I had the opportunity to attend a local meet up with the Triangle Social Media Club this past week and I had a great time! I was with my road dog Alicia from Busy Dating. General Motors was there with the all new (not fully released) 2011 Chevrolet Volt. If you are not familiar with the Chevy volt let me share some insight. The 2011 Chevrolet Volt is a front-wheel-drive, 4 passenger electric vehicle. The energy is stored in a built in battery pack that powers the car, it does have a reserve gas tank in case you deplete energy and can’t plug in and recharge right away. The motor is electric which powers that car at all times no matter the speed. The car looks awesome and the features that come with it will leave you drooling and speechless!

Let’s talk about the dashboard! First of all you press a power button to start the car and it has the BEST sound effect when powering on and off. I can’t even describe it, you’ll just have to go and test drive one. The majority of the dashboard and console area is touch screen with OnStar features. You have a built in rear view camera, navigation capabilities and you can play CD’s, DVD’s and even pause radio. Your radio acts like a DVR and you can go back and listen etc. I had a chance to test drive this baby and it was smooth sailing! You don’t even hear the engine. I had to ask if the power was on. I shut it down and powered it back up just to make sure, and also to hear the cool sound effect it makes when you power on and off. *snickers* I love the dashboard you feel like you’re in a vehicle before our time with tons of gadgets to play with. I won’t get into the wifi capabiltites and awesomeness of this vehicle, I won’t be able to stop rambling! I looked really good in the Volt, if I must say so myself! Did I mention I was blown away? This car is a must see!

Now the Volt’s MSRP starts at $41,000 and if you get the federal tax credit of up to $7,500 you’re looking at $33,500 with full tax credit. The vehicle will be available for lease with a monthly payment of about $350 for 36 months (MSRP) and $2500 due at lease signing. Get this… You still qualify for the tax credit when you lease, it’s included in the reduced lease payment, with a lesser tax credit. That’s a plus! I would have thought the tax credit it would only be for people financing the vehicle to purchase. The first 4,400 new Chevy Volt owners with the extended range capability will be eligible to receive a FREE charging station. Compliments of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds from the Transportation Electrification Initiative administered by the U.S. Department of Energy. Here’s another plus… It will include the cost of home installation in most cases.

Now for some facts, compliments of GM: Smartphone application will allow Chevrolet Volt owners 24/7 remote connection and control of vehicle functions and OnStar features. The Chevrolet Volt will use no gasoline and produce NO emissions for up to 40 miles of daily driving, helping to save approximately 500 gallons (1,892 liters) of gasoline per year. Charging the Volt about once daily will consume less electric energy annually than the average home’s refrigerator and freezer units. Plug in connector: 3 hrs. at 240 or volts 8 hrs. at 120 volts. At a cost of about 80 cents a day, charging the Volt once per day will be less expensive than purchasing a bottle of water. Take a look at some of the pictures!

2011 Chevrolet Volt

Mobile Charging Station

Plug In Connector

Dashboard/ Console

Dashboard

The famous “Power Button”