National Drive Electric Week in Orlando is ON

It's been a few days - my apologies. I had a stomach flu, on my birthday no less, which made mustering up the will to sit up and write a blog with some photos seem daunting at best. 

It did give my dear husband Brian a chance to drive my Volt to work one day, which I am sure he enjoyed. I was a little stressed out that he would hurt my stats but to the contrary, he did great and I've crept up to the #78 spot on the Leaderboard:

Thanks for that,  Honey! I also lost about 5 pounds without having to diet OR exercise, so that was a bonus I suppose. Always one stomach flu away from those skinny jeans...

The headline today is about National Drive Electric Week. This is a national event that encourages events around the country over the course of a week (this year it's September 12-20) focused purely on plug-in electric vehicles. I've been stalking this webpage for several weeks, waiting for someone to put up an event in Orlando. However, as of this past Sunday, no such event was there, with the closest event being in Satellite Beach, about an hour away from my house (and certainly more than the 50 or so EV miles I get per charge). 

I contacted the national organizers and they set me up as City Captain. This wasn't exactly my desire, but I'd rather take on another big project than not see this event happen in Orlando this year. I've heard it's been held here in the past, but I'm still not sure where the momentum got lost. 

Since signing up, I've put a lot of activity in motion, which I will report on as soon as the details are confirmed. The date and location should be solidified in the next few days and then you can expect another flashy, exciting blog announcement. Well, you know, as flashy as I can be. I'm just not that flashy.

Block off your calendars for September 12 and hopefully you'll get a chance to see some GREAT cars (yes, including a Tesla) and maybe even drive a few.

Reflecting on My Old Gas-Powered Life

I've mentioned it before but I've been thinking about it a lot lately. My Volt has really changed my life, and not just in the obvious ways.

I was especially reflective while driving my Toyota Camry for the last time early this morning. It's been essentially sitting in our driveway undergoing minor repairs to avoid a big lease turn-in expense. Finally, we were ready to free up the left side of the driveway so our 20 year old daughter, who is returning home from college for about a week and a half before embarking on her next adventure, can park there.

The Camry has been sitting largely unused since May 30. I thought that when I gave myself seven weeks of overlap between getting the Volt and turning in "Tony the Toyota" as my little kids called it that I'd need some transition time to get used to the new car. As you know, 'twas not the case and instead the transition to full-time Volt driving was rather immediate. In fact, the very few times I've driven the Camry in order to let the Volt charge long enough for my next journey, I've felt sort of "dirty" using gasoline. So I've avoided it pretty much altogether.

The shift was so quick that I has to remind myself how I used to drive. Two months ago, I was a merciless speeder and weaver. I'd gun my engine every change I got, always aiming at the left line, rolling my eyes if the left-lane traffic in front of me was not going at least miles over the speed limit. I could make it anywhere in record time. It's a wonder that I wasn't getting a ticket every other week. In fact, I have only had two speeding tickets in the last 8 years, mostly due to careful watching of the road ahead. Trust me - this is nothing short of miraculous.

Driving it this morning on the 15 or so mile trip to Central Florida Toyota on Orange Blossom Trail was a somewhat surreal experience. I've been taking mainly side streets wherever I go since entering the Volt age, simply because EV efficiency is higher in stop-and-go traffic. But I made the conscious effort to use highway for part of the journey to save some time, knowing that efficiency was better on the highway for the ICE Camry. I'd have taken it all the way save for the exorbitant tolls.

There I was, hardly realizing that it was me cruising at 55 in the west-bound right-hand lane of SR 528 (otherwise known as the Beachline or to those of us who have been in Florida a long time, the Beeline).  The right lane! Cars were whizzing past me on the left, going around 70mph, and I just shook my head.

Then I realized what I was doing, and how far I'd come.

No longer do I speed. I haven't looked for a police officer on the road in weeks, and that's only partly because I'm constantly looking at my battery availability and how many miles I've gone. It's also because there is no way I'm getting a speeding thicket and I've stopped worrying about it.

No longer do I weave - I'm going to be in the right lane unless I'm getting ready to turn in the next half-block.

No longer do I shake my head at people driving at the speed limit. Now I shake my head at the speeders.

The right-lane driving is more than a literal position on the road, for me. It's also my new way of life. Why was I always in such a rush before? I don't really know. Does it matter if I'm 5 minutes late, or if I get up 10 minutes early, if it means I don't have to rush like a madwoman? For the first time in my life I have to say that the answer is no.

