GM got in on the very green games and invited Olympic organizing committee members, athletes, journalists, government officials, and drivers from the public to take a pre-production Volt for a spin and report back. Several journalists did just that.
Canwest News Service's Keith Morgan reports that he was the first Canadian journalist to test drive the vehicle. "The Volt is a REAL car, not one of those small, glorified golf carts that eco-zealots have tried to foist upon us for the past few years," he wrote, adding that a family of four will fit comfortably inside. The car will also send you a text if you forget to plug it in--a nifty feature I hadn't heard about before.
Auto123.com's Rob Rothwell also took the Volt for a drive in Vancouver. "I circled Vancouver’s jewel, Stanley Park, twice on pure electric power," he wrote. "I felt as smug as the spandex-clad joggers who likely spent more on their running shoes than a Volt owner will spend on fuel for an entire year." He points out that in Vancouver the vehicle's electric charge came from hydropower.
On the other side of Canada, the Volt tests continue, albeit more rigorously. According to Autoblog Green, GM recently sent a fleet to the tiny Ontario town Kapuskasing to see how they fare in the cold weather. The vehicle, which gets 40 miles (64 kilometers) per charge, will likely cost in the $40,000 range. It's expected to be on the U.S. market this November and have a Canadian debut next summer. After recent the Prius debacle, I suspect sales will be brisk.
Photo: The Volt makes its Canadian debut on a test track. Credit: Staff, Canadian Auto Press.
Tags: Cars, Electric Cars, Green Tech, Olympics
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