Parsippany Man is First Buyer of Plug-In Chevy Volt

Jeffrey Kaffee was one of the first to order a Chevy Volt hybrid electric car more than a year ago.  And he was the first in the nation to recieve one Wednesday at Gearhart Chevrolet in Denville.

Kaffee, a retired airline pilot from Parsippany, took the keys in a ceremony attended by GM executives and a crush of media, from the Detroit Press to CNBC.

The ChevyVolt is the world's first mass-produced plug-in electric car, traveling 35 miles on electricity before it relies on gas. There are 10,000 Volts scheduled to be produced in the coming year, according to Maria Paladino-Fitz, a spokeswoman for Gearhart.

In the New York metro area, 300 will be available in the first few months of 2011. Gearhart Chevrolet, and its sister dealership, Schumacher Chevrolet in Little Falls, will receive an allotment of between 15-20. Most have been pre-sold, said Stephen Tilton, Gearhart chief financial officer.

Kaffee was chosen randomly from the first handful of people to pre-order the Volt. "GM also liked his story, that he was a retired pilot,'' Paladino-Fitz said.

The company picked Gearhart Chevrolet as the site of the event because it's one of the largest Chevy dealers in the state, she said.

Kaffee bought the Volt for $42,000, but received a $7,500 tax credit, Paladino-Fitz said.

Kaffee, who resumed his Florida vacation after buying the car, could not be reached for comment Thursday.