I'm a better person now. A safer, calmer, happier person.

Thank you, Zippy.

I Can Drive 55

As the title of this post implies, I woke up this morning to a new high number on my guess-o-meter.

That was great news. Then I drove to work and somehow still managed to hyper-mile just a little bit.

Here is what I ended up with.

Sorry for the photo quality there. It was really sunny out when I got to work.

Here is how many miles I went.

So that's 21.6 miles on only 19 miles of EV power. Not bad if I must say so myself. In the interests of full disclosure, I did take an all side road route and it was a little slow-going.

This achievement allowed me to walk out the door after work to this new high number on the guess-o-meter.

I just can't imagine that I can do a whole lot better in the heat of the Florida summer. I lost about a mile off that coming home but I'm sure I'll still get 55 or so tomorrow morning. We'll see. The 2015 Volt maxes out at 60 on the guess-o-meter even though there are many reports of folks getting over 60 miles on battery, especially when they have the benefit of a long trip downhill. But the meter won't show more than 60 and on model years before 2013, the meter won't show more than 50.

In other fun news, I'm well into the top 100 on VoltStats, hanging steady at 91 all day.

My highest ranking is 81 for electric driving efficiency.

I would hope it would be higher, but I move up a little every day. Another fun stat - I've made it to level three in miles-without-using-gas:

I would probably be at a higher level if it were not for the three miles I had to run on gas two weeks ago when we ran a massive law enforcement exercise on campus and the lots with charging stations were all closed.

If there is more exciting guess-o-meter news tomorrow, I'll share it, but in any case I'm working on something about charging in Central Florida, and I'm hoping that will be ready. Charge on, Volt fans! 

Queen of the Hyper-mile

I don't often blog two days in a row, but alas, right after I stated yesterday that I had not yet reached top 100 on VoltStats, of course today I have broken the barrier.

I just knew you'd want to know.

I had a great day in regards to hyper-miling. It all started with my morning commute. Here is what I started with on my guess-o-meter:

Here is what I ended with:

So, I used 18 miles... to go this many miles on the road:

This was a great start, considering that I was on the phone for part of the commute and thus running my air. It doesn't help that central Florida is very flat and thus the opportunities for regenerative braking are few, other than pulling up to red lights and taking corners.

The highlight of my day was that, when I posted these photos on the Chevy Volt Owners Facebook page, famous hyper-miler Ari Colin commented that my 5.37 average mi/kWh was "really good." That's equivalent to being told by Slash that your guitar riff is "not too shabby."

Usually, my commute back home is not as productive in terms of hyper-miling. This is mainly because the afternoons in Florida are brutally hot and I have to run the air. In addition, the traffic is nightmarish eastbound and I typically hop on a highway, burning through some EV miles, in order to avoid avoid sitting at red lights.

Today was typical, except that due to some afternoon cloud cover, it was only about 86 degrees out. I did hop on the 408 for about 8 miles and then exited downtown, with a 2 mile deficit off the 53 miles I started with.

Then I rolled down the windows and made up for it, using only 21 miles EV:

Covering a road distance just shy of 24 miles:

It would have been only 20, but I had to make a fast stop when I decided to not blow through a slightly red light 3 blocks from my house. It was a good decision, but it did come at a cost.

I fully expect to see 54 on my guess-o-meter in the morning, which will be the highest number I've ever seen, having gotten 53 only a handful of times. 

The slow creep to 60 continues! I probably won't achieve that limit until the temperatures cool down to the seventies in November or December. But I'm bound and determined and it's going to happen.

The Top Florida Volts

For those of you wondering, I've made it to 103 on Voltstats.

I was really hoping to be top 100 by today, but oh well. I spent most of the weekend floating aimlessly in my pool, so I shouldn't complain. If there's one thing better than feeling good about doing something good for your wallet and the environment, it's doing nothing at all and just feeling better.

However, I've made it to the big time in a local sense. Here are the top Volts in Central Florida.

Two out of 42 ain't bad. I'm really not sure how one gets 1524 miles per gallon, except by drifting downhill and let's face it - there are not many hills in Florida. I'm guessing my Geneva friend has done this out of state, but who knows for sure.

If we look at the state as a whole, I'm not doing too badly there either.

