More than 600 Chevrolet dealers in launch markets have begun preparing for the launch of the Chevrolet Volt electric vehicle with extended-range capability.
“About 90 percent of our Chevrolet dealers in launch markets to date have requested to become participating Volt dealers,” said Tony DiSalle, Chevrolet Volt product marketing director. “The response exceeded expectations given the extensive training requirements. There’s obviously a lot of enthusiasm for the Volt’s arrival later this year.”
Chevrolet dealers in California, Texas, Michigan, the Washington, D.C. area, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut were invited to join the Volt program earlier this month. The dealers are required to take part in an extensive training program focused on the sales and service elements of the vehicle. Participating dealers also are required to have a Chevrolet Volt on their lot for potential customers to test drive
“As soon as we got the final word, we signed on,” said Steve Waersch, general manager of Pohanka Chevrolet in Chantilly, Va., near the nation’s capital. “Our waiting list compiled over the last year and a half to two years has no less than 50 names on it. In the last month and a half, we’ve been getting four or five inquiries a week.”
The Chevrolet Volt is the only electric vehicle that can operate under a full range of climates and driving conditions. It has a total driving range of about 340 miles and is powered by electricity at all times. For up to the first 40 miles, the Volt drives gas- and tailpipe-emissions free using electricity stored in its 16-kWh lithium-ion battery. When the Volt’s battery runs low, a range-extending engine/generator seamlessly operates to extend the driving range another 300 miles on a full tank of gas.
The Volt will be on display next week at Plug-In 2010 in San Jose, Calif.
