Chevy Volt

General Motors Corp., racing to emerge from bankruptcy, said it drove the first pre-production battery-powered Chevrolet Volt two weeks ahead of schedule. The first test drive occurred Tuesday and the vehicle was driven again Wednesday, the company said. The Volt is designed to drive 40 miles solely on electric power generated by plugging the battery into a household outlet overnight. After 40 miles, a gasoline engine keeps the battery charged.

Last Friday, I set out to write a blog post that would answer the question, "With gasoline prices spiking, are electric cars really a good deal?" I learned two things from this exercise. First, doing a cost/benefit analysis comparing vehicles is trickier than it seems, thanks to differing government incentive programs that can radically alter the cost equation. Second, readers are really, really passionate about this topic. After having been informed, repeatedly and in no uncertain terms, about my many failings on that post, I've decided to start over -- hopefully screw-up free this time, and with a new comparison among "green" cars.

EVENTS The coolest green cars since Steve McQueen's Mustang will be on display at the sixth annual AltCar Expo, where attendees can ride in, test-drive and purchase alternative-fuel vehicles. Highlights include the Nissan Leaf, Toyota's plug-in Prius, the Chevy Volt and the Mercedes B-Class F-Cell. Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1855 Main St., Santa Monica. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat. Free. (310) 390-2930. http://www.altcarexpo.com.

Citing its corporate stance that climate change is real, General Motors announced Wednesday that its General Motors Foundation would no longer be funding the Heartland Institute, a free-market think tank that has attacked human-caused global warming as “junk science.” The announcement was not made in a company statement, but rather in communications with Greg Dalton of Climate One, an ongoing dialog about the environment at the Commonwealth Club...

Three people are dead after a head-on car crash early Sunday morning in Sylmar, authorities said. The crash occurred at about 2:30 a.m. near the intersection of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and Rinaldi Street when the driver of a Honda apparently lost control and careened into oncoming traffic and struck a Chevy Volt, said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Greg Hayhurst. Two passengers in the Honda were pronounced dead at the scene and the driver was taken to a hospital where he died, Hayhurst said, adding that the driver of the Chevy emerged without major injuries.

If you have family coming for the holidays or just want a different ride, Simply Hybrid has a December deal that takes 30% off rentals of its hybrids and energy-efficient cars. The company will even deliver the cars to airports, hotels or other locations for free. The deal: Toyota Prius, Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and even a plug-in Prius are some of the selections in the compact category. The website provides the models available but doesn't list prices or take reservations; you have to call to get a quote and make a booking.

ForecastTheFacts.org has put up an advertisement spoofing the new TV ads created for the Chevy Volt - but this one congratulates GM for ceasing to fund the Heartland Institute, a free-market think tank that questions the science behind global warming. The spoof ad is running only on the group's website. However, it was originally designed as part of an advertising campaign to lean on GM to stop its annual funding for Heartland. Another Happy Volt Owner Thanks GM from ForecastTheFacts on Vimeo . “This was going to be our next tactic in the campaign to put pressure on GM,” says Daniel Souweine, director of the climate and energy organizing project at Citizen Engagement Lab, which recently launched ForecastTheFacts.org.

Imagine one of the robots from outer space in the "Transformers" movies turning from a car into a boom box, and you'd have the Toyota Scion xB DJ 2.0, among the more spectacular of the conceptual vehicles on display at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The back of the car actually folds out into giant speakers, while the rear bed becomes a little Conga Room with flashing colored lights, a fog machine and a professional deejay panel. The standard tricked-out urban audio assault vehicle puts out bass notes loud enough to shake the windows of nearby cars; this thing looks like it could blast them into another lane.