By Lionel Locke

2011 will be the year of innovation for the automotive industry and the engineers at General Motors (GM) are leading the way. The 2011 Chevy Volt was one of the most talked about and anticipated plug-in automobiles of 2010. It has earned the name of Motor Trend Magazine’s 2011 car of the year, Automobile Magazine’s 2011 car of the year, and the 2011 Green Car of the year. The Chevy Volt is unlike any other hybrid or electric vehicle on the market. It is equipped with a gasoline engine which sole purpose is to generate the electricity needed to power the vehicle.

Other hybrids such as the Toyota Prius, employ a small electric motor to power the vehicle at low speeds and then switch over to a gasoline engine once heavy acceleration and higher speeds are needed. Since the Volt does have a gas engine, you will have to make occasional trips to the pump. However, with a gas tank of just over 9 gallons, those occasional visits will be a lot easier on your wallet. 

The Chevy Volt can travel up to 35 miles, in electric mode, with a standard overnight charge in your garage. It can also be a favorable option for vacationing achieving up to 375 miles in the extended driving range mode. This mode uses the Volts gasoline engine to generate electricity and extend the vehicles driving range. The typical charge time for the Volt is 10 hours using a standard home outlet and up to 4 hours if you choose to have a dedicated 240 volt supply installed. For those of you who are iphone users, be sure to take advantage of the Volt Mobile Application. This application will allow you to check your charge level, available travel range, activate the remote start, and setup alerts to inform you of when charging is complete all from your iphone. As with most vehicles offered from GM you can enjoy the conveniences of Onstar, Bluetooth, and Navigation. With all this great technology and power comes great responsibility. GM offers a standard 3 year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty which even includes the tires. The powertrain is covered under a 5 year/100,000 mile warranty, and an 8 year/100,000 mile Volt-Specific warranty is offered for certain Voltec components pertaining to the electrical drive system. If you plan on purchasing the Volt for the long term, a GM Protection Plan is available for extended warranty coverage. Always remember that all vehicles require periodic maintenance in order for the manufacturer to honor the warranty. So how much will this set you back? The Volt has a MSRP of $41,000, however, with the available $7500 tax credit that price comes down to just $33,500. If you prefer leasing over purchasing, the Volt can be leased on a 3 year/12,000 mile term for $350 a month.