The Volts Are Here! New Jersey Man Takes the First

Jeffrey Kaffee of Parsippany, N.J., is the first customer to take possession of a Chevy Volt, GM's electric hybrid car.

(Credit: Emile Wamsteker for Chevrolet/General Motors)

General Motors on Wednesday delivered its first consumer-ready Chevy Volt to Jeffrey Kaffee of Parsippany, N.J.

The Volt is GM's much-anticipated hybrid electric car that can run on electricity alone or a combination of electricity and gas.

As part of the deal, Kaffee, a retired airline pilot, traded in his old Toyota Prius at the Gearhart Chevrolet Dealership in Denville, N.J., to get the 2011 Chevy Volt.

GM said Kaffee is just one of 360 customers who will receive Chevy Volts this week. In addition to the New York metropolitan area, Volts straight from the company's Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant are also being delivered this week to dealerships in California, and the Austin, Texas., and Washington, D.C., areas, according to GM.

The Chevy Volt has garnered much attention in the last year, not only for its innovative new car, but also for its mileage claims. GM initially claimed that the Volt got the equivalent of 230 miles per gallon for city driving. The car ultimately received a 93 miles per gallon equivalent (mpge) rating for combined city and highway driving in all electric mode, and 37 mpge in gas-only mode, according to the new car ratings system developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

GM's news follows Nissan's announcement last week that it had delivered the first Nissan Leaf to its first customer. Olivier Chalouhi, founder and CEO of the start-up Fanhattan, and wife Jan received their Nissan Leaf at the North Bay Nissan of Petaluma dealership in California. Chalouhi did not have a car on trade-in, as his previous mode of transport was an electric bicycle.

Source: CNet