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"We have about seven to ten people a week driving a Volt, says Sean McCray from Dan Vaden Chevrolet.
(Savannah, GA) Gas prices have dropped up to 30 cents in recent weeks, making
alternative fuels look somewhat less attractive to the driving public. Still,
the new electric cars are getting plenty of test drives. "We have about seven
to ten people a week driving a Volt, says Sean McCray from Dan Vaden Chevrolet.
"When people thought gas was going to six dollars, we had a few more than
that."The Volt is one of the hottest new electric cars. Unlike some
hybrids that have a battery that recharges itself through the driving process,
the Volt has an electric battery that gets 44 miles and then needs to be
recharged. After the 44 miles is up, the gas engine kicks in. He says the car
gets about 37 miles per gallon on the gas engine. "This is your electric
engine," McCray says as he opens up the hood and points to a box on the right
side.He says it can take four to eight hours to recharge the battery
once its drained. (Eight hours on a 120 volt charging station which is the kind
of electrical system many households have and four hours on a 240 volt charging
station.)McCray says replenishing the battery seems to be some kind of
issue for many who check out the Volt, which is why he says most like the fact
that it runs on gas after the electric charge runs out. "Because a lot of people
are still kind of concerned about the concept of a totally electric car. They
don't want to get somewhere and say, where am I going to plug the car in?"
Electric docking stations are still a new idea. The City of Savannah
has one in a parking garage. And now the Savannah-Hilton Head International
Airport has added several parking spots designed specifically for electric cars.
"We had a perfect spot and are ready for the future," says Lori Lynah from the
airport.She doe say so far, no one has actually used the electric charging
stations. McCray thinks the fact that places like the airport actually
have charging stations now is a sign that electric cars, in some form, are here
to stay, even with gas prices declining. He says since the Volt came out
about nine months ago, that about 20 have been sold in the Savannah and Hilton
Head areas. He says currently, they have an order for seven cars from a company
that wants to save on fuel costs. The 120 volt charging station is
standard with the car. You have to pay for an upgrade to a 240 volt. McCray
says most who have purchased a Volt have a garage when they can plug the car
in. Although he says some developers may be putting outdoor plugs in at
apartment and condiminum complexes.He takes us for a ride and he says
the cars run so quietly that "a lot of people don't even know they're
on."Now the real point, the price tag. Over $40,000, pretty steep for
the pocketbooks of many. McCray does say that in the future new designs should
include a battery that can run even longer which may make the gas savings even
more attractive. "Everyone's looking for alternative energy, especially
with their cars," he says. "But this will be the wave of the future,
especially when you get the increased charge on there."
By: JoAnn Merrigan| WSAV News
3 Published: May 14, 2012 Updated: May
14, 2012 - 6:21 PM