Many in motoring are looking forward to an all-electric future, but as long as we’re burning fuel we’ll need to keep incentivizing low emissions. In California, a limited number of low-emissions vehicles are given stickers that let them travel in the HOV lanes, which residents know is a hell of a perk. Now Volt owners can get in on that action.

Chevrolet is making a low-emissions package standard in Californa for the 2012 model (which we’ll be testing soon), making owners eligible to apply for one of the stickers.

The new Volt has a modified catalytic converter that helps reduce the tailpipe emissions, and of course it goes for around 35 miles without producing any emissions at all. So it’s a fairly clean little car.

This also makes the Volt eligible for a $1500 California clean vehicles tax credit. On top of the $7500 federal credit that takes a lot of the bite out of its sticker price, though that could certainly be lower as well.

GM makes money from platforms, not just cars. With that thought, Cadillac just announced the ELR Coupe, a sleek sportster built on the Voltec platform that also powers the Volt. The dual-powertrain Caddy has been rumored ever since a concept (pictured here) was shown off at the 2009 North American International Auto Show. Well, friends, it’s on.

The ELR will use the same version of the Voltec that powers the Volt including the same four-cylinder 1.4L generator. This makes the ELR sound nothing more than a reskinned Volt instead of the tuned electric roadster worth of that sexy sheet metal. Nothing says American sports coupe like a 0-to-60 time in eight and half seconds.

Cadillac has yet to announce any real details about the upcoming coupe. “Development of the ELR is just underway, so details on performance, price and timing will be announced later,” says the press release.

The extended coupe design actually makes a lot of sense for the Volt’s 2+2 configuration. The rear seats are not all that usable anyway. This modified design likely allows it to slip through the air with even less resistance. The photos shown here are of the 2009 Converj concept. The brand is pretty loyal to its sharp lines and massive grill design so the production version will probably follow the same styling cues if not be exactly the same thing.

The Chevy Volt hasn’t exactly been a huge hit for GM. The auto maker reportedly sold just 125 last month and less than 3,000 so far this year. The model will soon be available nationwide, which might help move a few more off dealer lots. This Cadillac model will be the second production car, outside of the Volt’s European and Australian cousins, to utilize the series and hybrid powertrain. Since it wears the crest and wreath logo, it might even have a well-appointed cabin rather than the plastic toy that is the Chevy Volt.

The Chevy Volt didn’t walk away empty handed. The same organization named the Chevy Volt the Green Car Of The Year. Question: wouldn’t the best car of the year also be the green car of the year if it was in fact a green car? Just asking.

Beside the Volt’s high price, it should be an easy task for the designers and marketing flacks to make a solid case for a Buick Volt. There’s nothing premium or upscale about the Chevy model. The interior is more Ikea than Bloomingdales with graphic-laden plastic panels and glowing capacitive buttons. The vehicle would probable by similarly-equipped with non-power adjusting heated seats and a Bose audio system, as new interior material alone would transform the Volt from a Chevy to a Buick.

GM previously stated that each of the automakers four core brands — Chevy, Buick, Cadillac, and GMC — would have a Voltec vehicle. The Caddy sports coupe concept dropped two years ago at the NAIAS and it certainly feels as if the production Buick Volt will hit at next years.

Mr. Chevy Dale Earnhardt Jr. was wrangled into an interview and of course the Chevy Volt was brought up. His take? “I think that the Chevy Volt’s a good product.” Fair enough. He then goes on to gently explain that it’s hard to make a vehicle like the Volt, but “the technology isn’t there yet.” Taken out of context, that sounds like Junior is blasting the Volt. But he’s not. His comments are logical and right on the [sponsorship] money. Developing a car isn’t like building a tablet. Neither is selling one. Video after the jump.

http://www.eyeblast.tv/public/eyeblast.swf?v=hdqG2GaGqG

There’s a lot of buzz out there surrounding EVs; why shouldn’t there be? So far, the mass marketed EVs: the Volt and the Leaf, with the Focus Electric and Tesla Model S on the way, are pretty exciting. The offerings seem to be pretty solid, but as of right now, the cars aren’t selling in huge numbers. Adding to the gloomy forecast, a panel of experts thinks EVs are over-hyped and Obama’s plan to sell 1 million EVs by 2015 might be impossible.

