BEIJING AUTO SHOW: GM UNVEILS CHEVROLET VOLT MPV5 CONCEPT

From the earliest days of development of Voltec plug-in hybrid system GM has been fortifying  the upcoming 2011 Chevrolet Volt, GM has been keen on infusion of fuel saving drive train in other vehicles including sedans and MPVs. One of the first segment that GM hinted of inducting Voltec plug-in hybrid system was MPV, and in 2008 GM unveiled the Orlando concept which shares the same platform as the Volt.

Now in 2010, GM  has debuted a concept crossover version of its Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle with the voltec plug in Hybrid system. The concept car is 18 centimeters longer, 7 centimeters wider and 18 centimeters taller than the production version, which is due for release in 2011. The five-passenger MPV features up to 1,764.1 liters of cargo space with the seats folded and 863.7 liters of space behind the second row.

The concept has been designed at GM Design studio in Australia as well as Detriot, GM says it can manage 51.5 km on pure electric propulsion. When the battery is drained, a 1.4-liter engine generator takes the charge to sustain the battery and provide up to 482 km of electric propulsion.

"The Volt MPV5 concept demonstrates the flexibility of the Voltec propulsion system, which can produce enough electric power to propel a range of vehicles, from a compact sedan like the Volt to a crossover like the Volt MPV5 concept," said Doug Parks, GM's Global Vehicle Chief Engineer for Electric Vehicles.

It is certain that by 2020  the scenario of propulsion technology will be completely different from what we see now, But for coming years before that the idea of a generator coupled to motor seems great for our mother nature. Ford, Nissan and many other global players are consistently bringing new technologies every day, and this was GM`s concept which will make its road debut next year. Thanks to these new technologies, we will see a better future tomorrow.