The time is drawing near when we will find out which U.S. markets will be the first to see Chevy VOLT deliveries. Tomorrow, December 2nd, at the opening of the LA Auto Show, GM has said they will announce the initial retail markets for the Chevy VOLT in November 2010.
For several years, we have been anticipating the arrival of the Chevy VOLT – the first mass-produced Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV for short). Unlike a pure Electric Vehicle which is limited by the range of its batteries, the Chevy VOLT is an Electric Vehicle with a small gasoline engine that acts as an onboard generator that can recharge the batteries when they get low. Thus, you will be able to drive the VOLT for approximately 40 miles on a charge, and if you go further than that, the generator kicks in and begins charging the battery.
Yesterday, Lyle Dennis, founder and editor of the website GM-VOLT.com, got his first drive in a VOLT while in charge sustaining mode. It was an exciting day for Lyle and he shares his experience with us at GM-Volt.com – take the time to read his comments!
Here at KARL Chevrolet, we’ve already begun getting ready for the VOLT’s arrival, and we are sure hoping that the metro NY market, which includes both Fairfield County, CT and Westchester County, NY, will be part of the initial distribution plans for VOLT. With many of our local clients commuting to NYC from metro-north stations in New Canaan, Norwalk, Darien, Stamford and Greenwich, we believe the VOLT offers potentially exceptional savings for our clients. In fact, we have begun working with our local towns to offer charging stations for Electric Vehicles like the VOLT at commuter parking lots and other municipal parking facilities. When successful, we envision making it possible for someone to commute up to 40 miles to a train station, plug in during the day, drive back home another 40 miles at night, then plug in at home overnight. Done daily just five days per week, a commuter could potentially drive a new Chevy VOLT over 20,000 miles per year (40 miles each way per day X 5 days per week X 52 weeks per year = 20,800 miles) without using ONE DROP of gasoline! Imagine!!! Actually, in less than a year, you won’t have to imagine any longer – the Chevy VOLT will be a reality!