IS THE CHEVY VOLT GOOD TO GO?

Motoring reporters are all asking the same question: Is GM's latest electric car the Chevy Volt good to go or is it just a cleaver marketing pretender?

The General Motors Corporation along with the Toyota Motor Corporation and the Honda Motor Company have all released electric vehicles before - some of which have had limited success. But the winning electric car has yet to arrive.

What makes the winning formulae for electric cars is centered on price, style and the convenience of battery recharging.

The Chevy Volt has been advertised as having a 640-mile range with a small combustion engine to recharge batteries. The style takes the lines of a Cadillac sports model. The price hasn't been determined for the general public.

GM insists it's a 100% electric car as only electricity powers the vehicle and, unlike the hybrids, the engine is used only to recharge the battery. Marketing experts say the Chevy Volt is still three years away. And that's almost an eternity in the auto business. DPM