GM has announced it was dispatching demonstration Volts to Chevy dealerships in the Volt’s initial launch markets of California, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C. GM said the move would allow people to test drive the vehicle – and would likely boost business for its other models as well.

500-plus demo Volts will be delivered to dealerships in the first quarter of 2011, and by the end of the year, “more than 2,500 U.S. dealers will receive a dedicated Volt for consumer demonstrations and test drives.”

Interestingly, GM feels the extended-range electric car believes 85 percent of people looking up information about the Volt end up checking out other models, too. “We are seeing that the Volt is increasing traffic onto our dealer showroom floors and is exposing consumers to Chevy’s line of ‘gas-friendly’ vehicles, including the Cruze Malibu and Equinox,” Cristi Landy, Chevrolet’s marketing director, said in a statement.

How to achieve a worry-free electric driving experience ? The problem isn’t the car it’s “range anxiety” about “refueling.” How to find charging stations: U.S. Department of Energy; Better Place.