2012 Chevrolet Volt Cleared for California’s Carpool Lanes
Low Emissions Package model certified for special driving privilege and rebate
2012-02-23
DETROIT – A low emission model of the 2012 Chevrolet Volt electric car are on their way to California, where customers will qualify for a $1,500 state rebate and be allowed to drive solo in the state’s carpool lanes.
Volts with the Low Emissions Package, which is standard for California, began shipping from the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck plant this week and should begin arriving at the more than 140 participating Chevrolet dealerships in California before the end of the month.
“The Volts with the Low Emissions Package are certain to be a strong draw for California commuters looking to travel the state’s notoriously congested freeways in the carpool lane,” said Chris Perry, vice president of Chevrolet Marketing.
Commuters who use carpool lanes in Southern California save an estimated average 36 minutes a day, or about a third of their total driving time.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles is making 40,000 Clean Air Stickers available for registered vehicles that meet the state’s emissions standards. Applications can be downloaded from the DMV’s web site at www.dmv.ca.gov
Additionally, the new Low Emissions Package makes the 2012 Volt eligible for owners and lessees to receive up to $1,500 in state rebates through the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. This incentive is in addition to a federal tax credit of up to $7,500 Clean vehicle rebate applications can be submitted online at www.energycenter.org
California has more than 1,400 miles of High Occupancy Vehicle lanes. Originally restricted to vehicles with two or more occupants to help minimize congestion, the lanes are now open to single occupancy use by owners of advanced, low-emission vehicles. Volts registered in Georgia, New York and Florida also are eligible for single occupancy access to carpool lanes.
The Volt has a total driving range of up to 379 miles, based on EPA estimates. For the first 35 miles, the Volt can drive gas-and tailpipe-emissions-free using a full charge of electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a gas powered engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 344 miles on a full tank. Volt owners have travelled more than 10 million miles since the vehicle launched late last year. Roughly two-thirds of those miles were powered by grid electricity.
Visit Singh Chevrolet at the Riverside Auto Center for a complete presentation and test drive! You will be amazed at the performance that the Chevy VOLT delivers.
It’s the only Small Car built in America!
You saw it during the Big Bowl Game, now it’s time for you to drive the All-New Chevy Sonic! Available as a 5-Door Hatchback or a sporty 4-Door Sedan, the Sonic is a fun-to-drive car with BIG performance! Starting with the Standard 1.8L ECOTEC 4-cylinder engine rated at 138 HP, the Sonic has plenty of power and still delivers 40 miles per gallon on the highway.
Drive the 2012 Sonic today!
Visit Singh Chevrolet at the Riverside Auto Center.
A Few Words About The VOLT
Dan Akerson is the Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of the General Motors Company. He recently released this letter to all current and future Chevy VOLT owners:
”The news is in. Last Friday the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) closed its investigation into the Chevrolet Volt without finding a single defect.
After a two-month investigation, it was determined that “no discernable defect trend exists” and that GM did not need to take any additional action. “Based on the available data,” the government’s press release said, “NHTSA does not believe that Chevy Volts or other electric vehicles pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles.” (For the full text of the release, go to www.nhtsa.gov)
All of which means that the Volt will continue on its pioneering mission as the electric car that has done away with the range anxiety of running out of electrical power by backing up our electric battery with a gasoline-powered generator.
It is the most significant step in GM’s history to give customers a choice beyond oil, a technological “moon shot” that will now be exported to China, Germany and dozens of countries worldwide. Yes, the world is learning from Detroit again. And we couldn’t be prouder.
So what do our customers think of the Volt? In fact, they rated it #1 in customer satisfaction for all vehicles selling under $60,000. High praise for a company that takes the safety and integrity of each of its creations very personally. This is today’s GM.
For more information about the Volt and the Volt owner movement, please visit us at chevy.com . And of course, visit your nearest Chevrolet dealer and take the future for a drive.”
Sincerely,
Dan Akerson
Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
General Motors Company
__________
Stop in and see us at Singh Chevrolet where we have a Chevy VOLT waiting for you to drive right now!
“Share the Love” Event at Singh Subaru
Singh Subaru in Riverside has joined with Petco and the Riverside County Animal Shelter again this year for “Pet Adoption Day”, as part of the “Share the Love” event with Subaru.
- Greg Singh with his pet and Santa
Greg Singh, our General Manager, invites you to stop in and visit with some animals in need of a good home this holiday season!
- Adopt a Pet Day at Singh Subaru December 18th
Adopt a Pet Day is December 18th from 11am to 3pm.
And not just because he is family…
As one of the two “Certified Chevy VOLT Salespeople” at Singh Chevrolet I am proud to report that I have sold and delivered twelve (12) Chevy VOLTs this year. The last of the 2011 models I delivered to my cousin who is a Senior Engineer at Raytheon.
I’ve contacted several of my customers to see if they have read about or heard about the recent reports about the NHTSA Crash Tests that have been in the news. So far, NONE of my customers have felt any concern over the safety and reliability of the Chevrolet VOLT.
