2011 CHEVROLET VOLT

VEHICLE HIGHLIGHTS

The 2011 Chevrolet Volt makes its debut as General Motors' first plug-in gas/electric vehicle. It is slated to see limited production in calendar 2010, with launches in California, Connecticut, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Washington, DC. Nationwide availability is slated for late-calendar 2011. GM calls this 4-passenger, 4-door hatchback an "extended-range electric vehicle" in that it does not work like most hybrids. With many hybrids, their gasoline engines and battery-powered electric motors can provide power to the drive wheels. With Volt, the wheels are always driven by electricity, provided either by the onboard battery or gasoline engine that powers a generator. The car can plug in to a standard household outlet and charge overnight. A high-output 240-volt charging station will be available that should cut charging time roughly in half. Chevy claims a range of 40 miles solely on a fully charged battery and about 340 miles when the gasoline engine is used. The gas engine is an 80-horsepower 1.4-liter 4-cylinder. Available safety features include ABS, traction control, antiskid system, curtain-side airbags, front-side airbags, and driver and passenger knee airbags. Among the available features are a remote-charging and vehicle-control program that owners can download and run from Blackberry and Apple iPhone cell phones. A navigation system is standard, as is a hard drive for storing digital-music files. Leather upholstery, heated front seats, front- and rear-obstacle detection, and a rearview camera are optional. We have not yet tested the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

What To Consider Before Buying An Electric Car

Two new electric cars are scheduled to hit dealerships this fall. The much-anticipated Chevy Volt is expected to be available in November and the Nissan Leaf will go on sale in December. But before you get all charged-up to go electric, there’s a lot to consider.

Douglas Stansfield was so eager to own an electric car, he converted his 2003 Hyundai Tiburon. Stansfield can go 20 miles on a charge, so he plans his trips carefully.

"Overall, I use it for my local travel back and forth to the doctor’s office, to the dentist’s office, to the kids’ school," he told Consumer Reports.

Electric cars' limited driving range is a key consideration.

The Chevy Volt can go 40 miles on a charge, but it also has a small gas engine that can go another 300 miles on a full tank.

The Nissan Leaf, powered solely by an electric battery, has a 100-mile range before it has to be plugged in.

But driving isn't the only thing that's going to drain the battery. Conditions here in the northwest, especially during the winter, will tax electric cars because headlights, windshield wipers and heaters all use electricity--so do air conditioning and playing the radio. As a result, how far you can actually go on a charge will vary.

Recharge time is another important consideration. On a regular household 110-volt outlet, the Chevy Volt takes about 10-hours to recharge. The Nissan Leaf's larger battery needs about 16-hours. You can cut down the recharge time on electric vehicles by installing a 220-volt circuit in your home, but that could cost about $2,000, according to Consumer Reports.

Then, of course, there's the cost of the vehicles themselves. The Chevy Volt will sell for around $41,000. The Nissan Leaf will cost about $33,600. There is, however, a $7,500 federal tax credit available for both.

"Electric cars hold a lot of promise,” Consumer Reports’ Jake Fisher said. “Clearly, two big pluses are the ability to reduce gasoline consumption and run cleaner cars. But there’s a lot to consider before you know they’re right for you."

The Volt and the Leaf are just the first of many electric cars due out soon. Within the next year and a half, Ford, Honda, Mitsubishi and Toyota will all introduce new electric vehicles.