GM Voltec powertrain

Voltec is a General Motors plug-in hybrid powertrain, first known as E-Flex, that went into production in November 2010. It is built around a battery-dominant electric drive, so the car is driven by electric motors, with a petrol engine running as an on-board generator or an assist once the battery is depleted, which GM described as an extended-range electric vehicle rather than a conventional hybrid. The first generation paired a 111 kW traction motor with a 16 kWh lithium-ion battery in a transaxle with two motor-generators and a planetary gearset. The second generation, introduced for the 2016 Volt, used a 1.5 litre four-cylinder engine generator, a larger battery and a two-planetary transaxle that leans closer to a parallel hybrid. It powered the Chevrolet Volt and its Opel Ampera and Holden Volt twins, the Cadillac ELR, the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid and the Cadillac CT6 plug-in hybrid.