The next generation of Opel Astra could feature a revolutionary plug-in hybrid system that would reduce its carbon emissions to virtually zero for most driving situations.
GM is showing off a revised version of its Chevrolet Volt concept car at the Shanghai Motor Show this week. The first version, shown in Detroit in January, used a combination of hybrid electric motors and batteries with a small-capacity bio-fuel petrol engine and a plug-in recharging system that could run the car for 100km on just the batteries; enough for a normal commute to and from work.
This latest version does away with the engine and instead uses a compact stack of fuel cells to keep the batteries charged when driving further than the plug-in charge will take you, but it's the first generation system that is more likely to see service in the new Astra.
The Volt, despite being a concept car, is actually built on a conventional Astra chassis, and GM is keen to get the Volt's technology into production to start lowering its corporate fuel economy and emissions standards at a time when the American government is considering introducing strict new legislation in this area.
If the Volt goes ahead then it's a dead cert that the new Astra, due in 2010, will get the same system, probably a hybrid plug-in with a tiny 1.0-litre, three-cylinder engine to keep it charged up on longer journeys. The future of motoring is closer that you'd think...
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