It's a good thing software code doesn't weigh much. The Chevrolet Volt boasts an all electric range of more than 40 miles, but it takes 10 million lines of code to get it there. The software heavy car features over 100 electronic controllers and also has a unique IP address for each one on the road.

For comparison, the new Boeing 787, which is widely considered to be the most electronic airliner ever, has around 8 million lines of code. And that includes the complex avionics and navigation systems. The new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter? Around 6 million.

With a press release announcing the massive amount of software running the Volt, it's apparent GM is not celebrating a minimalist approach to coding. The company points out that beyond the functionality with the car itself, the software may eventually be able to interact with the electric grid itself. Or perhaps there's a really cool Easter egg some lucky driver will discover with just the right combination of button, pedal and steering wheel movements.

Earlier examples of electric vehicles got by with far fewer lines of software engineering, including the 1898 Lohner-Porsche which featured zero lines of code. Of course the Lohner-Porsche didn't have a complex cooling system to properly take care of its batteries, something GM says will allow the Volt's lithium electron storage cells last for up to 10 years.

We're not software engineers here at Autopia, but with all those lines of software code, anybody looking to tweak a Volt may have quite a puzzle on their hands. Sure the days of a new intake manifold and a four barrel carb are long gone, but now it looks like the modern version of 'chipping' a car is far from adequate for the new cars on the block. Then again, we doubt hot rodders are looking at the Volt anyhow.

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Photo: General Motors*