Martin Lamonica at News.com took the prototype of the Chevy Volt for a spin in Warren, Mich. (I saw it two years ago with Larry Hagman but they only let us sit in it.)

"I've never taken a Lamborghini or Ferrari around a test track, but I can say the Volt's acceleration and handling are noticeably sportier than sedans like the Prius or the alternative fuel SUVs I also drove at Milford," he wrote. Fast acceleration is one of the great attributes of electrics.

It also hugged the road and handled well, in part perhaps because of the 400-pound battery. The gas engine, which normally exists to charge the battery, can also help drive the car when the batteries dip into a buffer zone. And of course, the car has the ubiquitous console that tells you everything going on with the car, an outgrowth of the software put in the Prius.

If you are thinking of going electric, wait! Chevy and Nissan come out with the Volt and the Leaf next year and the upscale customers out there will be able to check out the Fisker Karma. Ford will also have a car for fleet owners.

There's a video of the Volt test drive too.