That’s one small step for man, and one less really big barge full of fuel for mankind.
That’s basically what General Motors’ Chevrolet division is saying in its latest effort to pitch the Volt extended-range plug-in as a way for prospective drivers to save both money and the earth.
Chevrolet estimates that Volt drivers have saved more than 2.1 million gallons of gas – or one supertanker – by driving their vehicles in electric mode. Since the model launched in late 2010, Volt drivers, who, on average, use electricity 60 percent of the time and fuel from the car’s on-board generator the rest of the time, have put on 40 million electric-only miles on the car, saving a combined $8 million in unused gasoline the process.
While the Volt fell about 2,300 units short of Chevy’s goal to sell 10,000 units last year, 2012 sales through April tripled from a year earlier to 5,377 units. We anxiously await Nissan’s own claim on how many fleets worth of gas its Leaf drivers have saved…