Chevy Volt

It’s pretty amazing that a U.S. manufacturer is on the cutting edge of this technology. Sure, the Nissan Leaf is arguably more advanced, but the Volt’s range is limited only by your ability to stay awake:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOJMVbQnNIU

And if you want evidence that someone other than GM thinks the car is great, here’s an owner testimonial:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLaZvs9Iv6w

If I needed a car, the Volt would be a strong contender as long as the tax inventives made it comparable in price to, say, a Camry Hybrid.

Yes, I know, GM is the evil company that killed the electric car (if you haven’t seen that documentary, shame on you). Just for fun – here’s a snotty Top Gear presenter clutching his pearls about the EV-1’s range, yet somehow making it home:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JrBuzWo2PI

11 Comments

Great documentary. That tall, nerdy blond dude it in it. Ed Bagley, Jr?

I’m one of those “eco-people,” but I enjoy blowing past yuppie slime in BMWs in my Subaru.

BTW, I did go back to sleep. Then I went back to sleep again. Now? I’m going to try to get through The Man Who Knew. It’s been putting me to sleep for about a week now. A demain!

@JNOV: pretty much every episode of Frontline rivets me to the screen.

@blogenfreude: Did you hear “Car Talk” this weekend? Funnier than usual with a caller who had a rollover in Alaska.

Since you’re the resident car expert (despite not owning a car), what do you know about the Honda line of hybrids? Mama here is gonna need a new set of wheels soon enough, and I find the Priuses that I drive through ZipCar to be too big, have a shitty turning radius compared to my current Saturn, and besides, as South Park taught us, they spew smug.

@SanFranLefty: If the call is the woman with the crazy Russian husband, I’ve heard it – I think it’s circa 2005.

As for the hybrid – check out the Civic (the model with the side curtain airbags). On the other hand, you might not be the person who would benefit from a hybrid. If you do lots of stop/start city driving the hybrid is a good bet. If not, look into a VW clean diesel. A Jetta, in fact. http://www.vw.com/en/tdi/jetta.html?sem=google

Or a Golf or Rabbit, if there is such a thing.

Or sign up for a Nissan Leaf. I would totally fly out there to drive it.

@SanFranLefty: I see you driving a Mini Cooper with Flippin riding shotgun, urban superheroes with black leather miniskirts and automatic weapons.

@blogenfreude: Lots of start/stop driving. That’s about all I do.

@Dodgerblue: She and I are both too tall for the Mini Cooper. I rented one once via ZipCar, it was a pain in the ass to drive, I kept hitting my head on the ceiling, and the controls are all wonky.

@SanFranLefty: I’m going to Excremento tomorrow. Don’t suppose you’ll be there?

@SanFranLefty: It takes me eight-ten hours in r/t travel time to meet in person with my tribal clients out on the Navajo Nation. I’ve looking into meeting via Skype to save them some hefty coin in travel expanses.

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