Lucky 13. I should be able to pass by Thunderbolt in a week or two, so don't worry - just continue cheering on your favorite Volt driver and that, of course, is me.

As a new blog feature, I'm going periodically share some top 10 lists, created by yours truly. Let's start with this one.

Top Ten Volt Misconceptions

10. It's a fully electric car, like the Tesla or Leaf, but not as popular because it's never on the list of top-selling all-electric cars. (Ummm... I understand the confusion here because Volt drivers are very proud in general of using mainly electric, but remember the Volt has a gas generator so technically this is an EXTENDED RANGE electric vehicle or EREV, not a straight-up EV. The Volt is the #1 selling EREV.)

9. Once the battery is depleted, a Volt driver needs to pull over and switch to gas. (Ha! It's always fun to explain how wrong this is.)

8. Volts are very expensive. (What? Huh? No. After the tax credit and incentives at the dealerships, it costs about the same as a Camry.)

7. The fuel cost savings is mitigated by the cost of the car. (See #8.)

6. Since the motor is electric, it must drive like a souped-up golf cart. (Oh please. Put it in Sport mode and hit the accelerator. You'll finally know the meaning of "instant torque".)

5. It's too small for a family of four. (Tell that to the guy who loaded my groceries Saturday as we already were packing two bags of karate gear and martial arts weapons and assorted work stuff of mine. He would tell you that you cannot believe how much that car holds.)

4. In order to get the advertised mileage on battery, you have to drive really slow and not run the air. (Au contraire mes amies, not true. If you drive 30-40 mph and don't run air, you'll get 12+ miles OVER the advertised mileage on battery. The advertised 38 miles per charge is accurate if you're shooting off the line and blasting your climate control.)

3. The cost of replacing the battery of the Volt is prohibitive to buying one. (First of all, the battery is warranteed for 8 years, or 10 in some states. It is designed to last at least 10 years. I would think in 8 years there will be affordable replacements but even if you can't afford what's available when the warrantee expires, you can run on gas, at the rate of about 41 miles per galloon.)

2. You have to use up the gas in your Volt quite quickly or it will go bad. (Not true - the Volt is engineered to handle gas and you only NEED to use up what's in the tank once a year.)

1. The Volt is not a great car for everyone. (It totally is!)

The Electric Lure

When I made the decision to switch from an integrated combustion engine (ICE) vehicle to an extended range electric vehicle (EREV), I did so with the full knowledge that there would be days when I would have to use at least a little gasoline. In fact, I absolutely expected that I would have work days where I would need to travel multiple locations for meetings, site visits, etc and even with an opportunity to fully charge once at work, the ICE built into my Volt as a generator would run at times.

This was the main reason I chose the Volt. It was not the only reason, but it was definitely an crucial factor. There was also the fact that the Volt is a sporty car, and apparently I am that superficial. But function was definitely ahead of form in the decision making process.

Fast-forward to the present day. True confession time, folks.

I HATE to use gasoline. I abhor the need to switch from the beautiful battery screen to the (blech) gas pump screen. It makes me want to scream. My blood pressure rises when my battery level reaches zero. I get downright angry, mostly with myself, for allowing such a thing to happen.

There is no logical, rational reason to feel this way. Even when running on gasoline, I get excellent mileage. And of course we all know I have yet to open my pressurized gas tank to add gasoline. In fact, my gas tank is still 60% full with 5.6 gallons of the (probably crap 87% octane) gasoline with which I drove off the Autonation lot on May 30.

So what am I to do? I have mastered the fine art of hypermiling, I think, for the most part. I have avoided making unnecessary stops on the road because the simple process of restarting the car always "burns" a couple of miles of battery without going very far.

I plug my car in when I get home from work instead of using it to tote kids around, even though taking Brian's Journey is most definitely a bigger waste of gasoline.

Perhaps in time I will get past this feeling of "wasting" the power of my Volt by driving it using the ICE generator. In my head, when I intellectualize with myself, I know that even if I take the Volt every time I leave the house, I am still saving money, saving gasoline, and doing what is best for my family and the environment. But my commitment to using battery power as much as possible is too strong, at least for the time being.

What does all of this mean? If I search within myself, I don't need to dig too deep to know that my next car will be fully electric. I'll be driving the Volt until November 2020, when Sheridan gets her driver's license. Whether it be a Tesla Model 3 or some other vehicle that has yet to be released, I will certainly be ready at that point to make the most full commitment a person can make towards zero emissions driving.