While we hope to make it to a million in the next few years, the panel concluded that it may be difficult unless major changes occur. John D. Graham, Dean of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, said that, “President Obama’s dream is appealing and it may be achievable, but there are big barriers to overcome before the mass commercialization of electric vehicles will occur.” So what barriers is he talking about?

Not to be party poopers, the panel suggests that the government needs to fund the roll out more aggressively and spend more on research. It’s quite an infrastructure change and there needs to be an “unusual degree of cooperation between industry and government, and a clear focus on the needs and concerns of consumers,” said Gurminder Bedi, a Ford executive involved with the panel. The panel does say that one of the greatest challenges for consumers is price. Not only are EVs overpriced, but requiring a $2,000 home charger will turn people away.

New EV incentives are being planned that will allow for customers to get an instant $7,500 tax credit at purchase, something they have to claim during tax season now. It’s a difficult balance. Lobby for government incentives too hard and the people will get mad at the whole EV program. Don’t push hard enough and companies risk missing out on a business opportunity.

Personally, my thoughts are this: it’s only 2011, a lot can happen in the next 4 years. What’s the motive behind this panel? Let’s not pack up and go home yet. The Focus Electric and the Model S aren’t even out yet. What do you think? You can read the entire study here.

[via DailyTech]

The press release also adds to the case of the Volt’s important halo status. Harry E. Criswell III, president and owner of Criswell Chevrolet, “The Volt is clearly bringing new customers to Chevrolet. We are seeing 10 to 15 customers a week who are seriously considering buying a Volt. Many of them own competitive brands and now have a Chevy on their shopping list because of the Volt.” GM’s diabolical plan is working.

Think of the Volt as a 21st Century Corvette. While in the past, the iconic American sports car would draw customers into dealers, the draw of a fuel-guzzling machine has faded. Besides, GM’s vehicle offering doesn’t particular support a vertical ecosystem with a supercar at the top. The days of the affordable muscle car are gone. No longer can smooth dealers effectively turn lookers of the Corvette into buyers of a Darth Vader Buick Regal or big-block Chevy Impalla. All that’s left is the plastic Camaro.

Enter the Chevy Volt and Chevy Cruze. Nowadays the popular draw to dealers are the fuel-efficient vehicles and Chevy has two of the best. The Chevy Volt’s $41,000 sticker is a bit much for some. “Besides,” says the auto salesmen in golf windbreaker, “it’s alright that you can’t afford the Volt’s payments. You have a long commute. Have you seen the inexpensive 36 MPG Chevy Cruze? It even has the same iPhone app as the Volt!”

The Volt doesn’t have to sell in massive numbers to be a success for GM. Sure, it needs to meet its targets, but as long as there are Volts in dealer showrooms, potential customers will be walking through the doors to see the it. That’s a win and reason enough for GM to accelerate the roll-out to as many dealers as possible.

It’s official: the automotive press loves General Motor’s Chevy Volt as it walks away from the NAIAS as the North American International Car of the Year. The don’t-call-it-an-extended-range EV essentially sweep 2010′s consumer automotive awards, earning the top spot as Motor Trend’s 2011 Car of the Year, Green Car Journal’s 2011 Green Car of the Year, Automobile’s 2011 Automobile of the Year, and placing among the top ten in both Car and Driver’s and Ward’s AutoWorld’s 10 best of the year. So yeah, GM built a winner with the Volt.

The Chevy Volt’s story started out a short three years ago as a rolling concept and then quickly, it became clear that GM was dead serious about this car. Development timelines were beat and concepts shown-off. They even let us drive one of the engineering test mules in 2009 to show that yes, they had this thing on lock-down.

But then the production Chevy Volt numbers hit with an anti-dramatic thud partly thanks to the $41,000 sticker. It turned out that the Volt was an extended-range electric vehicle that could travel only 40 miles on the battery, but then the generator would kick on, powering the electric motor until the gas ran out. But that’s how GM had said all along the Volt would work. Consumers just didn’t seem to pay attention. GM delivered and the public was seemingly unimpressed.

