2013 Holden Volt

Holden Volt Offers True Five Star Package

The Holden Volt long range electric car will offer drivers a true five star package when it goes on sale 1 November.

The game-changing Holden will feature the peace of mind of a five-star ANCAP safety rating, five-star Green Vehicle Guide rating and a five-star driving and ownership experience, underpinned by a network of 49 specialist Volt dealers.

Launching in Sydney today, Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mike Devereux said Volt was an unbeatable package that had been winning awards and fans around the globe.

'Volt is a new kind of flagship for Holden and it is already a proven world beater, having taken out both the North American Car of the Year and European Car of the Year awards,' Devereux §äid.

'These are not awards that were won lightly. They were won because Volt offers a no compromise electric car ownership experience. No compromise on design, no compromise on range, and definitely no compromise on performance.'

The Holden Volt is the first electric car of its type to go on sale in Australia. Offering extended range capability due to its on-board petrol generator, Volt runs on electricity 100 per cent of the time. The first 87 kilometres, depending on driving style and condition, can be driven on a charge from a regular household wall outlet but when that charge is depleted, the generator switches on to maintain a charge in the battery that gives the car more than 600 kilometres of total range.

With over 80 per cent of Australians living in major capital cities commuting less than 80 kilometres in a single day, Volt drivers could achieve their weekly commute on electric charges only, yet still head interstate on the weekend, avoiding the range anxiety caused by traditional electric cars.

Mike Devereux said this kind of flexibility was the perfect option for Australian drivers.

'Australians are spontaneous, often making plans at the last minute. With Volt they can hop in the car and head interstate if they want. You can't do that in a pure-EV due to range restrictions,' Devereux §äid.

'What's more, this is a premium vehicle with great driving dynamics, a first class cabin and top of the range driver comforts. It is a compelling offer for drivers who are keen to get behind the wheel of the first in a new generation of electric vehicles.

'Volt is set to change the way people think about Holden. Despite manufacturing a small car locally we know that Holden is inaccurately perceived by some car buyers so we want to make sure they know we are an innovative company that gets it.

'Volt is another important proof point that signals Holden is changing, as it brings some of the greatest automotive technology available in the world to Australian roads.'

In the ÚSA, where Volt is sold as a Chevrolet, it has attracted new buyers to the brand for the first time with nearly seven in 10 Volt buyers completely new to the brand.

'We expect a similar experience here in Australia and look forward to seeing new customers visiting Holden dealerships for the first time, thanks to Volt,' Devereux §äid.

Volt Features
Volt's cockpit design creates a unique driving experience. The touch sensitive centre stack houses a seven-inch LCD colour touch screen which relays real-time information on energy use and power flow to the driver. It offers the driver efficiency feedback based on driving style and climate settings and will even give tips on how to reduce energy usage.

In addition Volt introduces new safety technology to the Holden portfolio. It will be the first Holden vehicle to include eight airbags, a forward collision alert and lane departure warning.

Interior highlights also include:

• Heated front leather seats

• Electronic climate control

• Keyless entry and push button start

• Infotainment system including Bluetooth, Satellite Navigation, DVD player, voice recognition, iPod connectivity and a 30GB hard drive

Range and Fuel Consumption


Volt was tested using the same regulations and drive cycle as any other vehicle but with test conditions determined by a separate annex designed for electric vehicles.

Únder this test, Volt is rated at 135Wh/km for energy consumption with an electric only range of 87 kilometres. Based on the combined cycle test (ADR81/02 – urban and extra-urban), Volt's fuel consumption has been rated at 1.2 litres per 100 kilometres with 27 grams per kilometre CO2 emissions, giving it a five-star Green Vehicle Guide Rating.

Five-star Sales and Service Experience


Volt will be sold and serviced through a network of 49 Holden dealers who have committed to investing in new tooling and training to ensure the highest standards of service for Volt customers.

Located around Australia in every state except the Northern Territory, and not just in metro areas but regional and rural areas, the breadth of the Volt dealer network ensures no one misses out on the opportunity to own Australia's first long range electric car.

Volt owners will benefit from Holden's Capped Price Servicing with a maximum price of $185 for the first four standard scheduled log book services for the first three years or 60,000 kilometres, whichever comes first.

Additionally, owners are offered further peace of mind with an eight year warranty on the battery and Voltec components and standard new vehicle warranty. The battery warranty includes all 161 components of the Volt's battery, its charging, thermal-management system and components of its electric drive system, and is transferable to other vehicle owners.

