Retired Airline Pilot Takes Delivery of First Electric Car Chevrolet Volt

A caravan of car carriers loaded with Chevrolet Volt electric vehicles departed the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant Monday, bound for initial retail launch markets in California, Texas, Washington, D.C. and New York. The first customers should receive their extended-range electric cars within days.

Retired airline pilot Jeffrey Kaffee on Wednesday became the first customer in the United States to take delivery of a Chevrolet Volt electric car withlithium ion batteries with extended range capability.

Kaffee returned early from a vacation to pick up his Volt at Gearhart Chevrolet in Denville, N.J. His is one of 360 Volts being shipped this week from the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant. Others were delivered to Chevrolet dealers in the Washington, D.C., area and are en route to California and Austin, Texas.

Kaffee is trading in a Toyota Prius hybrid for his Volt.

Founded in Detroit in 1911, Chevrolet celebrates is centennial as a global automotive brand with annual sales of about 3.5 million vehicles in more than 130 countries. In the U.S., the Chevrolet portfolio includes: iconic performance cars, such as Corvette and Camaro; dependable, long lasting pickups and SUVs, such as Silverado and Suburban; and award-winning passenger cars and crossovers, such as Malibu, Equinox and Traverse.

Chevrolet also offers "gas-friendly" solutions, such as Chevrolet Cruze Eco with an EPA-estimated 42 miles per gallon highway, and the Chevrolet Volt offering 35 miles of electric driving and an additional 344 miles of extended gasoline range, according to EPA estimates. Most new Chevrolet models offer OnStar safety, security, and convenience technologies including OnStar Hands-Free Calling, Automatic Crash Response, and Stolen Vehicle Slowdown.

www.chevrolet.com