If there was a list for the highest Prius per capita town’s in America, Nyack would certainly rank in the top ten. But Toyota’s automotive green grip on the village might be in for a challenge if GM can have their new hybrid Volt road-ready for the announced production date of 2010. GM celebrated its company centennial on Tuesday unveiling the production version of the hybrid Chevrolet Volt.
Beneath the driver’s side mirror is a charging port, letting drivers plug in their car for a planned 40+ mile battery-powered ride. A gas-burning generator charges the lithium-ion battery to provide a 400 mile driving range between electric charges and gas re-fills.
It looks very-Prius like on the outside. And the interior has two seven inch LCD screens — which Volt fanatics might point too as twice as good as a Prius. The Volt also includes Bluetooth connectivity.
GM says that if you can afford a water heater, you can afford to “fill up” a Volt. Overnight battery recharges are expected to cost about the same as what you pay to run your water heater — typically between 50 cents and 80 cents per day.
What will it take to put you in a new GM Volt? GM is being cagey about pricing, but a Volt fan site speculates th3 Volt will cost around $40,000. That price could drop to as little as $30,000 if the government kicks in some significant tax credits.
Sources: Detroit Free Press, GM-Volt.com