Cadillac ELR Electric Car Could Be Rear Drive
An article in Automotive News suggests that the Cadillac ELR, which will share major driveline components with the Chevrolet Volt, will actually be rear-wheel drive.
The report states that the ELR has been dubbed a 2+2, meaning two small seats in the rear, similar to a Porsche 911. The Volt uses a t-shaped battery pack that is adapted for a front-drive layout, but a 2+2 configuration would allow for the battery pack to be mounted in such a way as to clear a driveshaft sending power to the rear wheels.
Rick Kranz, the author of the piece, suggests that rear seat room would be compromised, but the 2+2 layout of the coupe – plus the use of the rear-drive platform shared with the Cadillac ATS – would allow for Cadillac to justify a price premium over the Chevrolet Volt, something that new sheetmetal and an advanced infotainment system would not be able to achieve. If this report turns out to be accurate, then the ELR could be a game changer, as the first front-engine rear-drive electric car on the market.
[Source: Automotive News]
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Why would they have to run a driveshaft? The beauty of an electric drivetrain is that to change from front to rear wheel drive, all you have to do is move the electric motor. The only reason a driveshaft would be needed is if the gas engine mechanically connected to the wheels, which if it does (meaning that the Volt does too), GM can't call it an "Extended Range Electric Car", it would be a "plug-in hybrid". Honestly, I'd rather have a pure EV.