I picked the Chevy Volt for my next car

It took me a while to choose, but I picked the Chevy Volt as my next electric car. The ability to go beyond the electric range with the generator, the styling, the current availability, and the nice interior were major factors in my decision. You can see my post below on my impressions when I test drove the Volt at witteblog.tumblr.com

I often go up to the San Juan Islands and need a car that can make the 270 mile trip from Portland, Oregon to Anacortes, Washington where you catch the ferry. Making multiple stops to recharge doesn’t sound like fun. Having the Volt generator sounded much better. So range was central to my decision.

I like the way the Volt looks and love the new Blue Topaz paint available for the 2012 model. The interior leather seats are comfortable and look great. My only wish was the back seat was a bit more roomy.

I love the Tesla Model S. It looks so cool and is roomy. However, you can only get the $80k model in 2012. And I just don’t like the idea of the laptop batteries. Maybe I’m susceptible to the Nissan and Chevy hype, but it seems like batteries made for automobiles are better and will have longer life. When you make batteries you make tradeoffs between how long they last and how much energy they store. Laptop batteries focus on lots of energy density and can live with a relatively short life. Auto batteries go for long life and many recharge cycles.

The Nissan Leaf is so nice and the price is great, but the range stopped me. I need to be able to go farther quite a few times a year. I like how you sit up high in the car, but I don’t like the exterior styling. I was also concerned about the white interior with my kids in the back.

So I’ve ordered my Volt and can’t wait to get it! It took me a while to find a dealer that would sell it at MSRP. Carr Chevrolet in Beaverton, Oregon is where I signed over my $3k deposit.