Hopefully by then, we will have photovoltaic panels on our roof as well and CAN be truly zero emissions humans.

It's worth noting that in 2020, I'll turn 50. At that point, I may just change my mind and buy a Corvette. Who knows?

Gasoline and Other Dirty Things

I've had a few requests for an update on how much gasoline I have used. Who am I to keep the fans waiting?

I'm moving up the ranks on Voltstats. I'm currently at 125 today and I didn't use my car much this weekend.

Here are the rest of the stats:

I've driven a little over 103 out of my not quite 1900 miles on gas.

I'm doing really well with my EV % and MPG. I need to keep driving to move up on the other lists, and drive better on gas when I do use gas, but that's a lost cause. I only switch over the gas when I KNOW I'm going to be going at high speeds (i.e., not being EV efficient, because remember even though the Volt uses gas, it is only used to power a generator so it still drives best using EV efficiency tactics).

Here is a fun graph.

Which maybe isn't too interesting except that it shows how very possible it is to drive a volt over 1500 miles per month without having to use much as at all.

Here are some other proud moments in my EV driving history, short though it has been thus far.

So that's fun!

Now that we are done obliquely referencing gasoline, we can move on to other dirty energy sources - specifically, coal. This article has been circulating around Facebook and other green car sources for the past few days. Click the pic if you'd like to read the full article.

Again, I can't help stating that an important point is being missed here.

Yes, it's true that West Virginia has the dirtiest grid in the country. I mean, I haven't measured it myself but being in the middle of coal country, this is highly believable. But, why shouldn't the state with the dirtiest grid incentivize electric cars? 

For one thing, if the grid is so dirty, and WV is a "coal state", why NOT incentivize technology that will increase revenue to coal companies in the state? This is called, doing business. Does it make tree hugging hippies like you and I happy? Of course not. Does it make business sense? Of course it does. This is no time to pretend that we live in a country where the interests of businesses are not important to our government.

For another thing, as I've said before, the technology needs to progress. The gas powered automobile is an endangered species, and no one that we can save by putting it in a protected refuge. In a matter of time - and it matters not how much time that is - the gas stations will close, the car technologies will evolve, and the grid will be using different power sources. Let's move it along, folks. It just makes sense.

Staying on the Grid

Every few days, some helpful friend tries to burst my bubble by letting me know how much coal is burned by electric cars charging off the grid. It happens at work, at play... and even on my Facebook timeline.

But these well-meaning comments miss the point entirely. What point is that, you ask? Well, since you asked... the point is this:

It doesn't matter how dirty electric car charging is TODAY. What matters is that the planet WILL run out of oil. Gasoline is a finite resource, while the power sources charging the grid change over time. 

If coal is what is powering the grid today, I'm not caught up in it. Every day more solar fields are added to grids around the country. The solar farm in Stanton, Florida, consists of 25,185 solar panels and generates 6 megawatts of electricity per day, enough to power over 1200 homes. I drove by it a few weeks ago.

This farm is only four years old and is one of the many ways our power company, Duke Energy, is trying to create energy from sustainable sources. Duke is also studying the use of small-scale wind turbines for grid-tied wind projects in Florida and North Carolina.

Today the grid may be powered by over 70% coal and oil, but the days of this ratio are numbered, even if the numbers will not run out in my lifetime. Eventually, there will be no more oil. There will be no more coal. But there will still be the grid. And electric cars run off the grid no matter what is powering it. That is what makes electric cars sustainable in the long run. I'm comforted to know that the premium I paid for my vehicle (which I'll get back in the form of a tax refund in a few months) is helping to contribute to a growing number of grid-charged cars in the long run. When the oil runs out and the gas stations close, society must be ready for what comes next.

Another common argument I hear is that there is no point moving towards an electric car when great improvements have been made in the efficiency of gasoline-powered vehicles. That's great for the short haul, but not in the long run. One of the worst problems with this is just being realized in Oregon, where preponderance of electric and hybrid vehicles, compounded by more efficient gasoline powered cars, is causing a shortfall in state tax revenue from gasoline. The solution? Implant a device in electric and hybrid vehicles that charges a per-mile tax to the driver.

This might sound like a counterargument to my point, but it isn't. Oregon has chosen to tackle the problem by charging drivers who aren't buying ANY gas, or are buying a minimal amount of gas. But what happens when those drivers have all been charged, and the revenue generated STILL isn't enough because cars are more efficient? 

