GM’s Marketing VP driving 2,400 miles to 2010 LA Auto Show in the Chevy Volt

November 12, 2010November 11, 2010 Omar Rana 2010 LA Auto Show, 2011, Chevrolet Volt, Compact Cars, electric-cars, electric-vehicles, Joel Ewanick, plug-in hybrids

Joel Ewanick driving 2011 Chevrolet Volt to 2010 LA Auto Show

While many automotive industry executives will be jumping on airplanes to fly over to the 2010 LA Auto Show next week, General Motors U.S. Marketing Vice President Joel Ewanick has decided to drive the Chevrolet Volt to Los Angeles.

“We done a number of these kind of drives and I have missed every one of them for one reason or another,” he said Thursday. “I told my wife I wanted to be able to drive across country. It”s a proof of concept for me. We”re making history here with the Volt. I don”t think I would do this for just any car.”

Ewanick, formerly the head of marketing for Hyundai, will take a 5 day trip for a total of 2,400 miles to his destination.

Click here for more news on the Chevrolet Volt.

“We”ve scheduled some dealer meetings, and we”ll visit some who don”t know we”re coming,” Ewanick said. “Getting public reaction to the Volt from chance encounters along the way is part of the fun. Some of the technology is so sophisticated. “I want to help people understand it”s a real car, one that can be your only car.”

Ewanick is being accompanied by Lane Rezek, a Voltec powertrain development engineer, who brought along some testing equipment to get real-world data on the Volt”s 16kwh battery beyond the million miles of development driving already done.

“We”re going to just wing it,” Rezek said. “We”re thinking Des Moines tonight.”

Click here to read our first drive impressions of the 2011 Chevrolet Volt.

Refresher: The 2011 Chevrolet Volt is powered by 16-kWh, “T”-shaped lithium-ion battery that powers the electric drive unit, which allows it to drive 40 miles on battery power alone. The system puts out 149-hp and a maximum torque of 273 lb-ft, allowing the Volt to go from 0-60 mph in about 9 seconds, hitting a top speed of 100 mph. The battery can be re-charged by plugging into a household outlet and takes 4 hours to recharge on 240 volts, and about 10-12 hours on a standard 120-volt outlet. The Chevrolet Volt also carries an 84-hp 1.4 4-clyinder engine that allows the five-door, FWD sedan to travel additional miles while averaging a fuel-economy of 50 mpg. A fully charged battery and full tank of gas will allow the Volt to travel 310 miles. Prices for the 2011 Chevrolet Volt start at $41,000 but with a full federal income tax credit (which range from $0 to $7,500), the Volt can cost a total of $33,500.