The buff mags noticed, though. Motor Trend was the first out of the gate with its top honors, naming the Volt 2011′s Car of the Year. But as Rush Limbaugh and Motor Trend got into a war, the Volt simply trudged forward, seemingly winning an award a week with the latest just coming from the North American International Auto Show where 49 American and Canadian journalists picked the Volt over all the rest. At $41,000 the Volt isn’t a Malibu — or a third-generation Prius — but it is the perfect example of GM’s potential engineering and manufacturing capability. If only we were having the same conversation 4 years ago, GM would still be on top of the sale’s charts and not rebuilding a shattered image.

Who’s ready for 2010 to expire? Man, we are. It’s not that 2010 was a bad year or anything, but it was all iPad-this, iPhone-that with a bit of Android news bits scattered here and there.

With the products in the following list lined up for release, 2011 is set to be a much more balanced year. Of course Apple will still be a major part of the news cycle, but everyone from Nintendo to HP to even start-up companies like Notion Ink should be able to enjoy a fair share of the spotlight too.

3DS

Backstory: Nintendo randomly announced a 3D version of the Game Boy last March. The announcement really came out of nowhere. Nintendo, “Hey, yo. We’re working on a 3D version of the DS. BYE!” But then E3 rolled around where the 3DS made its official debut and we went hands-on. Neither announcement mentioned a price or release date though, which has caused the industry to speculate wildly. Finally Nintendo announced that while a 2010 launch was originally planned, the 3DS will hit Japan on February 26 with the US and European launch in March.

Hot in ’11: 3D is fun, but the current implementation with glasses and whatnot kills the appeal. The 3DS does not require glasses and it’s really 3D. Hollywood might be bumbling around with the tech, but the Nintendo 3DS could kick it mainstream. The system is going to be pricey with a sticker around $300, but this is no Virtual Boy. It’s the real deal and something you’re going to have to peep at Best Buy to believe just how good the games look in 3D.

iPad 2

Backstory: Steve Jobs sat down in a comfy leather chair on the stage of San Francisco’s Moscone Center and effortlessly launched the iPad. It’s now one of the fastest selling gadgets in history with over 3 million sold in the first three months of its life alone. Some estimates put the iPad on top of the entire tablet scene with a whooping 95% marketshare. But it’s not perfect. Ports are missing, there’s no camera, the 4:3 aspect ratio is no good for movies, etc. That’s where the iPad 2 comes in.

Hot in ’11: Apple could simply morph the current iPad into a different size and it will still break all sales records. But here’s hoping the company listened to the criticism of the original iPad and worked in some of the suggestions. Early leaks seem to indicate that it will at least have a camera, which only makes sense with Apple’s recent Facetime virtual product strategy. A lower price would be nice as well even if it means a smaller screen size.

BlackBerry PlayBook

Backstory: RIM is constantly talked about like they’re the underdog in the smartphone race, but the Canadian-based company quietly stays their course while shipping out BlackBerrys en mass. Each quarter they ship more than the previous. They know what they’re doing and the company’s first tablet, the PlayBook, is set to capitalize on that brand love. It was announced way back in September after a series of leaks and pre-announcements, though it won’t hit the market until the first quarter of 2011 (probably March). Will it be an also-ran like the Storm? Maybe. But maybe not.

Hot in ’11: RIM knows a thing or two about what the enterprise market wants in mobile — maybe even more so than Microsoft or Apple. That’s where the PlayBook will make the biggest impression. Corporations will likely snap up the PlayBook instead of the iPad as long as it integrates with their IT infrastructure without issue. The PlayBook might not be as a big of a hit with the direct consumer market — it will likely steal Samsung Galaxy Tab sales rather than iPad sales — but RIM will be just fine as long as companies and government agents buy them for execs. Obama loves his special NSA-secured BlackBerry. Perhaps he’ll get a special PlayBook as well.

Motorola Droid Tablet

Backstory: The current crop of Android tablets suck on pickles. Even the Samsung Galaxy Tab is only for die hard Android fans. That’s not Samsung or any of the manufacturers’ fault though. Google’s current versions of Android are simply not meant for tablets. Android 3.0 is set to change that and the Motorola Droid tablet will likely be the first out of the gate rocking the new interface. Mainstream consumers are more familiar with the Droid brand than Android, mainly because the line has been the only real hit hardware during the OS’s short life.

