Sponsored: A Lifetime Car Lover Has Found His Match

Note: The 2012 Chevy Volt offers an EPA-estimated 35 miles on a full charge based on 94 MPGe [electric] and an additional 340 miles with a full tank based on 35 city, 40 MPG highway [gas]. Actual range varies with conditions.

This post is sponsored by Chevrolet Volt. Electric when you want it, gas when you need it.

The Chevy Volt is unique among electric cars because it runs on two sources of energy. You have an electric source – a battery – that allows you to drive gas-free for an EPA–estimated 35 miles. And there’s also an onboard gas generator that produces electricity so you can go farther. So if you want to drive using only electricity, you can. If you want to drive using electricity and gas, you can do that, too. Feeling all charged up? Check out what this current Chevy Volt driver has to say about his unique driving lifestyle…

Mark Fleischhacker of Minnetonka, MN has had a fascination with electric cars for the last 25 years. “I am a car collector. I have been tracking the Volt since 2007 and have read every article I could find,” he says. After doing his due diligence, he decided this was the car for him, and patiently waited for the Volt’s debut. “In the 45 years I have been driving, this is by far the best ride I have owned.”

For Fleischhacker, as is the case with many Volt drivers, his expectations have been exceeded. “I live in Minnesota so I expected the mileage to drop and to not see the full benefit of the mileage gain. But even with temperatures down to zero, I am still averaging 118 MPG,” he says. A typical day for him consists of a 24-mile commute. “This allows for plenty of battery power for going shopping and making a few stops along the way,” he says. Of course, sometimes, his travels take him beyond the battery range. “In the past two weeks, I drove three trips of 170 miles and three trips of around 70 to 90 miles. The generator starts as needed, and you see or feel nothing except the fuel gauge changes from battery to fuel tank. The technology is awesome,” he says.

He’s also gotten a kick out of how other react to the Volt’s capabilities. “The funniest moment was when I pulled into a fast food restaurant and the person taking my money stuck his head out the window with this puzzled look on his face and asked what the heck I was driving. After I received my food and pulled away, the guy was hanging out the drive-up window to the point where he almost fell out onto the driveway,” he says.

Fleischhacker’s favorite perk, though, is how his Volt is teaching him how to drive more efficiently. “The computers continue to compensate, and my battery range continues to grow. What is fascinating is the technology in the car will learn my driving conditions and it will modify the expected range,” he says. “In my opinion, the Volt leads the way into the future for highly efficient cars.”

Volt is available to order at participating dealers.