General Motors launches new electric hybrid car in US

The Opec oil crisis of the early 1970s, Jeffrey Kaffee, a former commercial pilot, remembers, led to huge frustration at long petrol queues. Lesson learnt, years later Kaffee became a Prius owner. Then, last week, he moved on to General Motors' new plug-in electric hybrid, the Chevrolet Volt.

Kaffee was on holiday in Florida when the car came in to his local dealership, in Denville, New Jersey. The sellers flew him back for the day to take the silver-coloured five-door saloon for a spin.

"We drove it a lot," he said. "The car was on all day. It was after 2 o'clock when I  was finished for the day and I looked down and it had half a battery to go. It was doing fine."

Impressed by the test run, Kaffee, who is now an estate agent, decided to make the car his main commuting vehicle.

The Volt is the first extended-range electric vehicle to be made for the mass market by one of the big US carmakers, and hits the streets at the same time as the Nissan Leaf, an entirely electric hatchback.

Both cars are being marketed as green alternatives, with Nissan running adverts showing a driver getting hugged by a polar bear. The two electric rivals began shipping out last week, in limited quantities to selected areas, including California, Texas, New York, New Jersey and Washington.

Unlike initial experiences with electric cars in the 1990s – when General Motors ended up recalling and crushing the entire fleet – the Volt, first unveiled at the Detroit auto show four years ago, is seen as an important part of GM's comeback.

Early indications are encouraging. The car has received gushing reviews from car magazines, and more than 200,000 people have signed up for more information about the Volt on the company website.

The Volt's additional small petrol engine is seen as a safeguard against the "range anxiety" - the distance it is possible to travel on a charged battery - that is associated with 100% electric vehicles.

Even Kaffee, who initially signed up for both vehicles, had reservations. "The Leaf is a great car around town but you can't really take it on an extended trip," he said. "You wouldn't want a day when you are out there and you are out of juice."

So far availability of the Volt has been limited; 160 cars were shipped last week, and only 10,000 more are planned for all of next year. So there are waiting lists.

There were reports last week that some showrooms were charging a premium of as much as $5,000 over the manufacturers' price.

The Volt manages between 35 and 40 miles on a single charge before the petrol engine takes over, extending the possible range to about 380 miles. It takes about eight hours to fully recharge the battery on the standard American 110-volt household outlet.

The price of the car starts at $41,000 (£26,000), which is relatively expensive in the US, but sellers say the price is dictated by the $15,000 cost of the battery pack. Customers in the US are, however, eligible for a $7,300 tax credit, bringing down the price to about $33,000.

The Leaf is reported to be able to travel about 100 miles on a single charge. The car sells for just under $33,000 and also qualifies for a $7,500 tax credit, bringing down the price to about $25,000.