Ask Patty what’s cool and high tech? Chevrolet Volt

Quick note that Ask Patty included the Chevrolet Volt in their blog

More Choices than Ever Before – The Alternative Cars of the Future

The New Volt Takes You Farther
General Motors celebrated its 100th birthday this month with a new Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV), the Chevrolet Volt also displayed at the Santa Monica AltCar Expo. Aerodynamics was one of the key motivations for the design of the Volt, especially since it plays a big role in driving range.

The 16-kWh lithium-ion battery provides electricity for trips up to 40 miles. The battery works with a gasoline/E85-powered engine generator that sustains charge. When the battery is depleted, it can extend the car’s range for hundreds of miles so consumers do not have to worry about running out of electricity. Because of its charging technology, the Volt can be charged in less than three hours on a 240v outlet. Moreover, GM estimates that the unique system only costs two cents per mile while under gasoline- and emissions-free battery power. The Volt is scheduled for production at the end of 2010.

All good, all correct, and exactly the type of facts that GM and Chevrolet need for real people to know. The Volt is a revolutionary automobile.

Compare:  I paid $3.45/gallon of regular unleaded today.  If I got 20 mpg city that would be $0.1725 per mile.  The Volt will cost around $0.02 per mile for the first 40 miles of electric charge (all the range most people use in a day).  At today’s gas prices that will cost the same ($3.45/.02) as if the Volt got 172 mpg!

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