My friend picked up his new Chevy Volt today.

[Gregorian]

5. I've been driving and riding around in one the last few months.

First, it's a great engineering achievement. More lines of code are in that computer than in a fighter jet. It's phenomenal. The universal garage door opener probably took a massive effort to conform to all of the manufacturers, alone.

It was quite strange to drive the first time, since there is no noise when starting.

However, it is 4000 pounds of mass. That's just crazy. But that's the way modern humans like things, I guess.

As for the gauge on the dash that shows MPG, it is essentially a lie. It's MPG plus energy from charging the batteries. That mpg excludes a major factor involved in moving the car.

The car is fantastic for short trips. This is where it excels. One can use this car and never have the engine come on. This is how it differs from the other hybrids. They put a priority on running from batteries.