There’s a man in my neighborhood that drives a Toyota Prius, the first and best-known of the gas-electric hybrid cars, and on the back bumper there’s a sticker that reads, “This Plug-In Toyota Prius gets 100 mpg.” Last year, that number impressed me. “Wow,” I thought, “100 miles per gallon? If only…”

But that was last year. For 2010 automakers are scaling up the electric side of the hybrid and scaling down on gasoline, and one of the most publicized American hybrids to be released is the Chevy Volt, which will get the equivalent of 230 mpg. Yes, you read that correctly. That’s 230 mpg. Maybe I’ll ask my neighbor how that would look on a bumper sticker.

The kicker for the Volt is that it’s reported to have the ability to drive 40 miles at a time purely on battery power. For commuters that travel 20 miles or fewer per day, the issue of using gasoline would never come up. We’d have to start asking questions like, “When does this gas expire?” Our children will never have heard the terms “miles per gallon” or “fuel efficiency.” Emissions will no longer be an issue, and America can start severing their ties with foreign oil. All those silly cars that run on gas will become relics on Kansas City used car lots. All thanks to innovative automobiles like the Chevy Volt.

GM and three major utility companies in California are teaming up to build 500 charging stations for this and other electric cars, meaning that you won’t have to worry about running out of juice on the way to work. And if you still think it’s too early to jump on the hybrid train—you’d rather wait a few years while all the kinks get worked out—there’s still other great Chevrolets in Kansas City: Chevy Malibu, Cavalier, Cobalt, and hordes of other great options. For consumers in Kansas City, used Chevy vehicles are still aplenty. Just don’t forget where the future of automobiles is heading.

The price tag on the Volt is a bit hefty, but $40,000 not only buys you a great, cutting edge vehicle; it buys you the peace of mind that you’re doing right by the environment and jumping in early on the electric automobile express. It’s a movement that’s going to do nothing but grow, and 2010’s Volt is helping lead the charge. Plus, you can always show your neighbor what a real hybrid looks like.