Note: For more from Alexandra, visit the "Ask Alexandra" tab on the Chevrolet Volt Facebook page.
I was talking about my EV1 the other day, and I admitted I was in love with that car. I am no car person, I am an environmentalist and when I look at a car all I care about is the amount of pollution it emits. Styling, speed, performance… those features secondary to efficiency. The only reason I am so passionate about plug-in vehicles is that they are so much better for the environment when compared to their gas counterparts.
But the EV1 was different. I loved it for its 100+ mile electric range powered by our solar panels, but I also loved its aerodynamic sleekness, its amazing turning radius, its ability to beat those smug Porsches off the line, its coded, keyless entry and startup. I loved my car’s hunter green body and the tan interior into which I nestled like a womb which protected me from the noisy world outside. The EV1 was my First Love. And just like my human first love, where every subsequent boyfriend was compared to my boyfriend Bill, whom I started dating when I was a teenager; every vehicle I have driven since is measured up against the EV1.
I have 5 pages in an album dedicated to that car, where I have lovingly included photos from the day I picked it up in 1996 to the day it was taken in 2003, the General Motors letter of denial when I tried to re-lease, and the insurance card for the vehicle. When the tow truck came to take it away I wept inconsolably, sure I would never drive a vehicle like that again.
I was wrong. I have come to love the Volt with almost equal fervor, and I appreciate how well it suits my lifestyle. With the Volt in our household, I drive as many electric miles but with the added benefit of being able to travel long distances when needed. Ian was thus able to shed the gas car we kept for those trips. He now drives a full electric RAV, so 99% of the time we are each driving on sun-powered electricity and our combined GHG footprint has been dramatically lowered. The Volt does not perform like the sporty EV1, but its added space compensates. We can fit a bike, a surfboard or three friends inside. The Volt’s handling is still excellent and everyone who drives it comments on how well it drives. As for styling, the Volt is one fine-looking car.
Am I over the EV1? Not completely. My heart pitter pattered when I saw one at a GM facility earlier this summer, but I know the Volt is the perfect car for me now. Just like my husband Ian is the perfect man for me. Every day, I am so grateful I got over my first love and found him.
Alexandra Paul is a longtime electric vehicle advocate, actress and former EV1 driver. She is working with Chevrolet to educate consumers about EVs and the Volt. Full disclosure, Chevrolet is paying her for her time, but her opinions will always be hers.
written by Linda Nicholes, September 04, 2011
Though it's true that the loss of 800 EV1s by the people who drove them and loved them and lost them still seems enormously senseless. Every one of us in the EV community continues to morn those "crushing" losses while applauding the fact that the very automakers who once destroyed our cars are now making our cars!
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