The 2012 Chevy Volt is charging ahead in the electrifying battle to become the #1 plug in hybrid. OK, so how cheesy an opening is that, but the reality is that for the first time since the horse drawn carriage, gasoline is slowly becoming more of an optional part of the personal transportation equation. At least that’s the way it seems right now…gas powered skateboards may change the balance once again if they get popular. But I digress.

The Chevy Volt isn’t the first electric car, nor is it the sportiest (hello Fisker Karma), or the one with furthest range (nice to meet you Tesla Model S), the cheapest, the largest, the shiniest, and it can’t make balloon animals.

However…as my video below shows…it is definitely a landmark vehicle.

The Volt is simply the most practical plug in hybrid ever created, and I am not surprised that it won the European Car of the Year at the Geneva Motor Show this summer. It provides a respectable 35-40 mile electric range with a surprisingly agile internal combustion engine (aka “gas engine”). Of course, electric driving range is just one feature, even a golf cart can stagger a few miles on an electric charge.

The Volt however manages to combine plug-in technology and practicality in a fun-to-drive package, and the result is a vehicle which achieves a phenomenal gas mileage while at the same time offering conventional sedan style comfort and style. And what other car comes with not just one, but two smartphone apps to keep you informed and in touch with your vehicle? Most importantly, you don’t need to worry about running out of battery charge half way to your destination, as with other electric vehicles.

We definitely haven’t seen the last of this kind of imaginative and innovative technology. Check out my long term video review of the car below, which covers 9 months and 9000+ miles, which bursts quite a few myth balloons about this brave engineering gamble from General Motors.

https://youtu.be/hn_osO8bt6U