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I got a to test drive the upcoming Chevrolet Volt at SXSW. This is GM’s 2011 electric car. Most hybrids today are “parallel” hybrids which means the electric motor powers the car for low speeds, and the gasoline engine kicks in for greater acceleration and higher speeds.

The Volt is a “series” hybrid which means that the electric motor always powers the car. The gasoline engine acts as a generator which charges the batteries which power the motor. It’s range is approximately 400 miles on an eight gallon tank of gas. It can go approximately forty miles before the gasoline engine starts charging the battery. (More info about how the charging works.)

Chevy took us out to a shopping mall where most of the stores are out of business.

And who’s there? It’s Robert Scoble of course. Who else would you expect to see in the middle of Texas in a shuttered shopping mall getting interviewed about driving GM’s coolest car?

You open the hatchback and pull out an extension cord.

Then you plug it in near the front wheel well.

The car is good looking enough. It certainly doesn’t scream, “I want you to know that I’m green.”

This is the interior. It has two graphical displays.

This big thing that looks like something out of an airplane is for shifting the transmission.

Then we got to drive it through a course in the parking lot. The acceleration of the car is very good—Scoble says it’s faster than his Prius.

This the Volt product manager: Christie Landy. She’s the one who had to put up with the inane questions and antics of the bloggers.

More info about cars.