Celebrating its 100 anniversary Tuesday, General Motors launched the production version of the Chevrolet Volt electric car.

GM Takes Wraps Off Chevy Volt

The Volt is expected to be able to drive up to 40 miles without gasoline on its electric charge.

"Revealing the production version of the Chevy Volt is a great way to open our second century," said Rick Wagoner, GM Chairman and CEO. "The Volt is symbolic of GM's strong commitment to the future. It's just the kind of technology innovation that our industry needs to respond to today's and tomorrow's energy and environmental challenges."

The Chevrolet Volt was originally introduced as a concept car at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Some of Volt's interior features include: driver-configurable, liquid crystal instrument display; standard seven-inch touch screen vehicle information display; touch screen-style climate and information/entertainment controls; optional navigation system with on board hard drive for maps and music storage; and standard Bluetooth for cellular phone and USB/Bluetooth for music streaming.

The Volt uses electricity to move the wheels at all times and speeds. When the battery's energy is depleted, a gasoline/E85-powered engine generator provides electricity to power the Volt's electric drive unit while simultaneously sustaining the charge of the battery.

The Chevrolet Volt can be plugged either into a standard household 120 volt outlet or use 240 volt for charging. The vehicle's intelligent charging technology enables the Volt's battery to be charged in less than three hours on a 240 volt outlet or about eight hours on a 120 volt outlet.

GM estimates that getting a full charge on the battery will cost about 80 cents per day and charging the Volt about once daily will consume less electric energy annually than the average home's refrigerator and freezer units.

The Chevrolet Volt is expected to be built at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck manufacturing facility, subject to GM successfully negotiating satisfactory government incentives. Production is scheduled to begin late 2010 for models in the United States. Pricing has not been announced.