A new, currently-being-tested OnStar app - the `EcoHub' app - will enable the owners of the Chevrolet Volt cars to learn the exact costs involved in charging their vehicles, providing them precise information about energy cost and consumption data.

The app - which will show the Volt users the costs they will have to incur for charging their plug-in hybrid vehicles - is presently under-testing, on a limited basis, with Volt owners dwelling the Pecan Street Project area in Austin, Texas.

The EcoHub app from OnStar will help the Volt owners know about the costs of charging their vehicles, along with the costs involved in powering their entire household, on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis.

The app works in such a way that overall home energy data - from any energy data source, like a utility or smart meter firm - is pulled and combined with OnStar's vehicle-charging details. The data is then aggregated to give the consumers a clear picture of the energy used by their household, and revealing the total energy consumed for charging the Volt alone.

In addition, with the EcoHub app's "Ticker" screen showing the consumers the total electric-powered miles driven, vis-a-vis the total miles driven and the fuel savings in EV mode, Paul Pebbles - global manager, Electric Vehicle and Smart Grid Services - said in a press release that the app will probably emerge as "a beneficial tool for all drivers of electric vehicles."