Chevrolet Volt. Electric when you want it, gas when you need it.

Note: The 2012 Chevy Volt offers an EPA-estimated 35 miles on a full charge based on 94 MPGe [electric] and an additional 340 miles with a full tank based on 35 city, 40 MPG highway [gas]. Actual range varies with conditions.

The Chevy Volt is unique among electric cars because it runs on two sources of energy. You have an electric source – a battery – that allows you to drive gas-free for an EPA-estimated 35 miles. And there’s also an onboard gas generator that produces electricity so you can go farther. So if you want to drive using only electricity, you can. If you want to drive using electricity and gas, you can do that, too. Feeling all charged up? Check out what this current Chevy Volt driver has to say about his unique driving lifestyle…

Adam Meltzer’s life is anything but predictable. With three jobs and plenty of running around to do come the weekend, he says he relies on his Volt to keep him moving and motivated. “In Los Angeles you spend a lot of time in your car. If your car is not comfortable, it’s like working in an uncomfortable desk chair with a bad computer screen,” he says. Luckily, he loves his ride. “Before this car I didn’t even like driving. It was something I had to do.”

Want to tour across California in a Chevrolet Volt and experience that state’s best organic and sustainable farms, wineries, food producers, breweries and urban gardeners? Follow Jerry James Stone as he makes discovers some great spots in the golden state.
 
Jerry is a food and wine writer for Discovery Channel and NPR Northern California. He's also the main recipe developer for TreeHugger's Green Wine Guide. For the next 20 days Jerry will be traveling across California in a Chevrolet Volt and blogging about his experiences with both the amazing food he will be enjoying and the sustainable practices he will be learning about, including the Chevrolet Volt. We will be sharing his blogs right here on ChevroletVoltAge.com. Along with his writings, Jerry will be taking plenty of pictures and, from time to time, providing us with video of his tour.
 
You can learn more about Jerry here. Keep checking back on VoltAge for updates on his tour.

Please Note: this post originally appeared on General Motors' Beyond Now blog.

You might remember GM’s work to convert scrap Chevrolet Volt battery covers into wildlife habitats—from wood duck nesting boxes to bat houses.

Instead of sending that material to a landfill, we reuse it to benefit wildlife. So far, GM has created and installed more than 150 of them at designated wildlife habitat areas surrounding its facilities, as well as various locations across the United States.  And that number is ever-increasing.

The project is a fun and rewarding one, with GM environmental engineers oftentimes working alongside students and community groups to convert them. The team enjoys spreading the word about recycling and helping instill a deeper understanding and appreciation for nature.

Birgit Keil, a green and cause-minded cartoonist and blogger, recently came to us to learn more about the bat house project. After talking with GM Manager of Waste Reduction Efforts, John Bradburn, she drew the cartoon above. Visit her blog at http://justbeacartoon.com/ for more information about GM’s effort and why swapping out insect killer for a bat house might be a smart, nature-friendly choice.