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General Motors garnered plenty of free publicity by showcasing the Chevy Volt, scheduled to go on sale at the end of 2010. CBS' Jim Axelrod explained the difference between the Volt and Toyota's Prius or Honda's Insight: "Those two are gas-powered cars that get an electric boost; the Volt is an electric car that gets a gas assist." With a lithium battery that can be recharged overnight by household electricity, the Volt boasts a 40-mile daily range using no gasoline whatsoever and an average gasoline consumption of 320 mpg. CNBC's Phil LeBeau, who filed for NBC from GM's test track in Michigan, pointed out that the Volt's $40K selling price is "a little steep" yet he predicted that 'a lot of people will be interested" if the price of a gallon of gasoline returns to $4.
On ABC, Bill Weir profiled the Volt's electric competition: Myers from Akron, Tango from Spokane, Smith from Britain, BYD from China, Think City from Norway, Leaf from Nissan, the Roadster from Tesla and the Mini-E from BMW. Weir got behind the wheel of a Mini-E and floored it: "I do love that torque!" What is the hassle? Its batteries "take 23 hours to charge on a standard wall socket."
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