Hot in ’11: Motorola knows how to make Android handsets. The hardware is top-notch. So is the marketing. Motorola and Google have been said to be working closely on the tablet so it should correct many of the downsides of the current Android tablets. Hopefully both companies follow Apple’s lead by creating a product centered around the user experience, not hardware specs — but having a Tegra 2 in there will be nice.

Verizon iPhone 4

Backstory: The iPhone 4 is great. AT&T is not. That’s that.

Hot in ’11: The iPhone 4 is great and so is Verizon. That’s that.

PalmPad

BackStory: Palm’s last ditch effort in the smartphone world went herp and derp. But it wasn’t the software’s fault. The Pre and Pixi ran the [potentially] amazing webOS operating system. It just so happened that the hardware and wireless carrier roll-out were both sub-par. So tl;dr, Palm was on the quick road to gadget purgatory until HP bought them up for just over a billion dollars. The new overlords quickly went on record stating that new webOS products, including tablets, were on tap. The PalmPad – or is it palmPad? — could be the first real iPad contender.

Hot in ’11: WebOS provides a fantastic user experience and just feels like it could be even better on a larger screen. The PalmPad’s philosophy will likely be a lot like the iPad’s where hardware takes second chair to the software. Then with the power of HP’s market-leading manufacturing and distribution channels, the PalmPad is set to be a hit.

Sony PSP phone

Backstory: Android phones are well established in the mobile phone market now. They might be known as Droids by many consumers, but that marketing coup from Motorola only helped grow the entire sector. Then there’s Sony Ericsson, whose Android phone, the Xperia, isn’t exactly a market leader. The PSP phone could change that by being the first true gaming mobile phone — well, first since the N-Gage died.

Hot in ’11: Apple pretty much has the mobile gaming field to themselves right now. There are only a handful of Android games worth talking about. But there are a plethora of PSP games. If Sony can combine the mobile power of Android with the gaming library of the PSP, it would instantly capture a significant chunk of the tasty Android marketshare pie. Well, as long as it launches on the right carrier at a competitive price.

Notion Ink Adam

Backstory: Notion Ink revealed a stunning hardware concept in late 2009. Then CES 2010 rolled around where the hardware took a different form and the company showed off the clever interface. But that’s where the fairytale ends. The Adam was first supposed to ship in the summer of 2010. That didn’t happen. Then it was delayed until November. They missed that deadline, too. Now the tablet is up for pre-order with the first batch already sold out with an early 2011 ship date expected.

Hot in ’11: The price is right and the hardware seems adequate. The software demos released by the company show a smooth and fluid interface. The young company made some marketing blunders primarily by over-promising and under-delivering, but if the Adam actually starts to ship worldwide on time and lives up to the hype, it could be a great tablet for many users.

Chevy Volt 2.0

Backstory: GM’s Chevy Volt went from working concept to dealer’s lots in record time. Just under four years for those keeping track. The automaker is taking a fair amount of flack for the $41k+ sticker price though. Still, GM is moving forward and the rumor is another vehicle (or two) based on the Volt’s Voltec’s plug-in hybrid powertrain will be unveiled during January’s North American International Auto Show.

Hot in ’11: The next Voltec vehicle is said to bring the technology downmarket a bit. This was of course the plan all along as automakers develop platforms that are shared by many vehicles, but a lower-priced Volt should act as a counter to many of the arguments against the high price. This cheaper Volt will likely have a more pedestrian styling and lack some of the techno-wiz gadgets on the inside of the Volt. It’s the price that matters. The goal should be to bring the price closer to the $30k mark before government tax credits kick in.

The Old Republic (BioWare’s Star Wars MMO for the PC)

Backstory: Is there any game that can possibly “dethrone” World of Warcraft? Yes, it’s called The Old Republic, and it’s tentatively penciled in for a release some time next year. There’s a few reasons for this, chief among them that BioWare generally makes OK games. Whether or not it knows how to make an MMO is yet to be seen. Plus, the game (obviously) has the Star Wars license, and those guys are nothing if not loyal to the universe.

Hot in ’11: The Old Republic should be a very important game in 2011, but that’s assuming EA Louse’s accusations weren’t truthful. The Louse shook the industry to its very core a few weeks ago when he (it?) accused BioWare of being a bunch of bumbling fools who have no idea what they’re doing, burning through cash like they’re in a Rick Ross video. (Does he burn cash in videos? It seems like something he’d do.) But considering the game has literally years of hype going for it, I can’t see it being anything but a big hit—at least for the first month.

