Not content with its headline-dominating Chevrolet Volt being ready to debut later this year, General Motors has now announced a demonstration project to explore market needs and customer acceptance of electric vehicles in Korea which will involve a fleet of Chevrolet Cruze electric cars.
The Cruze electric vehicle comes with a 31kWh battery with a maximum power of 150kW. It can race from 0-100km/h in 8.2 seconds and has a maximum speed of 102.5mph with the ability to be fully recharged in eight- to 10 hours.
The Chevrolet Cruze electric vehicle.
The demonstration fleet will be closely monitored to determine the amount of real world range achievable for a vehicle of its size. They will go into operation in South Korea’s capital, Seoul.
General Motors is hoping that the project will benefit its core vehicle electrification competencies including batteries, electric motors, power controls and charging. It will also provide real-world data on customer acceptance and study driving patterns and behaviours while sharing costs and resources. It is seen as a key initiative in GM’s global battery and electric vehicle development strategy.
The demonstration project will be launched by the end of October with the vehicles using batteries powered from LG Chem and propulsion systems from LG Electronics. The battery is mounted on the under body meaning the Cruze EV has the same truck space as a regular Chevrolet Cruze.
