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LOS
ANGELES -- While covering the 2011
Los Angeles Auto Show last November, I noticed a big sign next
to the Chevrolet Volt. It said the electric car could be driven
with a single occupant in California’s HOV or high occupancy
vehicle (carpool) lane. Then, news reports surfaced that the Volt
was no longer eligible for that sticker. What happened?
“We
basically had to do some re-engineering of the exhaust system
and also a little bit of the evaporative emissions we had to tone
down just a bit so it met the state’s designation of what
it calls an enhanced ATP zone vehicle,“ said Shad D. Balch,
General Motors’ Environment and Energy Specialist for the
Western Region. “The 2012 Chevrolet Volt does qualify for
the California HOV carpool lane access. If you buy the 2012 car
with the package, then you can go apply at the DMV for a carpool
lane sticker.“
How does
a consumer get an HOV sticker once he or she has bought a Volt?
“It’s
very simple, after they take possession of the car, they just
need to go to the DMV’s website, which is dmv.ca.gov,”
he added. “They will just find a link for the little carpool
sticker, you’ll see it on there. You just need to have your
VIN number and some other information. It’s a very simple
online process.”
When will
the new Chevrolet Volts with the low emissions package be arriving
in showrooms?
“We
started building the new Volts with the low emissions package
last Monday, Feb. 6,” Balch explained.“A few of them
are already on carriers on the way from Detroit. So they should
be landing here in California in about two to three weeks.”
When I
looked through the newspaper, I didn’t see any mention of
the Chevrolet Volt in the dealer advertisements. Also, there were
no commercials for the electric vehicle on the radio or on TV.
Why is that?
“We’re
getting ready to launch a massive statewide advertising campaign
in California focusing on the Volt,” the environment and
energy specialist said. “It will include both the $1,500
rebate incentive that comes with the new low emissions package
as well as the carpool lane sticker. There’s going to be
a big push in some of the big city areas like Los Angeles, San
Francisco and San Diego.”
How are
sales figures for the Chevrolet Volt since it was introduced to
the market?
“So
far, they’ve been pretty good,” he added. “They
slowed down just a bit when we had the issue with the battery
investigation back in Detroit. We think that now that we’ve
moved beyond that and the government has closed their investigation
and found nothing wrong with the car, sales will pick up.”
I heard
the cost of the Chevrolet Volt would be going down for the second
generation. Do you have an idea of when that might be?
“Unfortunately,
I don’t get to talk much about the second generation,”
Balch explained. “But I can tell you that the 2012 Volt
is already $1,000 less than what the 2011 was. The prices are
already coming down, which is a good thing. The base price for
the 2012 Volt with the low emissions package is about $39,900.”
Southern
California may be the perfect place to buy or lease the Chevrolet
Volt because there are 202 electric vehicle charging stations,
according to ChargePoint.net.
“It’s
an extremely popular car out here and being here in southern California,
it’s very interesting to see the Hollywood community turning
to Chevrolet to find the new, green car,” the environment
and energy specialist said. “That’s just one example
of how the Volt has made new in roads with new audiences out here,
new customers.”
For
more information or to order your own Chevrolet Volt, visit www.chevrolet.com/Volt.
To apply for an HOV carpool lane sticker, visit http://dmv.ca.gov/forms/reg/reg1000.pdf.
Related
Story: Test
Drive: Living with a Chevrolet Volt is easy and painless
Photo
credit: General Motors
The
2012 Chevrolet Volt with the downtown Los Angeles skyline in the
background.
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
GM's
Shad D. Balch works on his laptop inside a meeting room inside
the Pacific Design Center in Los Angeles.
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
This
big sign was located next to the 2012 Chevrolet Volt at the L.A.
Auto Show last November.
PHOTO
BY JASON RZUCIDLO / ©AMERICAJR.com
The
2012 Chevrolet Volt was being charged at the L.A. Auto Show.