Lazy Friday? It happens. How about firing up the ol’ office laser printer and printing out the entire Chevy Volt user manual on your work’s dime? Or you could always peep the PDF but that’s not nearly as fun. [Chevrolet via GM-Volt]

Ward’s AutoWorld routinely grades vehicle powertrains and this year awarded one of the spots to the Chevy Volt’s 1.4L/111-kW electric drive unit mashup dubbed Voltec. Here’s what Ward’s AutoWorld Editor-In-Chief, Drew Winter, said about the propulsion system.

Brave. Inspired. Brilliant. We don’t often use these words in the same sentence as ‘propulsion system,’ but that’s the only way to describe the magic under the hood of the Chevy Volt. General Motors engineers have changed the course of history by creating an electric vehicle with true mass appeal.

There you have it. It’s a good engine. At least that’s what Ward’s, Motor Trend, and Car and Driver think. But clearly, Rush Limbaugh, the self-proclaimed All-Knowing, All-Sensing, All-Everything Maha Rushie knows something they don’t.

Here it is, treehuggers and haters. The EPA’s rating of the Chevy Volt: 93 when on electric, 37 combined city/hwy on gasoline, which works out to a 60 MPG composite . Those combine to give the Volt an average range of 379 miles, although, just like with the Leaf, the total range for EV-only topped off slightly less than what the manufacturer advertises. Those keeping score will also note that the Leaf was rated at 99MPGe earlier this week with a total yearly cost of ownership at $561.  So yeah, let the arguing continue.

These numbers will no doubt reignite the vehicle’s pros and cons argument from offices to TV’s talking heads. They certainly aren’t the 230 mpg GM prematurity bragged about last year, but they’re still, in my opinion, totally respectable for a first of its kind vehicle. Clearly it’s not the Earth’s savior, but the constant development from GM, the Voltec powertrain will mature and improve with each generation.

Good or bad, these EPA numbers where the final stopping block preventing the Volt from entering production. Now that they’re out, the 2011 models can finally start rolling out of GM’s Michigan-based Hamtramck Assembly.

In a press statement late Wednesday, The U.S. Treasury Department revealed that it sold 358.5 million shares of GM, raising $11.8 billion, and hanging onto a 37% stake of the company. With underwriters chomping at the bit to buy more GM shares to cover over-allotments, the Treasury could reduce its stake to 33.3% and sell 412 million* GM shares raising a total of $13.6 billion.

The L.A. Times reports that the GM IPO would set a new record:

A $23.1 billion total would surpass not only the record set by the Agricultural Bank of China but also easily break the $19.7 billion record for a U.S. company, set by Visa Inc. in March 2008. However, Visa’s deal was all common stock, leaving it as the largest by that measure.

In other company news, GM unveiled its 2011 Chevrolet Camaro Convertible at the Los Angeles auto show today. Earlier in the week its new, electric vehicle (EV) the 2011 Chevy Volt won the title of car of the year from two trade magazines, Motor Trend, and Automobile magazine.

The Volt is not a pure EV because it has a 1.4 liter gasoline engine-and-generator that produces power and gives mechanical assistance to the motor that drives the car. The gas engine assists the vehicle in situations where a driver has gone more than 40 miles, and is operating at highway speeds around 70 miles per hour company representatives have told several media outlets. That said, the Volt still qualifies for government tax credits provided to EV-buyers, and primarily runs on electricity.

GM reported its 2010 third quarter earnings last week including a net income of $2 billion, and revenue of $34.1 billion. By comparison, Tesla Motors, a Nasdaq-traded company that makes truly all-electric vehicles saw $31.2 million in revenue, but a net loss for the third quarter of 2010 thanks to hefty research and development costs according to its earning reports. Shares in Tesla Motors traded just under $30 ahead of the GM public offering.

