Chevrolet has announced a new Voltec extended range electric vehicle (EREV) propulsion system to be used in its next generation Chevrolet Volt.
The system includes improved drive unit, range-extending engine, battery and power electronics, expected to make the vehicle more fuel economic and offer greater EV range than the present Volt.
General Motors has revised cell chemistry of the battery of the Volt, to increases storage capacity by 20%.
However, the number of cells has been reduced to 192 from 288 present in the current generation of Volt.
To increase the Volt's efficiency and performance, the company reengineered its drive unit which is designed to offer 5% to 12% more efficiently and weighs 100 pounds less than the system presently used in vehicles.
Improvements have been made to the 1.5L 4-cylinder engine which features direct injection fuel system, cooled exhaust gas recirculation.
Chevrolet Global head Alan Batey said: "Our Volt owners truly love the EV driving experience, with more than 80 percent of all trips being completed without using any gasoline.
"By putting our Volt owners at the center of what we do and leveraging our electrification engineering leadership, we've been able to raise the bar and will exceed their expectations with the new Volt."