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Note: this post originally appeared on the blog The Future Is Electric.

Palm trees, sunshine, a cool breeze and a lineup of Volts, yeah we were back at the AltCar Expo in Santa Monica. The Chevy Recharge Lounge was there in all its glory to show off the 2013 Volt to some of SaMo’s biggest technologists in true Cali style. We kept things mellow, with DJ Josh Blanaru, our signature charging wall for cell phones and iPads, ice-cold drinks and a digital caricature artist hooking people up with custom Volt pics. Check out the vid to see for yourself.

It wouldn’t be AltCar without talking shop with some of our competitors in front of a live audience of EV know-it-alls, and I mean this in the best way possible. Dave took to the stage during the event for the annual debate to talk all things advanced tech vehicles. This debate has become a highlight on our calendar since we’ve gone “all in” on electrification and can talk Spark EV, Cadillac ELR and month-over-month Volt sales records.

And on the flip side of Carmeggedon II, Volt drivers get 10 miles of new HOV lanes to breeze through with California’s favorite little green sticker.

If we were to sum up the Volt Team’s trip to Chicago this past week it would be the word “torque.” Many of the drivers we rode with were familiar with how the Volt operated with electricity and a gasoline range extender. What they did not know was just how much fun it was to drive the Volt, especially when it was in “Sport Mode.”

During drives at ConAgra Foods, United Stationers Supply Co., Astella and Ace Hardware’s headquarters we had numerous drivers comment how zippy the Volt felt. Many, including a gentleman named Brad I rode with couldn’t believe the Volt had 273 lbs. of instant torque. He loved the idea of using less gas and charging his car, but was concerned about the power behind the wheel. We laid those concerns to rest as soon as we easily merged onto the highway and cruised through Chicago-area traffic without any issue. I was given a big smile and a fist bump (twice) after our drive had concluded.

Chicago also brought our team to another Klout Up with local social media influencers, some of which were able to drive a Volt for a few days thanks to a Klout Perks program. We had two 2013 Volts on display, giving attendees the chance to sit in the Volt and have some fun with the dashboard. There were even a few people interested in seeing just how much space there was in the back! One of the most rewarding parts of that event was sitting in the Volt as someone pressed buttons on the car and began asking a question about how the Volt works. Before I could respond, a Klout Perks member named Luis was able to accurately answer the question. It’s truly awesome to see a fan become an advocate for this car.

We were also able to meet up with Patrick and Jim, two recent Volt owners, for breakfast. They asked several questions about charging their Volt and brought up some great points that we will be bringing back to Detroit to share with the rest of our team. While it is great making new fans by giving people their first chance to drive the Volt, it is also just as important and valuable to meet and speak with owners driving the Volt every day.

Our next stops will take us to the West Coast to Portland and Palo Alto!

Chevrolet Volt owners may soon be able to see how much it costs to charge their Volt thanks to a new app from OnStar. The EcoHub app pulls home energy usage data provided by a utility or smart meter company. This data shows a vehicle’s owner exactly how much household energy is being used on a daily, monthly or yearly basis, and what percentage of that energy is being used to charge their Volt.

While it is still in the testing phase, the app will initially only be available to residents of the Pecan Street demonstration project, a smart grid living community in Austin, Texas. However, OnStar hopes to make the app available for all Volt owners in the near future.

The EcoHub app also includes a “Ticker” screen which shows the values for Total Miles Driven, Total EV Miles Driven, and Gallons of Fuel Saved collectively by Volt owners nationwide. The “Ticker” is a nice addition because it shows Volt owners that they are part of a community all working to reduce fuel use by contributing to the growing number of electric miles driven.

OnStar’s Smart Grid research is made possible by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Prior to this event, the world record for the largest number of electric vehicles participating in a rally was 219 cars. This record was met and exceeded at the recent September rally. Managing Director of Chevrolet Nederland, and Volt owner, Ronald Dubbelman said, “It was apparent from the conversations that many companies and organizations see electric cars in particular, as an important and crucial contributor to sustainable transport.”

Among the 255 electric vehicles that took part in the rally, the Volt was one of the few vehicles that were able to make the drive to Amsterdam, participate in the rally, and return home without being recharged or refueled. Thanks to its range extender, the Volt has a total range of 379 miles and it is that feature, among many others, which makes it unique from its electric vehicle competitors. 

Drivers in California can now see just how many electric miles Chevrolet Volt drivers have collectively driven thanks to some new electronic billboards. The two billboards now up in Los Angeles (Artesia freeway west of Alameda and Santa Ana freeway south of Slauson) display the words “Total electric miles drive” and include a running ticker of the EV miles.

You may also recall that Chevrolet recently introduced a rolling ticker on its website that showcases real-time daily driving statistics for Volt owners based on OnStar data. The ticker shows total number of miles driven, electric miles driven and gallons of gas saved.  How many EV miles have you driven?

This blog is written by Hillary Ascroft for the 2012 Chevrolet Volt Marketing Tour. 

Recently Chevrolet Volt was on the road on the East Coast and stopped at the second largest mall in the United States—the King of Prussia Mall in King of Prussia, Pa. With nearly 3 million square feet of retail space, five of the great pyramids would fit inside of its footprint. 

More than 600 people test drove a Volt over the weekend and the response we receive continues to be positive. People are often very skeptical of driving the vehicle because of the misconceptions and myths they’ve heard, but once our team starts talking about the Volt and they see how passionate we are about it, they usually have to take one for a test drive to see for themselves! 

The best part about the King of Prussia Mall is that they have charging stations AND they are free! We had a Volt owner stop by our tent who was so ecstatic about his new purchase that he hung out for a good half hour talking to people about the great mileage he’s been getting! We LOVE hearing all of these stories from owners because it lets us know that what we’re doing is really making a difference for the Volt.

Make sure you come and see us at the Potomac Mills Mall in Woodbridge, Va. this weekend. On Friday, we will be there from noon through 6 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. We are still giving away $10 AmEx gift cards for test driving a Volt AND a chance to win an iPad or a GoPro HD Video Camera!

A number of Volt owners in nine major cities were able to come together this weekend at Chevrolet dealerships to celebrate National Plug-In Day with some special events. They were able to chat about all things Volt, meet members of the Volt team and enjoy some snacks while a live webcast was shown. Andrew Farah, Vehicle Chief Engineer for the Volt and Michelle Malcho, Chevrolet spokesperson spent about 30 minutes answering questions submitted by owners. The webcast lasted about 30 minutes and also highlighted some profiles of real Volt owners and their stories.

Some interesting facts to come out of the webcast included:

• It is more energy efficient to charge at 240V than at 120V
• Solar panels are not utilized on the Volt due to the cost benefit and energy return of having the panels on the car
• Volt owners fill up about once every 900 miles

We were also answering some great questions on our Facebook page and Twitter account.

The webcast lasted about 30 minutes and also highlighted some profiles of real Volt owners and their stories. You may view the video below.

To celebrate National Plug-In Day and the great support from our fans and owners, the Chevrolet Volt team is hosting a webcast with Andrew Farah, Vehicle Chief Engineer for the Chevrolet Volt. Andrew will be answering questions that were submitted in advance by owners from around the country.

Things will kick-off at 2:30PM EDT and run until around 3:15 PM EDT. You can click on the box below to view the webcast.

We will also be using the hash tag #VoltPlugIn on Twitter to connect everyone to the conversation there.