Mysterious ads have been popping up around DC recently, featuring "230 8-11" with a smiling outlet for the 0.

We just found out what all the fuss is about:

The Chevy Volt, GM's much anticipated electric car, will be a sipper, not a guzzler, getting an astounding 230 miles per gallon in the city, the company said.

The Volt runs on a battery that can be recharged by its 1.4-liter gasoline engine. That will allow it to top Toyota's vaunted Prius by more than four-fold, sources told Bloomberg News. The Volt is due out next year and will cost around $40,000. [...]

The Volt will be able to go 40 miles on a single charge before the gasoline engine kicks in to recharge the battery. When parked, it can be recharged at a household outlet.

This is the most concrete evidence to date in what National Wildlife Federation President & CEO Larry Schweiger has called a "transformational change ... for everyone in this country who uses electricity in any way."

Think about it. If you never drive more than 40 miles in a day ... and you plug in the Chevy Volt every night ... you may never have to go to the gas station. Ever.

Clean energy advocates have long compared the opportunities of a transition away from polluting fuels to the moon landing. That's really the first thing that comes to mind for me today. Where were you when you heard humans had created a car that hardly ever needs gas?