Cadillac unveiled the Converj concept car in January 2009 at the Detroit Auto Show. This car received rave reviews, and during 2009, GM approved it for production. After that, product chief Bob Lutz said in January 2010 that it had been cleared by management. Now, two years after the plan was canned, according to inside information dug up by GreenCarReports, the electric Cadillac Converj luxury coupe is back in the plan and it’ll be on the road by 2013 as a 2014 year-model.
According to the same report, the production version will feature “a Generation 1.5 Voltec” powertrain, so it will keep its plug-in hybrid drivetrain. If it’s so, that would be an updated version of the extended-range electric powertrain from the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.
As a reminder, the Converj concept was powered by a Voltec electric propulsion system, which is made up of a 16-kWh, T-shaped battery, an electric drive unit, and a four-cylinder engine-generator. This concept, at that time was truly futuristic, considering that it used electricity as its primary source to drive the car. For this, a thermally managed battery pack, which contains more than 220 lithium-ion cells was integrated into the Converj’s chassis and stores electricity from the grid when the vehicle is plugged in. This provided the primary power to drive the Converj electrically up to 40 miles without using fuel or producing tailpipe emissions.
Finally we still have two more years before the production Converj hits the roads, but there’s every reason to look forward to its arrival, considering that this will be an one of a kind car.
Source: GreenCarReports
