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Chevy Volt 'Drive My Way' test cuts out the dealership

Last month, the 2016 Chevrolet Volt won the 2016 Green Car of the Year Award at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Awards are nice, but General Motors is now offering to make some folks' familiarity with the second-generation Volt a little more personal. Chevy is enacting what it calls the "Drive My Way" program, where the automaker brings a 2016 Volt directly to some prospective buyers for a 30-minute test drive with no dealer required, according to Hybrid Cars. Kind of like Tesla, only different. RedCap Valet is administering the program and is helping to track drivers' behind-the-wheel behavior, including keeping records on speed, acceleration, and braking habits. General Motors representatives didn't respond to a our request for further details about how many people will be chosen for the program or how these folks were picked to participate in "Drive My Way." Through November, the Volt's sales were down 23 percent from a year earlier to about 13,000 units, so any momentum for the 2016 version is a good thing. If you're just looking for numerical improvements, the new version has got you covered. It can go as far as 53 miles on electricity alone (about 15 miles further than the previous generation model) and it's got better miles per gallon and MPGe ratings as well. Of course, numbers alone aren't usually enough sell a car. Experience counts. So we ask, dear readers, if having a 2016 Volt brought to you for a half-hour test drive might make it more likely that you'll buy one of these extended-range plug-in vehicles. While you're waiting for a new Volt to arrive at your house, you can take a look here for our First Drive review. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2016 Chevrolet Volt: First Drive View 24 Photos News Source: Hybrid Cars Green Chevrolet GM test drive volt extended-range plug-in

2016 Chevy Volt wins Green Car of the Year

The award ceremony for the 2016 Green Car Of The Year announcement at the LA Auto Show today started with a joke video by juror Jay Leno. Showing of a restored and refurbished 100-year-old Detroit Electric EV, Leno said that while there were a lot of different powertrains in the running this year, he didn't expect any German diesels to win. Yuk yuk. There was no doubt that Leno was right; there were no diesels in the finalist's circle. The winner this year was the new, second-generation Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid with a 53-mile electric range and 106 MPGe. The first-gen car won the title five years ago, making the Volt the first model to be crowned Green Car Of The Yera more than once. The other finalists this year were the Audi A3 E-Tron, the new Toyota Prius, the Hyundai Sonata, and the Honda Civic. One of Green Car Journal's most important factors in deciding the winner is widespread availability, said Green Car Journal editor Ron Cogan as he announced the award. Qualifying vehicles also have to be on sale by January 1st of the award year (in this case, 2016). For the record, AutoblogGreen readers also picked the Volt to win in our poll a few months ago with 42 percent of the vote. Second place was the Prius, with 21 percent. Earlier this year, Green Car Journal had to strip the awards from two diesel vehicles, the 2009 VW Jetta TDI, which won in 2008, and the 2010 Audi A3 TDI, the 2010 winner. We enjoyed our seat time in the new Volt, and you can read our review here. Related Video:

IIHS: High numbers of drivers treat partially automated cars as fully self-driving

WASHINGTON — Drivers using advanced driver assistance systems like Tesla Autopilot or General Motors Super Cruise often treat their vehicles as fully self-driving despite warnings, a new study has found. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), an industry funded group that prods automakers to make safer vehicles, said on Tuesday a survey found regular users of Super Cruise, Nissan/Infiniti ProPILOT Assist and Tesla Autopilot "said they were more likely to perform non-driving-related activities like eating or texting while using their partial automation systems than while driving unassisted." The IIHS study of 600 active users found 53% of Super Cruise, 42% of Autopilot and 12% of ProPILOT Assist owners "said that they were comfortable treating their vehicles as fully self-driving." About 40% of users of Autopilot and Super Cruise — two systems with lockout features for failing to pay attention — reported systems had at some point switched off while they were driving and would not reactivate. "The big-picture message here is that the early adopters of these systems still have a poor understanding of the technologyÂ’s limits," said IIHS President David Harkey. The study comes as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is scrutinizing Autopilot crashes. Since 2016, the NHTSA has opened 37 special investigations involving 18 deaths in crashes involving Tesla vehicles and where systems like Autopilot were suspected of use. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. Tesla says Autopilot does not make vehicles autonomous and is intended for use with a fully attentive driver who is prepared to take over. GM, which in August said owners could use Super Cruise on 400,000 miles (643,740 km) of North American roads and plans to offer Super Cruise on 22 models by the end of 2023, did not immediately comment. IIHS said advertisements for Super Cruise focus on hands-free capabilities while Autopilot evokes the name used in passenger airplanes and "implies TeslaÂ’s system is more capable than it really is." IIHS in contrast noted ProPILOT Assist "suggests that itÂ’s an assistance feature, rather than a replacement for the driver." NHTSA and automakers say none of the systems make vehicles autonomous. Nissan said its name "is clearly communicating ProPILOT Assist as a system to aid the driver, and it requires hands-on operation.