As a mom some of my cares and concerns have changed from my crazy college days, I want the air my little guy to breathe to be the best it can, I want new technology to challenge his mind, and I want the best comfort all around for him. Recently I took part in NYC leg of
The Chevy Volt Unplugged Tour and I think GMC and I are on the same page.
The Volt is the first of it's kind Electric car! My best friend was actually on the team that helped develop a model at MIT and ever since I've been dying to see what the major motor companies could come up with. Recently, I read about Nissan's electric model
the Leaf and thought it was pretty futuristic looking and interesting in features but laking in that it is fully battery dependent and should that battery die, you'll just be sitting around waiting for it to re-charge. For this reason alone, I'd pass! I love cutting-edge technology but understand kinks have to be worked out in a product before it's truly amazing but then...THE VOLT!
Here is a sleek model with all the bells and whistles of a new, high-end car but with so much more. It is an electric model that will give you hours of straight electric drive. On a standard household 120 volt outlet you can charged your car for 10 hours and never need to use gas. The Volt does however, take premium gas in it's 13 gallon tank but with the ease of charging and the car's own recharge capabilities you'll hardly ever have to fill her up. In addition, there is an 8 year or 100,000 mile warranty on the battery.
One of the things that won me over about the car is how kid friendly and concious the car and it's features are. There are rear camera and parking assisting features so you can always been on a look out for anyone running out for a ball or standing behind you before you back out. The most charming feature for me was the
Chirp horn. This car is RIDICULOUSLY quiet, why on my test drive a biker couldn't even tell that I was right next to him, so the chirp comes in handy for kids riding their bikes in the street or for someone texting and walking that is relying on hearing a car's engine to no whether or stop or go (trust me there are people like that). It makes the cutest chirp-chirp sound just to get their attention without it being a loud car honk. It has 2 LCD screens and DVD player to keep the kiddies busy in the back as well as keep you informed on your driving efficiency and battery levels. The 30GB hard-drive on the center console will store your music and videos for any road trip! I couldn't believe the amount of room the back of this seemingly little car had! Two full size car seats would be quite comfortable in the back and the trunk would hold both strollers and groceries with no problem. A true winner!
The Volt is available now at $41,000 with a $7,500 tax credit and a lease option of $350/month. NOT BAD FOR STATE OF THE ART! But as a mom, a woman who's had cars break down on me out of no where, and a New Yorker and I had my own set of questions going in and my host and Chevy battery engineer Marisol who was GREAT helping to answer my questions about whether or not this was an ideal car for my family in this city. With NYCs constant stop and go traffic it's good to know the car won't just wear down and die on me. It's also great to know that so far almost everything on the Volt is American made, the battery which is currently being manufactured in Korea will also be brought on US soil by 2013.
I had a great time trying the car out and hearing all about these great features coming with the new age driving experience. Definitely worth considering!
Photos via Chevy