*[CORRECTION: In the second paragraph of this story, I mistakenly wrote "more" shares, but should have written 412 million total. The word "more" was removed from the passage on Nov. 18 to correct the story. Thanks to @pbones for bringing this to my attention. - LK]

2011 Chevy Volt Image courtesy of (c) GM Corp.

Within the next three years, GE expects to generate up to $500 million in revenue from the emerging electric vehicles market. GE owns one of the world’s largest vehicle fleets and global fleet management businesses. It also sells consumer and industrial products like the WattStation, an electric vehicle charging station, and circuit protection equipment and transformers.

Within the next three years, GE expects to generate up to $500 million in revenue from the emerging electric vehicles market. GE owns one of the world’s largest vehicle fleets and global fleet management businesses. It also sells consumer and industrial products like the WattStation, an electric vehicle charging station, and circuit protection equipment and transformers.

Chief executive Jeff Immelt made GE’s intentions public through a series of deals and speeches this fall.

As part of its EV push, GE is also setting up “electric vehicle customer experience and learning centers,” to give customers, employees and researchers access to EV technology. One center will be in Van Buren Township, Michigan outside of Detroit, within GE’s Advanced Manufacturing and Software Technology Center. The other will be part of GE Capital’s Fleet Services business headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, with others to be announced in 2011.

The centers will monitor and evaluate vehicle performance and charging behaviors, driver experiences, service requirements, and operational efficiencies, while also affording the opportunity to experience a variety of manufacturers and models, and gain insights on electric vehicle deployment.

Fluid stability is still a concern so the Volt has special drive mode called Engine Maintenance Mode that’s designed to extend the life of both the oil and gasoline. This mode will appear as option only after the Volt determines that it’s generally drove on EV mode — generally after six weeks. Once enabled, it will kick on the gasoline generator as necessary to cycle both the gasoline and motor oil. This keeps the engine well lubricated and the gas from going stale.

GM Executive Director, Electrical Systems Micky Bly via GM-Volt,

Oil likes to run at a certain temperature, and to burn off some of the water and some of the ligands that gather in oil. We call it engine maintenance mode. We’ll ask if you mind if we run the engine a couple of miles just to freshen up basically, and then that will be fine.

GM recommends that the Volt, along with the rest of GM’s 2011 line, use a new Dexos 1 synthetic blend. This oil while 25-30% more expensive delivers superior life and performance over the current standard. GM is not alone in opting for this new standard. Other OEMs are expected to start factor-filling and recommending the synthetic blend starting in 2012. But be careful, according to GM’s warranty information, if an engine failure was to occur and the oil used was found not to be Dexos 1-certified, it may void the factory warranty. Fun stuff.

I had the rare pleasure of driving a brand new Chevy Volt up the Eastern seaboard yesterday, a four hour trip from DC to New York in the driving rain of a dying nor’easter. Organized by beleaguered carmaker GM, the drive was an attempt to reach out to tech geeks and bloggers to drive what amounts to the most high-tech car I’ve ever driven. According to a GM spokesperson, the car’s programming alone is more complex than the code in a F16 fighter jet.

How was the ride? Well, first let’s talk a little about the car.

The Chevy Volt is an all-electric vehicle with an M. Night Shyamalan twist. The car contains a huge, T-shaped battery that recharges in 10-12 hours, depending on the voltage, and a small 1.4L 80hp internal combustion engine – sorry, generator – that powers the car and charges the battery when you deplete the original charge. The wheels are powered by a high-torque electric motor that is alternatively power either from the battery or the generator. If you drive, say, 30 miles a day there is a very good chance your engine will never kick on, thereby saving you a tankful of gas. If you need to go far you can use the gas generator to push you another 300 miles or so. In this way it is an EV without the problems in range.

The car is a strange amalgam of low-end and high. It comes with a Bose audio system standard as well as five years of OnStar – you connect to the car over OnStar using an iPhone app – and a central LCD screen for Nav and infotainment. There’s also a separate driver’s screen that displays current driving stats including your range and a little floating “ball” that shows how efficiently you’re driving. The ball rises and turns yellow when you’re gunning the engine and floats serenely in space when you’re driving like Mother Theresa. This actually encourages a more zen-like form of driving. In fact, I found myself being more careful and driving more slowly when the ball thing was on the dashboard. When I turned it off I gunned the car like a mofo.

The experience, in short, is six parts exhilarating and four parts disheartening. On the one hand, I was driving a unique, compelling vehicle by an American company manufactured in and around Detroit. On the other hand I wanted it to be better, to have more range, and to run in silent, electric mode for just a little longer than it did.