Here is the response my cousin emailed to me:
“Yes I have seen many of the news article posted on the web and no I’m not concerned about any safety issues. Yes this should be investigated but I personally think this got blown way out of proportion. I trust that a solution will be found but in the meantime, if I ever get into a bad accident, I’ll make sure that the battery is drained and/or replaced.
I also think GM’s leadership team did a very smart thing and quickly released all the pertinent facts as well as making a generous offer of taking returns or giving loaner cars. To me, this says a lot about GM’s faith in the Chevy Volt. Overall, I’m really enjoying the car and still learning how to use all the many features. To date, I have driven over 4500 miles and used 19.3 gallons of gas yielding an average instantaneous gas mileage of over 233 mpg.
I recently participated in a car survey. Six people including myself were interviewed for a few hours comparing various EV’s & hybrids. We were also asked to provide a viewgraph which captured our individual thoughts about the Chevy Volt (my entry is shown below).
My only problem thus far has been the auto charging feature where I set the recharge time based on “cheapest rates” and next drive time. In 5 separate cases, the car did not recharge. I could not determine any repeatable pattern that would cause this to occur. I did take the car in for a software upgrade in early November but this problem occurred once again a week after the car was serviced. I reported this to the on-line Chevy Volt rep who mentioned that this could be caused by the charging station. I discussed this problem with the other Chevy Volt owners I met at the EV car survey one of whom has experienced the same issue. As it turns out, he had a different charging station than I. I have not seen this problem in the past month but is something that I’m monitoring.
In summary, I think the Volt is the best extended electric vehicle best fits my needs and driving patterns. In addition, it is the best engineered and integrated car I have purchased, leased and/or seen to date (even after the car survey where we were shown unreleased EV & hybrid models). In my opinion, the attention to detail in the Volt’s design as well as how the many systems (GPS, navigation, live traffic reports, OnStar, Bluetooth, XM radio, audio system, remote access, phone, weather outlook, power utilization info, climate control, …) have been integrated into a single touch screen display is second to none.
To date, the Volt has maintained its performance and provides all the features as advertised. The drive is very smooth and quiet. It is a fun car to drive and is something I get to enjoy almost every day.
Thanks for checking but I really am very happy with the car.”
If you would like a complete demonstration-presentation-test drive of the 2012 Chevrolet VOLT, just give us a call or stop in. We are always happy to show off the BEST CAR that GM has built in the last 100 years. Ask for Gordon or Masood when you arrive at Singh Chevrolet, 8200 Auto Drive, Riverside, CA 92504.
The Volt is not the Hindenburg
There has been a lot of press about the Chevrolet VOLT and the aftermath of a crash test by the NHTSA. This coverage has been poorly reported since nearly every article “omits” that the NHTSA did not follow GM Safety Guidelines where the main battery is “discharged” after a major accident, just as you would “drain the fuel tank” of a conventional car after such an event. Weeks later, the damaged battery leaked and started a fire.
More important is the response of VOLT owners themselves. Here is a blog posting by “?’smyvolt“, who is a senior member on the GM-Volt.com blog site:
“The Volt is not the Hindenburg.“
“Eleven months ago, a local television station contacted me and covered the story of me receiving and driving to work with my new 2011 Volt. Tonight the same station inquired if I had gotten a loaner GM car yet to replace my Volt because of “the fire danger.” I replied that media histrionics notwithstanding, the Volt is not a Hindenburg class helium-filled blimp, needing only a static electricity spark to explode into flame and spectacular destruction.
The driver of a Volt, as the driver of any car, faces a number of collision dangers, to include injury from air bags. Having worked my way through college as a police officer many years ago, I learned first hand that the danger of fire is ever present for gasoline-powered cars involved in major accidents. Even the Volt’s gasoline tank is capable of some pretty spectacular pyrotechnics, despite its small capacity, if it were damaged in such a way that the gasoline could ignite.
It is the battery pack that sets the Volt apart. GM’s explanation of the risk the Volt battery pack represents makes considerable sense. A significant accident that does or may have damaged a gasoline-powered car should result in the gas tank being inspected and the gasoline drained if there is any indication of leaking. Similarly, GM has explained, the Volt battery pack needs to have a controlled release of the stored electricity to be fully safe after a serious collision.
Just as frayed electrical fires can eventually cause enough heat and sparks to ignite a fire within our homes, so too can a damaged battery pack cause enough heat and sparks to ignite flammable parts or upholstery in a Volt. This is a far cry from the Hindenburg-style disaster being portrayed by too many in the press.
GM has explained how they will deal with safely draining the charge from the battery pack of a seriously damaged Volt. It makes sense to me. With over 16,000 miles in my Volt, I continue to be impressed with its engineering, its pick-up, and its environmentally friendly footprint. So no, I have not contacted to GM to get a loaner car – - nor have I asked them to buy back my Volt. But what I do ask is for objective coverage from the media that represents a serious discussion of the facts, the risks, and the myths about post collision Volt fires.
# 565 @ 11 months, >16,000 total miles, and lifetime 159 mpg.”
Singh Chevrolet in Riverside is one of Southern California’s top-selling VOLT dealers. If you would like a complete demonstration and test drive of a 2012 VOLT, just call Gordon in the Internet/Fleet Department at (866) 407-3143.
