Kris – Chevrolet Volt
I love my Chevy Volt and am so sorry that GM has decided not to continue to produce them after this year. I believe they did not adequately advertise the car or the benefits of driving it. The fact that it runs on both electricity and gasoline and has the highest electric mile range of the plug-in hybrids make it particularly attractive, at least until the range of an electric vehicle increases.
As I entered this new world, I want the technology and capacity to continue to expand and so for my first entry into the world of electric vehicles, I wanted to move slowly. Most of my driving is done within the Volt’s range of about 50 miles. I drive around town, then charge the car, so much of the time I have a full 50-mile range.
When I’m on the highway, I particularly love the fact that I can drive in the HOV lane. Our roads are becoming increasingly crowded and when I have a meeting outside of San Francisco, which is often, I have to allocate an additional 1-2 hours to arrive and then to return home, even though the location may be under 40 miles away. Having access to the HOV lanes cuts some of that additional time away.
And having the gas motor that just automatically switches on once the miles powered by electricity have been use, gives me great comfort. My next car will be fully electric, and I hope with significant range to allow me to travel outside of the city and return with miles to spare.
The clean vehicle rebate was definitely part of the consideration for moving in this direction, also the savings on gasoline costs (I put in about 4 gallons of gas every 6-8 weeks depending on how many trips out of the city). I have solar panels on my roof, so it costs me nothing to charge the car. This is the future.