Source - Holden

Holden Volt- Car of the Future, Here Today

Holden has offered an insight into the future of in-car technology with a workshop to support the introduction of the Holden Volt long range electric car.

Showcasing parent company GM's global developments in car safety and infotainment, the workshop was hosted by Holden Chairman and Managing Director, Mike Devereux who said the long range Holden Volt gave drivers a chance to own the car of the future today.

'Volt is a very exciting car as it offers owners a unique driving experience. From its award-winning advanced technology propulsion to its cutting edge infotainment system and all-new active safety features, Volt is a showcase of what is to come from cars in the future. But it will be available for Australian drivers to own before the end of the year,' said Mr Devereux.

New advanced active safety features, including Lane Departure Warning and Forward Collision Alert, will be offered for the first time in a Holden, making Volt one of the safest vehicles on the road.

Volt's Lane Departure Warning helps to modify collision risks that may arise when drivers stray over lane markings unintentionally, or depart a lane without signalling first. The system uses a windscreen-mounted digital camera that looks for lane markings to provide lane departure alerts over a certain speed.

The Forward Collision Alert system uses the same windscreen-mounted camera for lane departure warnings to detect slow or stationary traffic in front of the vehicle. The system looks for vehicles ahead and warns drivers if they are following another vehicle too closely.

Safety Developments
GM's Executive Director for Electrical Systems, Kristen Siemen, shared details on new safety technology as well as GM's work on early autonomous vehicles.

'There are many important technologies under development on the way to our vision to build vehicles that don't crash and ultimately vehicles that can drive themselves. The building blocks toward that vision are systems like Electronic Stability Control (ESC), which is now standard on Holden cars.

'The next stage embraces the concept of sensor fusion, an innovation that enables integration of a broad range of sensing and positioning technologies including radars, cameras and ultrasonic sensors that can alert drivers to road hazards and help them to avoid crashes.

'These are technologies that already feature on luxury cars and will be seen on the next generation of new cars across all segments within the next decade.'

GM is participating in a 2800 vehicle pilot program in the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Úsing hardware piloted initially in a South Australian trial by ÚniSA and Cohda Wireless, more than 2800 cars, trucks and public transport vehicles have been fitted with integrated safety systems, vehicle awareness devices, aftermarket and retrofit safety devices. This will enable the vehicles to both communicate with each other and 73 lane-miles of roadway which has been fitted with transponder equipment.

'This is an important pilot to assess how technology such as GPS and digital maps can integrate with cars, infrastructure and of course, the drivers themselves to deliver safer outcomes for drivers, passengers and pedestrians,' said Ms Siemen.

Infotainment Trends


Additionally Volt offers many of the features expected by today's connected consumer including voice recognition and Bluetooth®, DVD playback (while stationary), MP3 plug and play functionality, ÚSB input with iPod® compatibility, 30GB inbuilt hard drive and Premium low energy Bose® audio system.

GM Senior Manager for Infotainment Program Management, Kathleen McMahon said that these were features increasing number of consumers were expecting to see in vehicles.

'We've seen a rapid change in the way drivers expect to be able to interact with the vehicles and it has been driven to a large extent by the explosion in usage of smartphones and the accessibility of 3G and now 4G mobile networks,' said Mrs McMahon.

'For vehicle manufacturers, the challenge is to keep pace with consumer expectations and we've got some great plans in place to deliver on those expectations with future generations of cars. To start, we know that consumers are hyper connected, often on multiple devices or a single device that supports their online life.

'They want their car to fit with their device so how do we make that happen?'

One of the new technologies beginning to be rolled out across some Chevrolet models in the Únited States is GM's proprietary MyLink system. An advanced interactive media system featuring a 7-inch colour touch screen with intuitive user interface and steering wheel mounted controls, MyLink has been developed to integrate with smartphones and offers a ÚSB port for any mass storage multimedia device.

'This is a system which will put the driver's infotainment needs at the heart of the car and it's a world away from the first AM radios that started appearing in vehicles in the 1920s and 30s,' said Ms McMahon.

'Importantly development of systems like MyLink has now been brought in-house so we can move more quickly at getting the technology to market.'

About Volt: The Holden Volt goes on sale in Australia in November and is now available to order from a network of specialist Holden Volt dealers. A game-changing electric vehicle (EV) with extended-range capability it can recharge in less than six hours via a regular household outlet (10A charge), costing as little as $2.50 for a full charge. It has an electric range of up to 87km and with its petrol generator, has a combined range of more than 600km. To view video of how Volt works visit: http://holdenhq.com.au/holden-volt-how-it-works/

Source - Holden