possible scenario. You live in Troy and all week you make your normal commute to and from work in Pontiac, running a few errands along the way. Your commute is 15 miles each way, so you’re driving on battery power alone. The gasoline engine never even starts.

But on the weekend, you decide to head up north to Traverse City. In an electric car, you’d better plan on stopping every 100 miles or so — for eight hours each time — to recharge the battery. Or you could bring a really long extension cord. But in a Volt, you’d be able to make that trip as in any other regular gasoline- or diesel-powered car. The first 40 miles of the trip would be on battery, then the gasoline engine would kick in, giving the car a range of 300 miles. Stop at a gas station, fill up and you’re good for another 300 miles, just like in a regular car.

The key to the system that GM calls Voltec will be expanding its availability to other types of cars. GM has already shown a Cadillac with Voltec at the 2009 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Expect more E-REV news from GM at the 2010 show. Such announcements could include new battery technology allowing for even greater electric-only range or scaled-up versions of the technology allowing for use in bigger vehicles.

As the battery industry ramps up for large-scale production, expect vehicles such as the Volt to become more common. Within 10-15 years, it’s possible that several types of vehicles, from crossovers to pickup trucks, sedans to sports cars, could offer E-REV as an option.

Zuckschwerdt said that the most important message is that the Volt is being created right here in Michigan.  And Flint, where GM was founded 101 years ago, will be at the forefront.

“My message today is be proud of this community,” Zuckschwerdt said.

Flint Mayor Dane Walling is heeding that advice.

“This is a great day,” Walling said. “I know that Billy Durant and Louis Chevrolet are up there celebrating.”