The vehicle will retail for about $41,000, but with a $7,500 tax credit, its price will be $33,500, close to the price of its hybrid car competitors. A national rollout of the Volt will begin 18 months from now.
The vehicle can travel about 35 miles on battery power, and then a gasoline-fueled generator kicks in, giving it a total range of less than 400 miles. Executives at GM say the car will get the equivalent of 93 miles per gallon.
I've driven the 2011 Chevy Volt and found it to be an exceptional car. Its acceleration was surprisingly powerful, with a tremendous kick of torque, a characteristic of electric motors. I especially like its huge video screens with their gorgeous graphics, excellent Android OS integration, and helpful OnStar navigation, with a real person assisting via a cellular wireless connection.