A few other cool touches: in the top center of the dashboard there’s a bright indicator that lights up green when the car is charging, and flashes when the charge is full. It’s placed there so you can peek out your window or garage door and know, just by glancing through the windshield, the status of the charge.

This is cool, too: you can monitor the car’s charge on an iPhone app. You can even warm up the cabin using the app, by remote control, so that it’s toasty on winter days when you’re ready to drive. (A button on the keyless entry fob can also trigger the warming-up.) How does that work? The Volt connects to the cell network. It comes with five years of free OnStar, the service that connects your car to GM operators for roadside assistance and things like remote door-unlocking.

I’ve been following the progress of the Chevy Volt since 2007. And now it’s actually out for test driving (for reviewers). Pogue is normally a tech reviewer for the Times, so his review is more tech than car focused. But it still sounds pretty cool.

Personally, I’m even more interested in the new Tesla sedan that will seat 7, count ’em 7, people. (There’s a lot more room when you don’t have an engine).