Battle to be first electric car “sparking” hot

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In all of my excitement to report about Nissan’s March 30, 2010 press release on the all-new Nissan Leaf, I totally overlooked an announcement from General Motors. On the eve of the 2010 New York Auto Show (the same day Nissan issued its press release), General Motors announced that the new 2011 Chevy Volt would be available on showroom floors in November 2010. How could I have not blogged about this at the same time?

For those of you who don’t know, the Chevy Volt is also an electric car that, according the company’s website, can create its own electricity. When fully charged (accomplished by plugging the car in overnight), the car can run 40 miles on pure electricity. After about 40 miles, a “range-extending gas generator” kicks in, which recharges the battery and adds up to 300 drivable miles on a single tank of gas. The ability to have a car re-generate energy will be a strong selling point in why consumers should pick the Volt over the Nissan Leaf. A jump start on sales won’t hurt either.

So I have to ask: who has been holding out to be a part of the first generation of electric car owners?