3 Reasons Why the Gen-2 Chevrolet Volt Is Going To Convert Raleigh To Electric

If you’re an early-adopter, there is great news for you: the latest generation of Chevrolet Volt is one of the most accessible, most advanced electric/hybrid cars on the road.

If you’re not exactly the early-adopter type, there is great news for you: the latest generation of Chevrolet Volt has taken electric and hybrid cars mainstream.

And whoever you are, the gen-2 Volt competes well in three serious categories in the E.V.-Hybrid market.

One. Technology.

All 2017 Volts come with the latest Chevrolet MyLink info-tainment system for audio, navigation, phone pairing, and all the rest. But the Volt has an additional app that taps right into the car’s propulsion systems to give you realtime readouts on power distribution and sourcing, options for controlling charging, and even historical and realtime data on driver behavior and efficiency.

Volt’s got the available advanced safety features found on other Chevrolet models: blind spot alert, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, lane assist, lane departure warning, back-up camera, cross-traffic alert, parking assist, and a ton of airbags to protect you from every angle.

But one technology feature I am fixated on is the “Re-gen on Demand” brake paddle on the front left side of the steering wheel. It draws interest because this one simple feature reflects the thought and absolute efficiency that went into this car. When you engage the paddle, it acts as a brake to slow the car down and captures that energy to help recharge the battery… instead of using disc brakes which waste energy by only creating heat. But the Volt has those disc brakes too, because you’ll still need them to come to a complete stop. But even further, those traditional brakes on the Volt are also rigged to capture energy and send it back into the battery.

Two. Styling.

With all those focus groups, like the ones you see in their commercials, Chevrolet realized that people love the idea of an electric or hybrid vehicle, but owners didn’t want it to stand out as a total departure from traditional internal combustion-powered cars. Chevy’s answer is an updated interior and exterior that tones down the elements that scream, “electric car!”

The sci-fi movie look is gone: The grill now looks more like an Acura’s. The boxy edges and most of the black piano trim are gone. On the inside, the back seats look more traditional with the center console removed that used to segment them. And the center stack, while still radical, has shed the glossy plastic veneer that looked like it was pried off a Japanese robot.

Three. Money.

If the sticker price is comfortable for you, the Volt has the potential to save you some serious cash down the road. For one, there’s still the federal tax credit for up to $7,500 if you qualify. Second, with a range of 53 miles in pure electric mode, most people’s errands and commutes in the Raleigh-Durham area are going to be completely gas-free.

Some people are worried about what will happen to their electric bill, though, so Chevrolet built in a GPS programmable charging mode that capitalizes on non-peak use times when the electric company in your area is not charging you as much for your kilowatt hours.

Conclusion.

It’s now official that electric and hybrid cars are mainstream, and the gen-2 Chevrolet Volt is the car that takes them there with styling and technology that stills meets the highest expectations of early-adopters, yet also fits into the comfort level of traditional car buyers.