We need sustainable solutions that do not depend on the amount of gasoline a person uses, because any solution that depends on gasoline is not going to be a permanent solution. Besides, a gas tax by any other name is still just that - a tax. Why not charge people for using the roads in their annual state income tax? Which we don't pay in Florida, but that's beside the point. This works no matter what the power source is, or how efficient it is. In other words, it doesn't ebb or flow with changing technologies and economies.

It's all about sustainability, folks. Get with the program or eventually, the program will get with you.

Don't be an ICEhole.

When you own an EV, you feel freedom in many new forms. Freedom from gas stations. Freedom from contributing to air pollution on the road. Freedom from the guilt that you are contributing to the complete and total depletion of the earth's fossil fuel supply.

However, you do experience a new kind of limitation. In fact, it's a new sort of entrapment.

You cannot go anywhere if you cannot charge your car.

Now of course, I drive a Volt which is an EREV (extended range electrical vehicle) - so I am never REALLY trapped. However, I have committed to using as little gas as possible and so far, that's been almost nothing. In fact, the three gallons of gas I have used since May 30 were burned largely on purpose to get rid of some of the 87 octane fuel (I'm guessing) that is currently inhabiting my premium-fuel-only tank. At some point I'll burn off the rest of it.

But I digress.

When I drive up to a building and see something like this...

... it's annoying. In case you cannot tell, there are three non-electric vehicles parked in three of the four EV charging spaces. Yes I now, the Honda Insight LOOKS like it's an innovative electric vehicle, but it's actually a non-plug-in hybrid. At least the Nissan Leaf got to charge, which is good, because the Leaf doesn't have an extended range option and might not have been able to get home otherwise.

But you don't have to park in an EV spot with your ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicle to be an ICEhole. Check this one out:

This photo, which I got from the ICEholes Shaming page on Facebook (yes, there is such a thing), clearly depicts an ICEhole who doesn't care if that Volt's driver is going to be able to unplug to exit the parking garage.  What an ICEhole!

Here are a few gas guzzlers that think they are Teslas:

Joke's on them I guess? 

Now, there is another kind of charger-blocker that you can't really call an ICEhole... because it's an electric car. Most EV parking spots are clearly marked for EVs, but the majority don't specifically state that the EV parked there must be plugged in and charging. This guy clearly thinks that he should be able to park his $80,000 car in any EV spot, even if he doesn't need to charge:

Which is also NOT cool. Some people call this being an "EVhole". I think that sounds silly. But it's clearly bad manners and not being a good EV team player.

What can be done to reduce ICEhole-ism? Some states take a pretty harsh route. In these states, parking in an EV spot is illegal and can result in a ticket or a tow, including Washington, Colorado, and California, to name a few. Even some Texas cities have ordinances protecting parking spots designated as EV only. In Florida, the following ordinance took effect on July 1, 2012:

"It is unlawful for a person to stop, stand, or park a vehicle that is not capable of using an electric recharging station within any parking space specifically designated for charging a vehicle. If a law enforcement officer finds a motor vehicle in violation of this subsection, the officer or specialist shall charge the operator or other person in charge of the vehicle in violation with a noncriminal traffic infraction, punishable as provided in s. 316.008(4) or s. 318.18."

This is great and it may account for the fact that I have not encountered much ICEing in central Florida. Maybe this guy didn't get the memo:

No, I didn't take that photo, but there were plenty with Florida plates to pick from on the ICE shaming Tumblr. Enjoy!

Personally, being an educator, I prefer to see these situations as "teachable moments." One of the folks in the Facebook group developed this sign:

The photo is poor and the text is hard to read, so here is what it says:

"EV charging spaces are functional reserved spaces just like disabled drivers spaces, loading/taxi zones and bus stops. Blocking an EV charging space is not only inconsiderate, it is illegal in many areas.

Blocking an EV charging space is the equivalent of someone parking their car in front of a gas pump while they shop preventing you from filling up.

Please refrain from blocking this EV charging space or any other EV charging space in the future. 

Your vehicle information has been recorded and reported to the proper authorities.

You may face parking violations, fines and towing in the future.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation."

