On Wednesday the 2011 Chevy Volt achieved an important milestone, with a pre-production model rolling off the assembly line in Hamtramck, Michigan.  Previously pre-production Volts have been built by hand and tested.  Porting the process over onto the assembly line was a critical step in preparing to commercially deploy the vehicle.

States GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant manager, Teri Quigley, "We have a very experienced workforce at this plant and through all of their preparation and training workers here have been given the privilege to take GM into the future with this car."

The plant is expected to continue to build pre-production models until late this year, when it will jump to a production build in preparation for the November 10 launch.

In other news, in order to meet its fuel efficiency goals, according to Ward's Auto the government says it wants to buy the first 100 Chevy Volts produced by GM.  The government has vowed to cut its fleet's fuel footprint by 30 percent by 2020.  The government also expressed interest in Chrysler's upcoming plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) Dodge Ram.  It, however, has not yet expressed interest in the top-selling Ford Fusion Hybrid.

GM has responded to the government's intent to purchase the first 100 Volts.  It released a statement remarking:

We are pleased to see that the Federal government is interested in the greening of their vehicle fleet. Media speculation has led to reports that the GSA and DOE will be buying the first 100 Chevrolet Volt's because we will meet this criteria. At this time we have no further details regarding these purchases.

The Chevy Volt is the first electric vehicle to be mass produced in America (Tesla Roadsters are manufactured overseas and in small batches, while the mass produced 2011 Nissan Leaf will initially be produced in Japan).  It gets 40 miles on a charge, thanks to its 16 kWh battery.  It can be charged from a 120-240VAC standard residential outlet using the SAE's new standards compliant SAE-J1722 adapter.  It can also extend its range to over 300 miles, by employing a small built in 4-cylinder gas engine.