So I drove a Chevy Volt yesterday...
 

I didn't drive it very far as I'm still a relatively inexperienced driver, and it had been several months since the last time I had driven. Not to mention, I was filled with a paralyzing fear of crashing my friend's brand-new car; but once I overcame that fear, I was filled with a sense of utter joy. Not unlike the same feeling I had when I first rode a Segway. Out of the handful of cars I've driven (a 2005 Dodge Magnum, a 1991 Jeep Wrangler, a 2006 mini cooper s convertible with the supercharger, a 2005 Ford Expedition, and a 1973 MGB) the volt was hands-down the best. Now admittedly, I am a car buff, and while I've only driven a handful of cars, I've ridden in virtually every thing you can imagine, from exotics, all the way down to little British sports cars. In my opinion, the volt somehow manages to pass them all. I guess the thing that impressed me most about it was that it was able to take something as mundane as your average commuter econobox, in turn it into a truly enjoyable experience. because the battery pack is situated right in the middle of the car, running along the center tunnel, the weight is well distributed throughout the vehicle and the center of gravity is quite low, leading you to believe that if you're driving a sportier vehicle than you actually are. to put it simply, I went in to the driving experience of the volt, expecting to mock it and to write it off is simply another Prius. But I left the volt with a Segway smile.

I wanted to like the Volt so much, because I like its particular design concept as a hybrid. But, I would have a very difficult time living with it long-term for a couple of simple & basice reasons:

-The front seats are very flat, contourless, hard, and basically uncomfortable. I can't imagine a long trip...
-Considering this is a 4-door sedan, the back seats are relatively useless, except for small adults and children. There is very little headroom for normal size adults.

The rest of the car seems great.

What is the range of the volt?

The volt has anywhere between 25 to 50 miles of all electric range, averaging about 35 to 40 miles. After which point a 1.4 L gasoline engine kicks in to turn a generator and provide power to drive the wheels, giving you another 370 or so miles out of a tank of gas.

I hear you, as a car I could really kind of take it or leave it. The part that excites me is the drivetrain. With the way technology is advancing, I would expect to see this system in a wide variety of vehicles across GM's range, and I think it could really improve the driving and fuel economy characteristics of a wide range of vehicles. I mean personally, I'm holding out for a pick up truck with this type of drivetrain. as much as I like the volt now, it wouldn't really work for me either, as I use a Segway for mobility purposes, and it's a bit difficult for me to get a segway in and out of a hatch or trunk with ramps. that being said, I have a 40 mile round-trip commute to and from school, and if I could do it without any gasoline whatsoever I'd be a happy camper, and gladly put up with the inconveniences of having to use ramps over a segvator.

Why couldn't you use a Segvator? Are hitches not available? Are custom ones not possible (or would they be too pricey)?

Prius's aren't supposed to tow, but I have an after-market hitch designed specifically for the Gen1 Prius. Since lots of people use hitches for all manner of non-towing attachments, like bike racks, I would expect hitches to become available if the Volt is sold in any appreciable numbers, unless there's some serious technical barrier.

It's not quite that simple - there is a mechanical propulsion element to the gasoline motor in range extending mode at 70 mph +

http://gm-volt.com/2010/10/12/chevro...stem-unveiled/

Sounds similar to the Prius
http://eahart.com/prius/psd/

In some respects yes, granted the Prius' electric motor isn't capable of solely powering the car at high speeds.

The Prius, however, allows an arbitrary split of power via the electrical vs mechanical paths. I don't know the details of the Volt's mechanical path, but the PSD allows close optimization of the ICE, where both power draw and ICE RPM are independent of the wheel RPM. Can the Volt system do that? There are other ways, but planetary gears are dead simple and reliable.