This one is is the one I prefer to use. I got it from the Blink website, even though there is only one Blink charger in all of Orlando, at Florida Mall, which I rarely would use:

I prefer the blue one at the bottom, but I've printed out several copies of all three, sliced them up individually, and have them in my glovebox for those warm and fuzzy occasions I might need to use one.

A fellow Voltarian from Facebook shared this one:

...which I'm going to print out today, laminate and put on my windshield, particularly at work and also when I park at places like Pointe Orlando where my car might keep another EV from charging while I'm watching the Jurassic Park sequel or something like that.

Please don't be an ICEhole. There's no need to take that spot. If you want to have the benefit of parking in a spot that close, here's a thought: get an EV. We'll be happy to welcome you to the club.

Volt Gen 2. And So They Wait.

It is not news that there is a new generation of Chevrolet Volt coming out soon. West coast preorders have begun. The 2016 Volt is going to be available in California as early as September of this year and people are eagerly anticipating this new model.

I first saw the new design when I took my kiddos Sheridan (10) and Bryce (8) to see Tomorrowland starring George Clooney.

                                  

Can you say, "product placement?" Well you know, no matter how good the car is, Chevy needs to sell a lot of them.

The design is pretty different. It's still very nice to look at but, at least from my perspective, this model looks more like "other cars"... specifically, I think it looks a lot like an Accord or a Camry, although given that it is a compact car, maybe I should say, it looks more like a Civic or a Corolla. In any case, the design is changing from the very distinct looking Gen 1 Volt.

Regardless of what you think of the new design, the new Volt features several exciting changes. Here are a few of my favorites, simply stated:

1. Bigger battery which means more range (Chevy says 50 miles per charge, which for hypermilers like me will translate to 60-65 miles per charge easily).

2. Regen paddles. Right now, in order to maximize power regeneration from braking, many Volt drivers like me will shift back and forth between drive and low (I have an earlier blog regarding efficiency if you missed it) to activate the regen at will. The new Volt, like the current Cadillac ELR, will feature "regen paddles" on the steering wheel that will allow drivers to activate regen without taking their hand off the steering wheel. 

3. More driving modes. This requires a pretty complex explanation so I will save it for another blog. Let's just say for now that engine improvements have been made that allow the Gen 2 volt to be faster and more efficient.

4. Lower price tag. Combining some systems in the new model have reduced costs by around 3-4K.

A few friends, upon finding out about the immenent arrival of the Gen 2, have asked me, "Why didn't you wait?" There are two main answers to this question.

1. My lease was up on my Toyota Camry. I have to get to work, you know?

2. Even though the new Volt will be lower in price, there are good incentives right now to buy a 2015. Dealers have to clear these out to make room for the new generation.

I also have to say, even though this sounds like I'm justifying my lack of patience, that I like the style of the Gen 1 Volt better. Of course I haven't seen Gen 2 in person yet - almost no one has - and style isn't everything (although let's face it - it's a lot!) but the nose and rear have changed a lot and that's clear in photos. Those are two of the features that make the Gen 1 so outstanding compared to other cars. Watching an interview on Autoline.tv with Volt project manager Andrew Farrah, one finds the answer to the question of "why does the new Volt look like every other four dour sedan?" is a logical, but somewhat disappointing, because aerodynamic features are the same for any car, so you will see cars that need to be aerodynamic looking very similar. Point well taken. I like the way my Volt looks.

I also really do like manually shifting gears. I feel like some kind of race car driver - ironic when you consider I'm usually in the right lane going the speed limit. Or at least, I feel like I'm driving a sporty car with manual transmission - also ironic, because as hard as my sister tried to teach me to drive her Jeep, I never quite mastered the skill.

On Buzz Smith's popular blog, "My Electric Vehicle Journey," (http://buzzsmith.us) Buzz recently published some sales numbers on EVs for June 2015. The numbers decreased pretty much across the board for this June in comparison to May.

                                     

There has been a lot of speculation about this on the Chevy Volt Owners group on Facebook. Gas prices are up, and usually that means EV sales are up. What gives?

My personal theory - and it really is JUST a theory - is that there has been so much excitement about the Gen 2 Volt that people are waiting. Sure, there will be EV sales every day because people will need cars and more people are realizing the benefits of electric every day, but mark my words - there may be a huge surge once the Gen 2 Volt is widely available. Chevy just might have knocked this one out of the park. 

If I'm wrong, I'll eat my hat by going to buy a gallon of gasoline. You know how painful that is for me.

Charge on!