Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Chevy Volt hybrid giving local environmentalists a charge
Hybrid electric Chevy Volt gets 100 km/litre of gas in city driving. (GARY MALERBA / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
LOCAL environmental groups are hoping Winnipeg drivers will soon be turning the ignition of a new car that's a "perfect fit" to help usher in a new era of sustainable transportation in the city.
General Motors' much-hyped Chevrolet Volt, unveiled earlier this week, is a four-door family plug-in hybrid sedan with a big, big boast -- it can go nearly 100 kilometres per litre of gas in city driving.
The new technology is promising for hydroelectricity-rich Manitoba, said Ajaleigh Williams, co-ordinator of the Red River Valley Clean Cities Coalition.
"Electric vehicles have huge potential in Manitoba," Williams said. "We already have a clean energy source, so it makes sense."
Curt Hull of the Manitoba Eco-Network called the Volt an "exciting prospect" for the market.
"You can't understate the importance of electric vehicles in the fight against climate change," he said.
The Volt's fuel efficiency in the city will be four times more than the Toyota Prius hybrid, one of the most fuel-efficient cars on the road.
But both Williams and Hull caution that Volt's technology isn't the final solution and is only part of the puzzle.
Mechanisms need to be put in place for a variety of "transition technologies," Williams said, if the province and city were ever to go completely electric. Those include biodiesel, ethanol and hydrogen, Williams said.
"Overnight, everyone's not going to switch cars," she said.
"More people still need to be riding buses, walking, or riding bicycles," Hull said.
Electric cars are also not ecologically free, he added, as they have an indirect connection to fossil fuels that people aren't aware of.
"The more electricity we use, the less Hydro can export," he explained. "If we prevent the use of hydro in our province, we prevent the use of coal or other power in another province or state."
Manitoba Hydro is currently studying the effect of electric cars on the electricity grid, Hydro spokesman Glenn Schneider said.
The only thing that may hold back the Volt from initial commercial success is its steep proposed price tag, US$40,000, which could make some Winnipeggers keep their wallets closed.
"Not everyone's lifestyle can afford that," Williams said, adding that she would wait a few years if she were to purchase one.
High capital cost is part of the business, she added, before pointing to the steadily decreasing cost of buying a Prius.
Still, the Volt is already generating a buzz at GM dealers in the city, with potential owners asking when they can get one.
Sam Vickar, general manager of Vickar Chevrolet, said he's had a half-dozen people call him since the car's fuel economy was announced Tuesday.
"People are calling saying, 'Sam, put my name down for one,' " Vickar said. "If I had an exact price, I'd have three people giving me partial payments to put down already."
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 14, 2009 A9
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