The ride itself was quite smooth and uneventful. Once I turned off the little efficiency ball my attitude to the car changed and I drove it just like I would any other compact sedan. In electric mode, however, you feel you’re riding something fairly special, like a really fast super golf-cart or one of those chairs the fat humans rode in Wall-E.

Then the generator kicks in and the magic is gone. The Volt is a compromise. On one hand it is amazingly complex and powerful and on the other it’s just another car – albeit one that is considerably more efficient than any other car I drove. During my drive I hit 40 mpg in city and highway driving and had I tweaked the settings I’m sure I could have gotten more. The car also runs in Sport and Mountain mode. Sport offers a bit more pick-up and transmission assisted braking while Mountain is for, well, mountains.

Was this trip best use of the Volt’s capabilities? Absolutely not. The car works best when it exists in a 30-40 mile bubble – say when you’re commuting back and forth to work. For many 40 miles is far too short a distance (our own Kyle drives something like 100 miles a day). Long drives in this thing are not particularly the best use of its capabilities.

At $41,000 ($32,000 with the tax rebate) this is an expensive vehicle, even considering the many standard features. I don’t want to discourage the average driver from potentially buying it simply because it is such a good idea – an electric vehicle with the range of a gas vehicle – but it is a piece of interstitial technology. All of the compromises between gas and electric haven’t yet been worked out but it definitely has many of the problems of other electric cars licked.

I was quite happy to drive the Volt. It was a privilege, in short, to be behind the wheel of a car that will, without a doubt, carry us into a brighter future.

Product Page

In support of Burns’ thesis, IBM and GM revealed new details on Monday on the car’s electronic backbone and how it came together in 29 months, from concept to finish.

Although the Volt is far from the first car with computer functionality, it is a major technological step forward for GM. According to IBM, the Volt is equipped with 100 electronic controllers, its very own IP address and roughly 10 million lines of software code.  That’s far more than its peers and, according to Robert LeBlanc, SVP of IBM’s Middleware Software, that’s also more than today’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner which features a paltry 8 million lines of code.

“Think of it as a data center and computer on wheels,” LeBlanc says.

Given the Volt’s reliance on its software and electronic components, it’s no wonder that GM relied heavily on IBM’s software to put all the pieces together.

As explained in Monday’s press release, GM used IBM’s suite of Rational software products (which includes design and simulation tools) “to develop some of the Volt’s critical electronic controls for the vehicle’s innovative battery system, electric drive unit, and cabin electronics.” According to LeBlanc, IBM’s software allowed disparate engineering teams to collaborate, put products to the test and it helped them model and better understand how various electronic systems would interact.

That’s a significant departure from the past, when GM’s engineering teams would develop components independently, with minimal sharing during the development process.

Forging ahead, the GM/IBM partnership for the Volt is expected to be a template for the development of new GM cars: “We hope to extend the Rational platform to other vehicle lines. Cars are only going to be more complex, every automaker will have to deal with that higher level of complexity and interaction.”

Here’s GM’s promotional video on the Volt’s computer system and its relationship with IBM.

For more information on the Volt, check out recent CrunchGear articles here.

The Chevy Volt is pretty much here. They’re everywhere here in the Detroit area. I must see one every other day. But they should start hitting dealers in the coming weeks and so, right on cue, a Volt’s TV ad spot appears.

This isn’t the first commercial for the Volt. Oh no, the Volt was shown off through numerous TV commercials since its announcement as more of a PR campaign for GM, rather than the Volt itself. Remember, the Volt was born during President Bush last term when everything was hitting the fan and it was clear GM was going to need some help. This new TV spot is the first to actually showcase the vehicle and its entire extended range philosophy. Anyway, click through for a bit of Chevy marketing goodness.

Personally, I’d go with the rear view camera (sadly not standard), but skip the luxury options and polished aluminum. This car is striking enough without the bling, and heated seats always strike me as kind of decadent. You can always get aftermarket rims; there will probably be weirdo body kits too. Can’t wait to see a wing on one of these.

Actually, as I went to post this, it now appears that the site has crashed (I’m getting a 403 from the redirect). Better wait a few minutes.