We love a good drag race like the next guy just to see which vehicle is the quickest to get to the end of the strip. However, we feel that the recent Tesla Model S vs. Chevy Volt drag race video was unwarranted, as it was always obvious which vehicle was going to take the win. Having said that, it’s still fun to watch.

It’s a sad day when you see a car with such an iconic name being the underdog, but the Chevrolet Volt was always going to come out the loser. These type of videos are ideal when you have a conventional engine powering a car, but showing how much slower the Volt is when compared to the Model S is certainly a way to put consumers off from purchasing an electric vehicle.

Having said that, if you are a driver expecting great performance from the Chevy Volt then you really need to do your homework, as this EV is not about its performance but rather its efficiency.

When watching the video it did look as though the Volt got a good start, but the moment the Tesla Model S gained traction it was able to pull away and finish the quarter mile in 12.562 seconds, while reaching a top speed of 108.34 miles per hour. The Volt did it in 17.201 seconds and managed to reach a top speed of 80.36 mph.

Maybe the next test should be how the Tesla Model S and Chevy Volt compare in everyday use because the Volt would surly get the win then?

A few weeks ago a series of crash tests was conducted on the Volt, and as a result caught fire. Opel are now in the process of making these batteries safe. This is good news for those who were waiting on the new Ampera, but not for Volt owners, who have since been offered loan cars from GM while they resolve the issue.

Both these green vehicles are assembled in the GM plant based in Hamtramck, Michigan, and much of the same technology is used to power these devices. For those of you who are concerned and would rather stick with a traditional car, then General Motors is offering to buy back your Chevrolet Volt from you, although we are not certain if they will buy back at the price you paid or if they will consider depreciation.

Autoblog reports that questions are now being asked as to why it took the NHTSA so long to announce the battery issue; as a result the US government has now stepped in. We are seeing this happen more and more now, as the government does not want to see a repeat process of what happened with Toyota, and the whole saga with the Prius.

There does seem to be a mixed reaction to this whole battery catching on fire issue, as most consumers believe it to be a non-issue, as the government has now let it get out of hand. We would like to know your thoughts on this.

So we already know the main three, but there are still plenty of other green vehicles to choose from, but what are they? The Daily Green has compiled a list of what they believe to be the most fuel-efficient cars of 2011, and do not think that they are all electric either – not that there is many.

The Nissan leaf has to be on the list, but we just hope that poor sales in December were just a glitch with supply, and that the car begins to take off. The Chevy Volt got off to a much better start, but the gas/electric hybrid has yet to go national or even international. The Prius, is still the king when it comes to sales, but we have been told on a number of occasions that there are some clean diesels that outperform it in fuel-efficiency – but only when drove at higher speeds.

There is an electric car that needs a mention, and that is the 2011 Tesla Roadster. This sports car produces 0 Tons of CO2, but it does come at a price – $109,000 to be exact. We were shocked to see the 2011 Lexus CT 200h make it to the list, but when you see the 42MPG rating then you will understand just why it is on that list.

For the complete list visit The Daily Green website.

One car that we cannot wait to see on that list next year is the 2012 Ford Escape Hybrid, as it will look a lot like the new Vertrek. The Detroit based company will no doubt use their popular Kinetic Design. For more details on this visit GreenCarReports.

AOL News has been doing it’s homework and has managed to learn a few things that most of you would not have known. The first fact is a simple one, the Volt was made available in North America in December, and will be launched in Europe later this year, but possibly under the Opel/Vauxhall brand.

Just before the Chevy Volt was launched there was uncertainty as to what kind of car this was, but it now seems that it has settled with being an electric-gas hybrid. The vehicle can achieve 25 to 50 miles on the electric motor, which needs to be recharged via a power outlet/charging station. If you need to go further then the gas engine will kick in.

One of the main facts is remembering to keep the Volt charged, and that if you want to save your fuel bills, then try to keep it to town driving only. 400 miles is the maximum range on a full charge and a full take of gas.

The fourth fact is how expensive the Chevy Volt is, prices start from $41,000. This price will go up the moment you begin to conifer your new vehicle. You need to remember that you are paying a premium for new technology.

The final fact is that this new car from GM has some competition in the market. The main rival currently is the Nissan Leaf, but according to an AP report on NPR early sales shows that things are not going the Japanese automakers way. However, the likes of Ford will give the Volt a run for its money once they launch their Focus Electric, which Autoblog learned during the Detroit Auto Show Press Event.

We still cannot decide if there is a market for the Volt, but we do know that Ford and that Electric Focus will prove very popular. The reason for this is because they will use a brand of vehicle that has already proved itself in the market.

