The Chicago Auto Show is a stepping platform to test public opinion on new cars and technological innovations.

Before the show began, General Motors held a special presentation on Feb. 9 of its new eco-friendly, Chevrolet Volt.

The vehicle is an extended range electric vehicle, but unlike any other electric plug-in hybrid, the gas engine does not power the car; it only acts as a generator for the lithium ion battery.

With the skyrocketing gas prices over the past year, fuel efficient and alternative energy vehicles have finally entered the zeitgeist of the American car consumer, said Paul Brian, director of communications for the Chicago auto show.

“People are now asking how green am I,” Brian said.

The Volt can drive 40 miles purely on the battery, emitting zero greenhouse gas. After that, the gas engine begins running, but only to generate the battery.

“This format, currently nobody is using in the industry,” said Frank Weber, GM global vehicle line executive.

Driving is uninterrupted and lasts as long as needed, provided the driver refills the tank. GM has not released how many miles per gallon it gets because the vehicle still needs to go through finalizing stages with the Environmental Protection Agency, said Gregory Cesiel, E-Flex program director.

The feature of emitting zero greenhouse gas for the first 40 miles is delaying the EPA’s decision how to classify and regulate the Volt.

“They’re working on a formula that takes all of that into account and will compute a mile per gallon figure,” Cesiel said.

European environmental regulations, however, have already been met, and the vehicle gets 100 mpg, Weber said.

“This is an important vehicle for us,” said Ed Peper, vice president of Chevrolet.

The Volt is powered entirely by electricity, making it the first of its kind. The pivotal point of the car is the battery.

“We built the car around the battery,” Weber said.

LG Chem, Korea’s largest chemical company which is most notable for their notebook and cell phone batteries, manufactures the Volt’s lithium ion battery. It’s a 33.5 inch by 64 inch t-shaped battery that runs down the middle of the car.

The driver’s center console and backseats sit on top of the heavily insulated and protected 400 pound, 200 prismatic cell battery.

Contrary to lithium ion batteries in notebooks and cell phones, the Volt’s battery has a different chemical makeup; the oxygen element is absent. This frees the battery from over-heating and possible damages.

The car’s computer system monitors the condition of every battery cell to keep them all balanced and a liquid cooling heating system for stability.

Also, unlike notebook and cell phone batteries, the Volt’s lithium ion battery has a longer life span—150,000 miles or about 10 years.

This was the initial goal from the beginning of development because a two to three year lifespan would be “inappropriate for a car,” Weber said.

The battery conservation is possible because only half of the 16 kilowatt-hour is usable. The first 40 miles are only being run on 8 kwh. This is done to protect the life of the battery, because if all 16 kwh were utilized the battery pack would not last as long.

The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates the average American driver commutes less than 40 miles a day. This statistic is what makes the Volt ideal because the first 40 miles does not run on gas nor emitt greenhouse gas.

“Not only are you displacing petroleum but you have a lower operating cost,” Cesiel said.

The average electrical cost is 80 cents, he said. The cost is dependent on the electric company provider and region because it varies throughout the country.

The Volt can plug into any standard three-prong electrical outlet to recharge. To fully recharge, it takes 8 hours at 120 kwh, or 3 hours at 240 kwh.

Fuel efficiency has become a new, hot topic amongst consumers since the $4 a gallon price during the summer, but the car industry has been working on fuel efficiency since the first oil embargo in 1973, Brian said.

“The hidden secret is that car companies want fuel efficiency too,” he said.

The Volt has been in production for the last 15 years and will be ready for consumers in 2010. It’s priced at $40,000, but a tax credit of $7,500 is available to American consumers because of the alternative energy intiative.