Enter the Chevy Volt.

Chevy is now claiming that their new hybrid car will get an EPA-rated 230 MPG.  230 MPG! Kind of makes you want to dance on an Escalade… in tack-soled shoes.  The Volt will get 40 miles on the electric charge alone, and then a small gasoline generator will kick in and take you the rest of the way.  Estimated total range is about 340 miles.

The implications of this car are insane.  If you charged it off solar power and drove less than 40 miles per day, it would literally give you a day-to-day carbon footprint of 0.  If it sells well and the profit margin is there, it could do more than rescue GM from the brink.  It could reestablish them as an auto superpower.  The platform and idea could be applied to other cars.  It could turn opinion on the automotive bailout 180 degrees.  It could affect public opinion on our president.  Could Chevy even trump Toyota?

The estimated price tag is $40,000.  It is highly likely that the government would offer some kind of tax credit for buying a vehicle with this kind of mileage.  So, the question is would you buy it?

I would.

The response has been remarkable here in Ohio.  I was reading a story from The Daily Record today outlining some of the responses from local dealers.  Here are some quotes.

“Traffic has definitely been up the last couple days.  People need to realize that if they drag their feet, they may risk losing the opportunity to get government money for this.” - Nick Sorrano, GM of Park Mazda in Wooster, OH

“It’s a zoo.  It’s as chaotic as it can be.” - Brett Bell, Co-owner of Village Motors in Millersburg, OH

“It’s unbelievable, really. I guess I’m not too surprised because the whole last month was pretty quiet, so we hoped it would be this way. We were pretty well prepared.” - Larry Wood, GM of Underwood Motors in Wooster, OH

I don’t think anyone predicted this kind of response.  Assuming that every recipient of this government program received the maximum contribution, that is over 220,000 gas-guzzling carbon rockets off our roads, replaced with that many 2009 models.  There is little doubt that this number will be met.  Some are already clamoring at the possibility (re: probability) that all of the money from the CARS program will run out before the set expiration date of November 1st, 2009.  When you think about the impact this will have both on the environment and on our consumption of foreign oil, it quickly becomes clear that this program could be rather remarkable and possibly even a precedent for similar programs to come.  We’ve spent this many hundreds of times over in Iraq.  You tell me which is the better investment.

One thing is for sure.  There are a lot of happy dealerships out there right now, and Ohio in particular needed the boost.

For more information, visit Bryan Schaaf’s article at The Daily Record.