Volt NACOTY win is no surprise
While many debate whether Volt is an electric car or a hybrid, the fact remains – it is an appealing vehicle to a large segment of the population. Volt offers the ability to run strictly on battery power, but should you overextend your electric leash, you don’t have to be concerned with finding yourself on the side of the road with no way to get home, other than behind a tow truck. This is quite attractive to a broad segment of the population.
We have said it before, but it bears repeating – the Volt is only a four passenger vehicle. That can be the deal breaker for many. Also – it is significantly more expensive than the LEAF. We don’t care how you slice it – roughly $9,000 is still $9,000. That can buy a lot of (insert whatever you wish to buy here).
All that said – anything that moves the electric car movement in the direction of greater awareness is a good thing. We don’t really care what your political affiliations or beliefs are. If you feel that reducing dependence on foreign oil is a good thing, or you feel that it is best if we consume less fossil fuels in general, the Volt is a step in the right direction. Perhaps you grew up in a small town and when you went to the big city your eyes burned (as did ours when we were kids). Reducing pollution is a good thing. And if hybrids, and plug-in hybrids help to move us in the direction of greater use of renewable resources and less use of oil in the ground, we here at Living LEAF are all for it. Congratulations Volt on winning the North American Car of the Year.