Chicago Auto Show 2011
by Sommer Thornton, photo by Dan Locke
Chevy Leads the Eco-Friendly Revolution with the Volt
Chevrolet had an ambitious presentation of their new electric car, the Volt. Chevy displayed a full driving track with beautiful females eager to drive you around and provide a plethora of pros about the emission free car, and a full size model of the Volt's chassis. The Chevy Volt is the first electric car to the win the North American Car of the Year Award, given to the most innovative game changing vehicle on the market. The Volt can travel up to 35 miles on a single charge. Once the battery runs down, the gasoline-powered generator is seamlessly switched on and the Volt can travel an additional 375 miles. The 5-door sedan comes standard with navigation, informative dashboard, touch-screen technology, and automatic climate control. It seats 4 comfortably and the rear seats let down for a spacious hatch.
But immediately after riding in the Volt and listening to the selling points, I had a couple concerns. As a Chicagoan, the main issue I had with the Chevy Volt was that it is not suitable for an urban environment or as a primary car. The Volt works as a suburban 2nd vehicle. But it would be troublesome to a frugal city-dweller. The Volt cost $40,000 without the government rebate of $7,500. The standard battery can be charged in a home outlet. But a full charge requires the car to be plugged in for 9 hours. For an additional $490 you can get a 240V home charging unit. This will cut the charge time to 4 hours. But the installation of this unit cost close to $1,500. Imagine A: leaving your car and charging unit on a Chicago city street for 4 hours, or B: having a power cord stretched out of your 5th floor apartment window for 9 hours in the dead of winter, and C: the affect all of this would have on an energy bill.
Furthermore, if a person is traveling out of town, it will be virtually impossible to find a Costco store to plug in-which means they will have to rely on gasoline to finish the trip. Chevy assures that construction of more charging stations is in the works. In the mean time though, the Volt only takes premium gasoline. The Chevy Volt is definitely a step in the right direction--away from petroleum dependency. However like any innovation there will undoubtedly be tweaks and revisions.
- Read the full story at UnRatedMagazine.com
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