Monday, December 28, 2009

Chevy Cruze at Jay Leno’s garage

  • Early version of the 2011 GM Chevy Cruze. Does 40mpg, possibly more as it’s a pure electric hybrid utilising a 1.4ltr petrol decoupled engine driving a generator. 40 miles on the electric motor alone, no step-down functionality (powers up motor for power boost) unlike the Prius, although it does have a sport mode giving you 120W of power. Uses Li-ion (Lithium Ion)) batteries down the central tunnel and under the boot. After battery discharge, engine kicks in to give drive only power with charge being necessary from home; does have regenerative braking with disk based stop-through for faster breaking. Charge time 6-8 hours on 120VAC or 3-4 hours on 240VAC