GM promises major improvements for the 2016 Chevrolet Volt

The 2016 Chevrolet Volt, which is scheduled to go on sale in the second half of 2015, will come equipped with a much more efficient drivetrain that will enable to electric vehicle to drive longer distances using battery power, accelerate quicker, and run much quieter when using gasoline, General Motors CEO Mary Barra announced on Tuesday, as reported by Green Car Reports.

“When it launches in the second half of 2015, it will represent a significant leap forward in technology, design and overall refinement,” Barra said during the announcement of the new Volt at the Detroit Economic Club, according to CNBC. “It will store more energy in its battery pack with fewer cells, yet go further on a charge.”

While the number of raw battery cells has been reduced, the storage capacity on a volume basis has been increased by 20%. The American automaker suggests that this revised system will provide the electric vehicle with even more range. It will also utilize a larger 1.5-liter gasoline engine, which will automatically operate in certain scenarios in order to improve acceleration.

“It would have been simple for us to tweak our existing battery to provide nominally increased range, but that’s not what our customers want,” said Larry Nitz, director of GM Powertrain’s electrification engineering team, according to Left Lane News. “So our team created a new battery system that will exceed the performance expectations of most of our owners.”