Chevy Volt Test Drive: Gear Up, Michigan

A couple of years ago, my husband and I were driving to the store in our new, manual transmission car with our 5-year-old nephew.

At one point, my husband clumsily shifted gears and we heard a faint cry from the backseat, “Uncle Timmy, why are you driving over sticks?!” After we stopped laughing, we found that our nephew had misunderstood what his mom told him about the new car. “It’s a stick shift,” we calmly explained, “Uncle Timmy isn’t really driving over sticks." Although it sure did feel like it.

First Gear

When I think back to the days when I was learning how to drive a stick shift, my palms get a little sweaty, my stomach drops, and my left leg cramps up a bit. There’s nothing more nerve-wracking than learning to drive a stick shift and then venturing out to the busy streets ... I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to find first gear. Who wants to be the one who stalls at stop lights and causes traffic jams?

Yes, it was scary and uncomfortable, but I couldn’t go anywhere unless I found first gear. It takes steady feet, extreme coordination, patience, determination, and a little bit of luck to find the sweet spot --- a delicate balance, so complicated, that you feel like you've mastered the world once you’ve done it.

Today, when I look at Michigan, the nation and the world. I see too many individuals, communities, elected officials, and businesses stuck in neutral: Too paralyzed by fear to try something new, take chances, stand up to peer pressure, and make bold leadership choices.

Taking the Lead

But if you dig a little deeper, you can find those willing to conquer their fears and make bold leadership decisions.

Take, for instance, General Motors.  GM was given the opportunity to be a leader in the emerging electric vehicle market and they took it. Soon, they'll be launching their new electric vehicle, the Chevy Volt.

I had the opportunity to drive a Volt recently. My uncle, Ray Bierzynski, is the executive director and global functional leader for GM’s Thermal System Management Team. As part of GM’s testing, Uncle Ray has been driving a Volt as his primary vehicle over the past month. When he offered me the chance to test drive his Volt, I took it.

Even though I come from a "car family,"  I’m not a car buff --- I’m the black sheep environmentalist in our family. I don’t really understand how cars work. I just know enough to drive them from one place to another. I like cars that are reliable, quiet, comfortable, efficient and hooked up with the latest technology. Most of all, I want peace of mind that when I’m driving a car I’m not destroying the environment.

A Sweet Ride

The Volt offers all this and more. It’s a sweet ride with all the bells and whistles that would allow me to commute gas-free and tailpipe emission-free. For me, that’s the best part. Electric vehicles like the Volt are one small answer to a bigger problem we are trying to solve. Its vehicle electrification, while still in the beginning stages, has the potential to play a key role in our attempt to make consistent cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and reduce our use of fossil fuels.

Lately though, the Volt has sparked a lot of lively conversation as people argue about the details instead of looking at the bigger picture.

When a new product is first released, it's never perfect. It takes years of working out the kinks and a host of people dedicated to tweaking the final edition. Do you remember what your first cell phone looked like? Your first music album? Your first computer? Better and more efficient models come out all the time ... and slowly the world adapts and embraces each one.

Michigan’s economic revitalization depends heavily on the success of the upcoming launch of the Volt and other similar electric vehicles. Most people don’t understand that this success is a group effort. Home to the domestic auto industry and large investments in advanced battery manufacturing, Michigan has the potential to become a model for electric vehicle manufacturing. But we need a variety of policies, regulatory actions and broad-based state leadership to make this happen.

Step Up

To create an environment in which electric vehicles flourish, it's essential that we:

• Create legislative incentives for new electric vehicle charging equipment and vehicle purchases;
• Adopt a low-carbon fuel standard that encourages a transition away from petroleum;
• Establish progressive utility policies that encourage off-peak charging and incentivize energy efficiency and renewables;
• Gain the support of elected officials and state agencies to provide leadership on electric vehicles and low-carbon fuels.

Instead of bickering over the details, the real conversation should be about who is going to be the next individual, community, elected official, industry or business to step up.

Will you buy a Volt? Will your community operate a fleet of electric vehicles? Will your elected officials create legislative incentives and adopt a low-carbon fuel standard? Will the Michigan Public Service Commission enact progressive utility policies?

It’s time we all step up, confront our fears and get Michigan, the nation and the world into first gear. If we don't, we will never move forward. It may feel like we’re driving over sticks at some points, but it will be worth it.

--- Posted by Pam Bierzynski, Michigan LCV director of operations.