At least Chevrolet's Volt knows how to time an entrance.

With gas at $3.25 a gallon months before the summer price bump, an electric car hybrid is worth a look. Earlier this week, Lupient Chevrolet in Bloomington and Village Chevrolet in Wayzata took delivery of Minnesota's first Volts.

The price is $42,000 -- about $35,000 after a rebate -- but you might be "lucky" to pay that. Hot new models with limited production (10,000 in 2011 for the Volt) can sell above sticker price, said Robert Ellis at Checkbook, a nonprofit agency that helps consumers find reasonably priced vehicles.

Ellis recommends letting the early adopters find the bugs. After the buzz subsides, prices should drop.

No Twin Cities dealers actually have models on the lot to sell. But the cars can be ordered from California or Michigan, two of the first states to sell them.

Serious buyers wondering about public charging stations have limited options, but about 30 are expected in the Twin Cities by the end of the year. First National Bank in downtown St. Paul has one. More are in the works at a downtown Minneapolis city-owned parking ramp and the Mall of America in Bloomington.

And what about the Volt's competitor, the all-electric Nissan Leaf? It's expected to charge into the Twin Cities this summer.