Berkeley Man Drives Away the Bay's 1st Chevy Volt

Thousands of Californians still on a waitlist

More than 53,000 people still stuck on a waiting list are probably jealous of a 25-year-old man from Berkeley who got the Bay Area's first 2011 Chevy Volt Monday.

Patrick Wang, an online marketing manager, is a Volt enthusiast and also writes a blog about the much-hyped electric vehicle. He picked up his new ride at Concord Chevrolet earlier today.

Wang was also the winner of a Wired.com video contest, which earned him a free tour of the Detroit assembly plant. Check out his submission:

The $41,000 car is extremely efficient, with a total range of around 380 miles.

But there is some dispute about whether the Volt falls completely into the electric car category. Its large battery lasts 25 to 50 miles on a single charge, but when it starts to die, a gas-powered generator kicks in to extend the driving range.

Wang wrote on his blog that his "new" Volt already had 83 miles on it, but he's not complaining. He beat out 3,919 people in California who are still waiting for their new rides to arrive.

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