Hot News Journal

posted by hot news on Mar 22

This morning at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, we unveiled the Cadillac Suspension Converj concept car, a luxury touring coupe ? powered by a further development of the Chevrolet Volt’s electric propulsion technology, which we’re now calling Voltec.

The Voltec system currently consists of a 16 kw lithium-ion battery, electric drive unit and a range-extending four-cylinder engine-generator. In the future, the battery could be larger or smaller, and the engine could be larger or smaller as well. That won’t change the concept or the technology of the Voltec system.

The important point to remember when talking about vehicles like Volt and Converj is that electricity serves as the primary power source at all times and all speeds. So when fully charged, the Cadillac Converj air suspension can drive up to 40 miles without using a single drop of fuel or producing any tailpipe emissions.

And if you need more than 40 miles, it can go several hundred additional miles once the small, on-board engine spins to create more electricity. And, since about three out of four Americans have a daily commute of 40 miles or less, if this is primarily a car for getting to-and-from work, you may never buy a drop of gas during the entire life of the car!

As someone who has spent considerable time test-driving this technology recently, I can say that the engagement of the four-cylinder engine is seamless and largely unnoticeable.

Another benefit of Voltec technology is the elimination of “range anxiety” – that troublesome fear that happens when the electric vehicle you’re driving is about to run out of juice and there’s nowhere nearby to recharge the battery.

I’ve had personal experience with this, so I know it’s no laughing matter. I have an electric scooter that ran out of juice and stranded me several miles from my house. Because you can’t exactly have someone bring you a can of electricity, I had to call a friend with a truck to come and pick me and the scooter up — an act that largely defeats the purpose of electrically powered transportation!