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FOCUS Chevy Volt I The Chevy Volt...And Its Role In Policing Te Chevy Volt is built on the same Delta II compact platform as the Chevy Cruze. Te Volt is small but still comfortable for all but the larger ofcers. (Te duty belt may or may not be compatible with the front seat.) In fact, once the novelty of the huge electro-mechanical engineering accomplishment wears of, once the novelty of plug-in electric cords wears of, think of the Volt as a Cruze. Te Volt changes peoples��� minds about electric cars because it is so normal to drive. It ���feels��� like a conventional sedan. Since electric motors operate at maximum torque immediately, the Volt is very responsive, even perky. Electric motors produce their maximum torque instantly. Gas engines have to rev up to produce their maximum torque. Te instant max torque from the electricpowered Volt makes it very responsive to drive. Step on the accelerator pedal, and the Volt GOES. With a zero to 60 mph time of 10 seconds, the Volt is only about a second slower than the Ford CVPI. Te Volt has a top speed of 100 mph. Te two-lane road passing ability is just fne. At 45 mpg, step on the pedal and go. Te Volt easily cruises at 75 mph. Te overall acceleration is very good. Te overall handling is excellent, the Volt is quite sporty. Te brakes are outstanding. Four Driving Modes Te Volt has four driver-selectable driving modes ��� Normal, Mountain, Sport and Hold. Normal is the default mode. With p The Chevy Volt comes from the factory with a very low front air dam. Keeping air from under the car improves fuel economy. However, a higher air dam, one less likely to be damaged on the street, can be dealer installed. (Photo courtesy of Puente Hills Chevrolet, Industry, Calif.) each key start, the Volt is set to Normal mode. In Normal mode, the Volt will start operating on the main lithium-ion battery pack. It will remain powered only by the main battery until it reaches the minimum charge, which is 30 percent State of Charge (SOC). Ten the gas engine will start, which provides electricity to the drive motors. In Mountain mode, the gas engine provides all the electricity to the drive motors. In Mountain mode, the gas engine also provides electricity to recharge the main battery pack. Mountain mode charges the battery up to a half charge, and then maintains that half charge. Tink of Mountain mode as a trickle charge. More on the Mountain mode later. q The NYPD has 22 Volts used in uniformed patrol. The initial battery charge lasts for all the frst watch in NYPD use; the gas engine starts to come on during the second watch. The NYPD is very happy with the Volt! (Photo courtesy NYPD) In Sport mode, the Volt is much more responsive at extremely low speeds, like zero to 30 mph. Above this urban speed, Sport mode doesn���t add any more throttle response than Normal mode. Te slightly faster zero to 60 mph time in Sport mode compared to Normal mode is due only to the Sport mode���s faster zero to 30 mph time. In Sport mode, a diferent calibration is used to modify the pedal map or pedal request to the operating system. It does not change any of the drive unit characteristics, i.e., it does not keep the Volt in the 111 kWh motor-only, locked ring gear condition; it does not mechanically change the two electric motors or three clutch packs to improve responsiveness. It does, however, modify the request to the system, making the request more aggressive. In Hold mode, the main battery is disconnected and the Volt runs on the gas engine. It is like Mountain mode, except the battery is not charged in Hold mode. Te battery remains at whatever State of Charge it was when Hold was activated. For example, in Hold mode the Volt will hold a fully charged level, or a half charged level (whatever) until the driver switches out of Hold mode. More on the Hold mode later. Run Out of Battery���and Gas Once you deplete the battery and begin to run on gas, keep the 9.3-gallon tank in mind. Te Volt may average 35-plus mpg, and that will give you the same range as a 20-gallon 20 Police Fleet Manager Jan-Feb 2013