No longer be-Holden to the petrol bowser

Greg Thom and Paul Pottinger
The Daily Telegraph
May 17, 2012

PETROL pump pain could soon be a thing of the past, with motorists simply plugging their car into a power socket.

Holden yesterday unveiled the petrol pump of the future in the form of its first electric car charging station.

The charger outside its Port Melbourne head office is the first of many that will allow owners of its Volt electric car to charge their vehicles and hit the road.

The car maker claims the Volt is the most technologically advanced vehicle of its type in the world.

It is certainly not the cheapest, though, with sluggish US sales this year partly blamed on the vehicle’s high sales price, estimated to be up to $65,000 when it arrives in Australia this year.

While each car takes about four hours to charge, it will run for up to 80km before needing an electric top-up.

More importantly, a 1.4-litre petrol engine will kick in as a back-up generator to recharge the battery when things go flat.

This extends the car’s coverage to up to 600km and ensures drivers won’t be caught short between charging points.

Holden said the Volt would run on 100 per cent green power from a charging station or owners could recharge at home from a standard power outlet for just $2.50.

Holden’s engineering director Greg Tyus said the Volt was possibly the world’s most technologically advanced vehicle.

“This will change the way Australians think about sustainable transport,” he said.

ChargePoint CEO James Brown said the launch of the Volt would spur a network of supporting infrastructure such as charging stations across the country.

“The advent of electric vehicles will see a paradigm shift in the way people drive and plan their journeys,” Mr Brown said.
Owners will even be able to use their iPhone to securely log in and charge their car, along with checking how much juice they have left in the tank.

“Refuelling your car will become synonymous with parking your car. That trip to the petrol station will no longer be needed.”
Car sharing service GoGet recently offered its 15,000 members access to Mitsubishi i-MiEV battery-electric cars at public charging stations, including six-star energy-rated residential and retail development The Nicholson in East Coburg.

Meanwhile, Holden will today announce an export program for its Commodore, which will make the Adelaide-made car a race and showroom star in the United States. Though sales of the Elizabeth-produced sedan continue to slide in Australia, a Commodore V8 will be exported to America where it will be sold with the Chevrolet SS Performance badge.