Big Eco Trip:
The Chevy Volt Hits the Pavement

A spontaneous plan for a big eco trip with friends to hop into their cars and take a road trip across country used to be very common in the days that gasoline cost about the same amount as a value menu cheeseburger.

With sky high gas prices, drivers need a fuel-efficient vehicle, particularly with gas and electric propulsion power, to not break the bank driving from Tucson to Los Angeles. The Chevy Volt fits this description perfectly and can be had right now at a very competitive rate.

The Chevy Volt can travel upwards of 400-500 miles on a fully-charged battery and a full nine gallon tank of gas, depending on several driving factors.

Being able to find charging stations on your route can increase this range even further.

There are conventional ways to do this and others that require some creative thinking.

Car lots across the country- from Chevrolet dealers in Phoenix to Philadelphia- are seeing sales rise on their top fuel efficient vehicle, so more charging stations are sure to follow suit.

Charged Up

Ivan Torres, a sales associate at one of the Chevy dealers in Phoenix said you can find several charging stations if you put in a little effort.

“There are communities of Volt owners across the country who will allow you to use their charging station sometimes for free on your big eco trip and other times for small payments,” he said.

A quick search on Craigslist in the community section of Tucson resulted in two individuals offering their personal home charger for payments of $5 and $4 respectively.

There is also a website called Chargepointamerica.com which contains a map of the United States and animated red push pins indicating there is a charging station in that area.

You would simply need to fill out the application for what is called a ChargePass card which pays for access to the stations.

Your Own Path

Now that your Volt is charged up and ready to go your big eco trip trip is ready to take off. Where are you planning to go?

What funky attractions do you want to see?

You may want to find a route and hot spots that stick close to the charge stations, but even if you have to use gasoline to get you to the World's Biggest Ball of Twine you're still getting great MPG.

No one should say "No" to a beach getaway or how about a trip to NYC? Wherever you're headed, the Chevy Volt gives you more miles to spend driving from attraction to attraction.

Always wanted to see where the movie "Deliverance" was shot?
Well you can do more than go off the beaten path.

Car companies are stepping up their eco-friendly game and with the high rise in gas prices, road trips have almost been put on the back burner. Have no fear with modern fuel efficiency and a (literally) super-charged new way to travel.