Chevy reduces charging time on 2019 Volt

DETROIT -- General Motors has cut the time needed to recharge the 2019 Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid nearly in half by doubling the kilowatt capacity of the car's charging system.

The new 7.2 kilowatt charging system reduces the charging time from roughly 4.5 hours to 2.3 hours with a 240-volt outlet, GM said Thursday out of Detroit. A GM Canada spokeswoman confirmed to Automotive News Canada on Friday that the changes apply to vehicles sold in Canada, too. She said GM Canada plans to make a similar public announcement July 3.

The enhanced charging system is standard on the Volt Premier trim and available on LT trim for the 2019 model year. The LT will continue to come standard with a 3.6 kW charging system that takes roughly 4.5 hours to charge.

GM did not indicate if the new system will speed up the roughly 13-hour charging time of a 120-volt portable charge cord that comes standard with the car.

A Chevrolet spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Pricing for the 2019 Volt -- which is expected to go on sale in the fall -- was not disclosed.

The range of the 2019 Volt remains at 675 kilometres (420 miles), including up to 85 kilometres (53 miles) of pure EV range that equals 106 MPGe, or gasoline equivalent. Once the car's battery runs low, a gas-powered generator kicks in to extend the power of the 1.5-litre direct injected engine.

The new charging system is part of a freshening of the plug-in vehicle that also includes updated safety and convenience features. They include:

• New "Low and Regen on Demand" settings that enable increased regenerative capability when drivers let off the accelerator pedal.
• An optional automatic engine-assisted heating system to be deferred until much lower temperatures -- minus 13 degrees F / minus 25 degrees C -- for more all-electric operation.
• The car's first power driver's seat, which comes standard on Premier and available on LT models.
• New rearview camera system.
• Updated pedestrian alert system that now uses front and rear speakers to provide audible alerts.
• Upgraded infotainment system with an eight-inch-diagonal color touchscreen.