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As you drive on, calendars and informative graphs will show just how often you hit your goals and keep track of your efficiency over time to identify patterns. From there, you can set new goals to find your ideal balance of EV miles and gas miles, no matter the length of your drive.

Download the app today! Android users: http://bit.ly/Wz4IAn  Apple users: http://bit.ly/VbJfOB 

Disclaimer: Available on select iPhone and Android devices. Services vary by phone, vehicle and conditions. Requires active OnStar subscription, which is standard for the first three years.

The simple brick building on Argonne National Laboratory’s 1,700-acre forested campus famous for its white deer population looks more like an outdated high school than a cutting-edge research facility. But inside the walls of this modest structure, located just outside Chicago, Illinois, scientists are working in a number of different labs (one so dry its humidity levels mimic Antarctica)—sticking their hands into aquarium-like “glove boxes” to manipulate chemicals; slicing electrodes, and performing all manner of other scientific magic—in their quest to create the best and most advanced battery technology to power plug-in electric vehicles with a gas generator, such as the Chevy Volt.

Argonne’s history is as ripe with mystery and intrigue as its present. Born of Enrico Fermi’s Manhattan Project—which produced the first atomic bomb—the lab’s work began at the University of Chicago on Chicago’s South Side, but later moved out of town to continue concentrating on its potentially dangerous experiments in relative seclusion. Since its beginnings in 1942, three Argonne physicists have gone on to receive Nobel Prizes for physics, including Fermi himself.

Chevrolet Volt owners have recently reached an exciting milestone, they have collectively driven more than 100 million all-electric miles since the vehicle was introduced. In fact, the average Volt owner travels more than 65 percent of the time on all-electric, just as the car was designed to do.

You may remember that, less than six months ago, Volt owners celebrated collectively driving 40 million electric miles and saving the equivalent of a supertanker of gas. Since then, drivers have more than doubled their electric mile output and every owner has helped contribute.

Through regular charging, the average Volt owner travels approximately 900 miles, or a month and half between fill-ups and saves more than $1,300 a year in fuel costs. Additionally, since most Volt owners drive electric for everyday commuting and use gas for extended range trips, many quickly exceed that average.

Check out this infographic to see how 100 million all-electric miles really adds up!

Jascha Little doesn’t do anything halfway. He’s a Krav Maga enthusiast, an avid rock climber, a builder of competitive robots and, in his spare time, a mechanical engineer in Los Angeles who works on technology’s bleeding edge, on projects such as the 10,000 Year Clock mission and NASA’s Sample Return Robot Challenge. So when he decided to head out for a long weekend of backpacking in the California mountains in his new 2012 Chevy Volt, we knew that he’d go big before he’d go home. He rounded up fellow engineer Zoe and old friends Chad and Randy from Austin, Texas, and made the 10-hour drive from his L.A. home base to Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, 7,500 acres of ancient redwoods and Pacific shoreline in Mendocino County.

“I hadn’t taken the Volt on any really long trips, so this was a first,” Jascha explained. The crew was impressed with the ample storage room: All four of them had brought along hiking equipment, camping gear and big backpacks, and it all fit. As far as powering the electric, “I charged up before we left L.A.,” Jascha added, “and I stopped to recharge in San Francisco. Driving was smooth, and the Volt handled highway speeds really well.”

Sinkyone Wilderness is now a sanctuary for ancient redwoods and other protected wildlife, including a herd of Roosevelt Elk, migrating gray whales, harbor seals and sea lions, and various bears that are common in the state of California. Jascha and his friends are experienced hikers familiar with the rigors of primitive camping, so they were schooled in how to properly respect and deal with the flora and fauna they would likely encounter.

Are YOU the most efficient Volt driver? Now you can find out. The new Chevrolet Volt Driver Challenge (DC) app lets you track, maximize and compare your Volt’s efficiency to other drivers on the road.

This free app allows you to set EV goals, unlock badges, share your achievements and stats online as well as compete with other owners in your area to find out just how your statistics compare. Put simply, it gives Volt drivers another reason to control just how much gas they use (or don’t).

As you maximize your efficiency with VoltDC, your vehicle’s stats can earn you the top spot on the community leaderboards for highest EV percentage. Stay tuned for more features and tips on the new VoltDC app!

Download the app today! Android users: http://bit.ly/Wz4IAn  Apple users: http://bit.ly/VbJfOB

For the second year in a row, Chevrolet Volt owners have voiced their confidence of choice with their purchase of their electric car with extended range. Consumer Reports reported today that 92 percent of respondents who own the Volt say they would definitely buy it again.

“The best sign of a great product is when your customers are the most satisfied in the industry. Volt owners have found the Chevrolet Volt meets all of their driving needs. Not only is it fun to drive, but provides technology where consumers need it most. On average our Volt owners visit the gas station every 900 miles,” said Cristi Landy, Volt Marketing Director. “For the second year our owners have voiced their opinion on how much they value their vehicle and how the Chevrolet Volt is leading the industry in customer satisfaction.”

We'd like to thank our fans for this distinction and for their continued support.

 Talk about an electrifying journey! This week the U.S. Ambassador to Italy, David Thorne, drove a Chevrolet Volt to meet with the Mayor of Milan, Giuliano Pisapia.  Ambassador Thorne, out of respect for the environment, asked to personally test drive the Volt to his meeting at Palazzo Marino. The Ambassador made the trip in full electric mode, avoiding using any gasoline and the emission of pollutants.

It was Ambassador Thorne’s first time driving a Volt. Afterward, he said he was impressed with its power, maneuverability and sleek exterior design. He went on to describe the Volt as cutting-edge for energy and sustainability research, which he considers a crucial part of an automotive revolution.

Note: this blog originally appeared on the site Faces of GM.

Nearly half the workers at the GM Brownstown Battery Assembly Plant are ages 24-31. Earlier this year we showed you how GM is working to attract this millennial generation as customers and employees. In this story we introduce you to some of the young people who are building the future of the automotive industry.