Chevy Volt

If you are looking to go green through cutting energy usage and reducing green house gas emissions, where better to start than your gas or diesel powered vehicle. Today car companies are coming out with better and more fuel efficient cars to meet government regulations and to satisfy consumers needs with rising gas prices, but this only reduces the problem. The issue is around 20 million barrels of oil are consumed in the United States alone each and every day and as more cars are produced and new drives begin driving with the rising population, this number will only be going up, even with hybrids and fuel efficient SUVs and compact cars. In order make a real dent in this problem, we the consumers need to avoid using gas powered transportation whenever possible. This means biking to work, carpooling, using public transportation (even though the buses and trains run off of fossil fuels, they will be completing the same route regardless), walking, or purchasing an electric powered vehicle. The first four options may actually save you money right away, but purchasing and electric or partially electric vehicle will definitely take a while for the financial saving to show. But it's not always about the money. If you were considering purchasing an electric vehicle, you may be thinking about buying the Nissan Leaf or the Mitsubishi I-MiEV because they are some of the only all electric vehicles on the market. These vehicles would seem like logical choices if your commute from work and back, or to friends and family were relatively near to you, but a 100 mile range definitely limits a vehicle. I would recommend purchasing the Chevy Volt. I recommend this vehicle for three reasons, first it is an electric, gas powered hybrid where you see all the benefits of an electric car with few of their drawbacks, such as limited range, charging takes hours and could leave you stranded if your battery runs out, and the extremely small interiors with virtually no trunk space. The Volt has the option to be fully electric for 35 miles before needing to be charged (which the vast majority of people live within 35 miles of work), but if the battery runs out, the car won't simply stop, the gas powered generator will turn on and charge the battery as you continue driving. The second reason I would recommend the Chevy Volt is because of its extended range. Even though the battery will only get you 35 miles, the gas powered generator gets nearly 40 mph which totals nearly a 400 mile range including the 35 miles of fully electric miles. And finally, the Volt is a standard size car where you will actually have some elbow room and trunk space unlike many of the other all electric vehicles. If you are looking to reduce your carbon footprint, buying a Volt is a good place to start. Thanks for reading!