Chevrolet Volt Is Edison Award Gold Medalist

5/17/2011

The groundbreaking 2011 Chevrolet Volt won a major new honor recently when the world’s first extended-range electric vehicle was recognized with a Gold Medal from the 2011 Edison Awards. Inspired by the persistence and excellence of American inventor Thomas Alva Edison—who earned more than 1,000 U.S. patents—the awards are given annually to recognize the top achievements in innovation from around the country.

The Volt more than lives up to that ideal, thanks to industry advances in key areas like aerodynamics and powertrain development. Hours of painstaking work in GM wind tunnels make the Volt the most aerodynamic vehicle ever sold by Chevrolet, while the car’s incredible propulsion system is allowing drivers to go more than 1,000 miles between fill ups. That’s because the Volt can deliver up to 50 miles of all-electric, no-emissions driving on a routine overnight charge.

And there’s no need to worry about “range anxiety” with the Volt, either. If its battery pack runs low, the car’s high-efficiency I4 engine can take over to deliver hundreds of more miles of driving capability at an EPA-rated 35 mpg city/40 mpg highway/37 mpg combined.

Backed by this kind of practical technology, the Volt’s long list of honors also includes:

Motor Trend Car of the Year
Automobile Magazine Car of the Year
Green Car of the Year
Popular Science Best of What’s New
Ward’s 10-Best Engine designation

“Being selected as an Edison Award winner validates our drive to develop an all-new transportation solution,” said Tony Posawatz, vehicle line director for the Chevrolet Volt. “Innovation has been at the heart of the Volt from its onset; from the development of the Li-ion battery to the drive unit and the driver connectivity.”

Via: Chevrolet in the news