MANCHESTER United’s legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has a new company car – the extended range electric Chevrolet Volt.
Running in near-silent energy-saving electric-only mode, the Volt has a range of about 50 miles – enough for Sir Alex to get to local derby matches against Man City or, at a pinch, away encounters with Premiership rivals Liverpool and Everton.
I think the Volt is absolutely phenomenal…it’s the car of the future
But the Chevrolet Volt’s secret weapon compared with battery only electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf, is its range-extending petrol engine. It kicks in once the batteries, which get their initial charge from the mains, have run down, and means the Volt can go for a further 300 miles or so without visiting a petrol station or a charging point. That puts just about any UK fixture within reach but he’ll need a few re-fuelling stops to get to Barcelona.
Even better, the Volt only attracts a 5 per cent tax charge, which means a higher rate taxpayer will only have to pay £58.25 per month.
Ferguson said: “I think the Volt is absolutely phenomenal. A friend of mine drove one in the States and kept going on and on about it, so when I had the opportunity I said ‘yeah I’m going to try it because it’s the car of the future, really’. I’m very pleased with it.”
The Volt is supplied under Chevrolet’s agreement to be Manchester United’s Official Automotive Partner that will also see the company sponsoring the club’s shirts from the 2014/2015 season.
