Chevrolet Volt wins What Car? Alternative-fuel Award

The Chevrolet Volt has been acclaimed as winner of the 'Alternative-fuel category' in the prestigious What Car? Green Awards 2012.

"The Chevrolet Volt is an alternative-fuel car without compromise. It can travel 40 miles on electric power then
switches to its petrol engine, so there's no range-anxiety involved. It is also effortless to drive, quick, comfortable and whisper-quiet," said What Car? Editor-in-chief, Chas Hallet.

As an alternative-fuel solution, the Chevrolet Volt stands out from the crowd because its wheels are powered by electricity at all times. The advanced 150 ps electric drive unit is supported by a small 1.4-litre petrol-fuelled generator which seamlessly continues to power the battery, and keep the driver going further for longer.

The results are a total driving range of more than 300 miles and, according to figures produced on the official European Test Cycle (ECE R101), Volt achieves 235.4 mpg and combined tailpipe emissions of just 27 g/km.

Beyond the innovative technology that drives the £29,995 Volt, there is plenty of practicality and an abundance of creature comforts to be found in the spacious 4-seater, including a rear-view camera, front and rear parking sensors, heated leather seats and eight airbags.

"The key innovation of Volt is that it eliminates the concern of 'range anxiety' while offering genuine electric vehicle ownership and benefits. As a result Volt has redefined expectations in the alternative-fuel sector, offering cleaner motoring without any compromise in terms of ownership," said Rebecca Lawman – Head of Marketing Chevrolet UK.

As well as benefiting from the government's Plug-In Car Grant, zero VED, zero Congestion Charge and a 50 per cent reduction in company car tax, Volt costs around £1.00 to fully charge, depending on tariff. But since it doesn't rely on a public charging infrastructure for propulsion, it can continue to be driven normally on electric power if a charging point isn't available.

Success in the What Car? Green Awards 2012 joins the Volt's expanding honours worldwide, including 'North American Car of the Year 2011', 'World Green Car of the Year 2011' and 'European Car of the Year 2012'. There have also been accolades for safety such as the maximum 5-star Euro NCAP rating.

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