By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Electric cars charging into area
WEB Volt Control panel
A control panel inside the Volt includes a rear-facing video system. - photo by Photo by Randy C. Murray

A new electric car has a way to lessen “range anxiety,” and maybe help convince the skeptics.

The Chevrolet Volt — now available nationwide after a four-state rollout — can be driven 35 miles on a full charge for its 16 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The Volt also has a 9.6-gallon gas generator that produces electricity and allows you to drive up to 375 total miles, said Mike Reed, owner of Mike Reed Chevy in Hinesville.

“The gas generator relieves what has come to be called ‘range anxiety,’” explain Reed, who’s worked in the car business for more than 32 years. “Totally electric cars like the Nissan LEAF are limited by the number of miles they can drive on a full battery. For example, if I want to drive a Volt to Jacksonville, I know I can drive at least 35 miles before the generator will come on to power the car the rest of the way and back. With a totally electric car though, I may get somewhere beyond Brunswick then I’ll have to stop the car and let it charge up, or else I’ll wind up stuck on the side of the road, probably before I can get to Florida.”

Critics say the Volt is not as efficient as all electric cars, but Reed asserted that no vehicle is totally pollution free.

For example, when an electric car dies on the side of the road in Japan, a large truck with a diesel generator is sent out to charge it back up. Reed said the little bit of gas he may occasionally use to drive a Volt outside of town leaves a much smaller carbon footprint than the diesel generator of a big truck.

Reed said his dealership has several Volts, but said they’re not selling the way he’d prefer, if only because local residents don’t know enough about the Volt to check it out and test drive one.

Reed said the Volt comes with a choice of two charging stations. The 120-volt charging kit connects to a home outlet and can complete a charge in 8-10 hours, depending on the outdoor temperature. The optional 220-volt charging kit can complete a charge in four hours. The cost of a full charge is estimated at about $1.50.

Reed said he drives a Volt to and from work, rarely drives it long distances and almost never stops for gas.

“People will ask, ‘Does it drive like a golf cart?’ and I’ll tell them, ‘Sure, a golf cart that can drive 100 miles per hour,’” said Reed. “It’s such a cool feeling to hear the silence of the electric engine and yet feel all that power when you accelerate.”

The Volt has no transmission, but Reed said drivers gets “instantaneous torque” when they hit the accelerator. In fact, the Volt can go from zero to 60 mph in less than nine seconds and can reach a test track speed of 100 mph.

Reed said the Volt also has energy-saving features such as the gas tank’s pressurized fuel system, regenerative brakes and an efficiency gauge that lets drivers know when they’re accelerating too fast or hitting the brakes too hard.

“It’s a way of training you to be a better, more energy-efficient driver,” he said.

Volt owners also can program its charging schedule with a smart phone, he said. According to its website,www.chevrolet.com/volt-electric-car, the Volt includes several special safety features like a rear camera system, traction control, eight airbags, a high-strength steel frame and On/Star Command.

The Volt is a four-passenger sedan that Reed said sells for about $31,600 after a federal $7,600 tax credit incentive. For more information about the Chevy Volt, call 876-2121. For information about the Nissan LEAF, call 368-1680.

Sign up for our e-newsletters
GPA grows trade, market share
Intermodal volume up 20 percent
port photo
Rubber tired gantry cranes handle cargo at the Chatham Intermodal Container Transfer Facility at the Port of Savannah. The Georgia Ports Authority's Mason Mega Rail project will double rail lift capacity to 1 million containers per year by 2020 - photo by Provided

The Georgia Ports Authority achieved 14 percent growth in March container volumes, moving 355,208 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers.

From July 2017 to March, TEU container trade grew by 9 percent, or 255,786 additional units for a total of 3.08 million, a new record for Savannah.

"Savannah's continued strength is a reflection of our customers' commitment, Georgia's leadership, and the many dedicated service providers, GPA employees and ILA members who come together every day to achieve great things," said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch. "March marked our 17th consecutive month of business expansion thanks, in part, to a strong economy and growing market share."

Intermodal rail volumes jumped by 20 percent in March and 15.4 percent for the fiscal year to date, for a total of 318,454 containers handled over nine months – another record for the GPA.

"As the numbers show, our rail cargo is growing at a faster pace than our overall trade," GPA Chairman Jimmy Allgood said. "This is important because rail is playing a key role in our responsible growth strategy. We anticipate our rail infrastructure investments to take 250,000 trucks off the road each year by 2020."

The GPA recently broke ground on its Mason Mega Rail Terminal, on which the Port of Savannah will build 10,000-foot unit trains within its own footprint. From the expanded rail infrastructure at Garden City Terminal, Class I rail providers CSX and Norfolk Southern will provide direct rail service to major Southeast and Midwestern markets from Memphis to St. Louis, Chicago to Cincinnati.

An added benefit is that the Mason Mega Rail project will move all rail switching on terminal – improving vehicle traffic flow around the port.

In August, the GPA will open its Appalachian Regional Port in Murray County. Located in an industrial belt, including the production and export of carpet and flooring, automobiles and tires, the ARP will provide an alternative to all-truck transit to Northwest Georgia.

Each round-trip container moved via the Appalachian Regional Port will offset 710 truck miles on Georgia highways.

March was also a strong month for roll-on/roll-off auto and machinery units at the Port of Brunswick and Ocean Terminal in Savannah. Colonel's Island Terminal in Brunswick handled 66,144 cars, trucks and tractors, while Ocean Terminal added 4,050, for a total 70,194, a 17.2 percent increase.

"The global economy is thriving and our volumes are following suit," Lynch said. "As existing accounts grow their footprint in the expanding auto facility in Brunswick, Georgia's competitive logistical advantages are drawing additional business across all of our docks."

Lynch noted that for the fiscal year to date, Mayor's Point breakbulk terminal in Brunswick grew by 44 percent (34,515 tons) to reach 112,728 tons of forest products. At East River Terminal, bulk cargo expanded by 34 percent July-March (189,918 tons) for a total of 750,384 tons.

Latest Obituaries