The Chevrolet Volt is not available to all parts of the U.S. and will not be until sometime in 2012, which is what Yahoo News learned from AP. There have been details that both the Volt and its rival the Nissan Leaf – which has also just been launched – has more than 50,000 people waiting for one.

RTT News seems to put it best when they state that General Motors are the comeback kids. They also reported that the Ford Explorer has won the 2011 best truck of year, something that we will discuss in more detail in a later post. We will say that this is now three wins in a row for the Explorer.

These two awards mark the opening of the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, and as such we will be bringing you more news as it comes in. Most recently we discussed the ‘Most Popular Economy Cars For 2011’ and as you would imagine the Chevy Volt, Nissan leaf and the Toyota Prius were on that list, with the Prius hybrid taking the top spot.

Does the Chevy Volt deserve to be crowned the 2011 Car of the Year?

Hiring is to start now and will be a process over the next two years, which should be perfect for when the Chevy Volt is fully in its stride with sales and customer awareness. Chrysler is to start taking on more staff in the coming months, as they aim to increase the size of their business.

The auto industry has been in a bad way for some time, so is nice to see that things have now started to pick up. Both GM and Chrysler were in bankruptcy last year, but it is the former who has turned its business around, the latter has finally managed to slow its loses.

GM has a lot riding on the Chevrolet Volt, and needs it to be successful, especially as they are selling it at “close to cost.” That’s according to their CEO Dan Akerson, which ABC News reported yesterday. Production for the Volt has now begun, which we will will discuss in a later post. There has been much speculation over the cars, is it an EV or is it an Hybrid? One thing we do know, its biggest rival will be the Nissan Leaf.

Do you think that GM is onto a winner with the Chevy Volt?

Toyota does have a new version of the electric RAV4 coming out in 2012, but they are still committed to hybrid technology. Why wouldn’t they be, as they do have the most popular hybrid of them all, the Prius? I can understand why the Japanese automaker would not want to waste too much effort on EVs, as this is still new technology, and has a long way to go before it can be used for everyday travel purposes.

There is no denying that Nissan and Chevrolet are committed to this technology. Nissan has already a team of engineers setup to solve any issues that might arise from the Leaf, as they would not want these problems to get out of control.

GM owned Chevrolet has put a huge amount of money and resources behind the project, as they believe this to be the future. According to an article on Technology Review, they learned that Nissan claims that 10 percent of their vehicle sales in 2015 will be EVs, whereas 10 percent of Toyota’s will be hybrids.

If you were a betting man, which of the two would you say has the better future – Hybrid or Electric Vehicles?

The new vehicle was graded a ULEV (Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle) and not a SULEV. Even more surprisingly, the California Air Resources Board also considers the Golf GTI 2.0T and Jetta TDI cleaner cars. This is certain to be a huge blow for GM, one that could put off potential buyers.

However, it is not all bad, we just have to understand how CARB do their testing. They do not have any such test for electric vehicles, so requires the engine to be running. The results of the Volt were 1.3 g/km, just missing an SULEV classification by 0.3 grams.

According to Inside Line, the Volt does not qualify for carpool lane stickers; this could be a huge problem, as this is something that most drivers want a green car for. Do you think that the Chevy Volt is now starting to lose its appeal?

We do know that the price is still on the expensive side – but this has to be expected when new technology comes to market. Chevrolet now has a new “Customize Your Vehicle” page, allowing you to choose from a number of different options.

The first thing I was drawn to on the page was the price; $41,000 is a lot of money – let’s just hope that this car is worth the wait and the money? It is hard to know what to class the Volt as, General Motors tell us that it is not a hybrid, and we know that it is not an electric vehicle like the Nissan Leaf – so what is it?

There are so many options for you to choose from, the first choice is picking your interior and exterior color – that took the price up right away. The second choice you see is either “Rear Camera and Park Assist Package” or the “Premium Trim Package”. Given the choice of the two I would go for the former.

The only other choice is what kind of wheels you would like; these are either “Painted or Polished Aluminum Wheels. The latter will cost you $595 extra – it seems as if GM want to earn as much money as possible from the Volt.

Which options will you choose from your Chevy Volt?

Since the start GM has said that the Chevrolet Volt was not like a Hybrid, and that the gasoline-powered engine would not power the wheels. However, we have since learned that they do. The media has been wondering how General Motors would be able to talk themselves out of this one?

They start of by saying how complex the technology is behind the Voltec electric drive, and that they now find that they have to offer more details as to how this technology works.

The automaker then goes on to say that the recent media reports – which they do not state – were not correct, and that they wished to explain how the system works in more detail. To get a greater understanding read the full response from GM by visiting USA Today.