Chevrolet Volt

Angular Front Exterior View - 2012 Chevrolet Volt 5dr HB

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Shopping for a 2012 Chevrolet Volt? MSRP: $39,145

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The five-door compact hatchback Chevrolet Volt is GM’s first electric car. It provides 25 to 40 miles of battery range, plus a further 300 or more miles from a gasoline engine-generator that sends power directly to the car’s motor. For 2012, the Volt is priced at $39,995 including delivery; most buyers will be eligible for a $7,500 Federal tax credit.

The Chevy Volt represents a major advance over gasoline-electric hybrids like the Toyota Prius, and it has only a few major competitors. Most obvious is the Nissan Leaf, the all-electric hatchback with a range of 70 to 100 miles, and the low-volume 2012 Ford Focus Electric that will go on sale early in 2012. There is also the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid, which will be available in Spring 2012.

The Volt was unveiled—to wide public acclaim—as a concept car at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, and the first examples were sold in December 2010. Around 10,000 weree built during 2011, and Chevrolet says it will build only 45,000 during 2012. It uses some of the same mechanical elements as the high-volume Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan, but only the Volt has a lithium-ion battery pack located in the tunnel between the front seats and extending under the rear seat. It drives entirely like a “normal car,” although without any transmission shifting noises, and like most electric cars, its acceleration from a stop is brisk and continuous.

As a new and low-production model, the Volt comes only in a single body style, and only a few options are available. No sunroof is available, and only a handful of colors-along wiht silver or polished wheels--distinguish the exterior of the Volt. Inside, a navigation system and a low-energy Bose stereo can be ordered, along with various two-tone interior graphics and leather upholstery. Heated seats will also be offered, which make passengers feel warm while using less battery energy than a cabin heater. The car comes with the necessary charging cord to plug it into a standard 120-Volt wall outlet, and recharging the pack takes 7 to 10 hours if it's entirely depleted.

The EPA rates the Chevrolet Volt at 94 MPGe when running on stored battery energy; a MPGe, or "Miles Per Gallon Equivalent" is the measure of energy efficiency that represents how far the car will travel electrically on the same amount of stored battery energy as is contained in a single gallon of gasoline. When the range-extenders gasoline engine is switched to generate electricity that powers the car, the EPA rates the Volt at 37 mpg. But the gas mileage obtained by any individual owner depends entirely on how often the car is plugged in to recharge, meaning what percentage of its total miles are powered by grid electricity versus gasoline.

Some owners report effective gas mileage of 200 mpg or more, because they virtually never use the gasoline engine--meaning their lifetime fuel efficiency can approach infinity. Others might drive more than 40 miles every day, using the gasoline engine once they have depleted the battery. So it’s worth taking any “mileage” figures for the Volt with a large grain of salt. As they say, “your mileage may vary” depending on how you use a car like the Volt.

It’s also important to note that the Volt is often called a plug-in hybrid, because it has two energy sources. But unlike plug-in versions of conventional hybrids, the Volt is powered solely by electricity. Even if the “range extender” gasoline engine switches on, it doesn’t turn the wheels mechanically. Instead, it turns a generator that provides power to the electric motor driving the front wheels.