Will Volt, Leaf catch on in suburbs?

There was a glorious autumnal haze over Chicago as I pulled up to my parking spot at the Merchandise Mart in my $40,000 Chevy Volt.

(The above is all true, although I don't work at the Merchandise Mart, nor do I own a Volt.)

But when GM offered test drives downtown last week of its revolutionary electric car, who was I to say no?

For some reason — possibly Blackhawks/Red Wings rivalry — Detroit-based GM passed up Chicago when it rolled out the Volt a year ago.

But now you can take one for a spin at your local dealer.

The Volt runs for up to 35 to 40 miles on electricity powered by a battery that can be charged at a standard 120-volt outlet at home for an average of $1.50 a day. When the battery runs out, a gas generator kicks in, extending the total range to 379 miles and making the Volt a good option for suburban drivers whose long commutes might work against other electrics.

In my unprofessional opinion the Volt drives like ... a Chevrolet. A peppy Chevrolet that's very, very quiet.

In Don Hillebrand's opinion, it's “beautiful, quiet, really sophisticated and well-developed.” Hillebrand, a mechanical engineer who heads Argonne National Lab's Center for Transportation Research, calls the Volt “the single most sophisticated car in the world.”

Wheaton's John Walton, vice chairman of Chicago Clean Cities, also loves the Volt but notes that, “the biggest challenge people have with electric cars is what's commonly known as range anxiety.”

However, the Volt's advantage is that the gas generator won't leave you stranded and it still gets about 40 mpg, Walton said. One thing to note — Argonne researchers found the Volt had a 50-mile, all-electric range, higher than the specs listed by GM.

It takes about 10 hours to fully power the Volt using a 120V outlet.

This year, 280 car-charging stations are being installed in the metropolitan area and this could include Illinois tollway oases. Already, service is available at select Walgreens' locations and some downtown parking lots.

And if you think Volts are only for Lincoln Park or Bucktown treehuggers, think again.

Suburbanites are interested in the car and undeterred by the $40,000 price tag, Chevrolet of Naperville General Manager Wayne Michor said.

“Our allocation of Volts is sold out for the rest of the calendar year and we're taking orders for the first quarter,” Michor said.

At Grossinger Chevrolet in Palatine, Volts “are going as fast as they come in,” dealer Gary Grossinger said. Consumers are buying the car for environmental reasons and because they want to save on gas, he added.

The Volt's cost gets slightly more palatable with a $7,500 federal tax credit and an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency rebate of up to $4,000 (for info, visit Illinoisgreenfleets.org.) There's also a lease option of $399 a month for two years.

But when will there be an electric car in the $20,000 range?

That could take a while, Hillebrand thinks. Conventional wisdom holds that the cost to manufacture a Volt is more than GM's sticker price.

For starters, you need a smaller, less expensive battery. The lithium battery in the Volt hatchback I drove is a hefty 400 pounds. Scientists at DuPage-based Argonne are researching a lithium-manganese battery, which is more stable and less expensive than previous versions.

This latest battery could give either 30 percent to 50 percent better performance or better range. “There's a lot more battery in the Volt than (GM) is using; they built in a lot of layers to make sure there were no complaints,” Hillebrand said.

GM plans to build a Cadillac with Volt features first, before turning its attention to an economy version, he predicted.

Three years ago GM was on the brink of collapse with the embarrassment of a government bailout and unpopular product lines. It's taking a huge risk with its electric car, but “I think the Volt is going to go,” Hillebrand said. “It's the right product at the right time.”

Are you a Voltie? Drop me an email at mpyke@dailyherald.com

Ÿ For information about electric cars and anything to do with alternative fuels, check out Chicagocleancities.org. Or to find a charging station near you, the U.S. Department of Energy has a handy guide at afdc.energy.gov/afdc/locator/stations/.

One more thingOf course, the Volt's not the only game in town. Nissan rolled out its all-electric Leaf earlier this autumn. The price is similar to the Volt but the Leaf is pure electric with a 100-mile range. Powering up could take 20 hours with a 110V outlet, so Nissan recommends installation of a 220/240V charging station that gets the job done in seven hours.And if you want an alternative-fuel vehicle but $40,000 blows your budget, here are a few recommendations from the experts.#376; Diesel vehicles manufactured by the likes of Volkswagen, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz offer great fuel economy combined with green technology. The Volkswagen Golf two-door hatchback starts around $24,000 to $25,000.#376; Then there are hybrids such as: the Ford Fusion, which starts at $19,850Oh, what a relief it isFinally a break at the pump after a punishing summer. AAA reports a gallon of regular gas in the metropolitan region cost $3.60 a gallon Friday compared to $4.02 a month ago. Of course, a year ago, it was $2.97, but let's count our blessings. Switching over to less expensive winter fuels will also help to make filling up less painful. 12361895