Volt is about to strike

[wincrasher]

The Chevy Volts are about to roll off the assembly line.

Been reading a bit about it. Sounds like a promising technology.

Of course this car and hybrid cars make no real economic sense compared to normal gas cars, but that may not be the case in 5 to 10 years. Everything has to start somewhere and it looks like it's starting now.

One could argue that development and production of electric cars could be a boon to American Industry.

So is this kind of car something that interests you? Would you buy one for reasons other than dollars and cents (i.e. like gadgets, want to save the earth, want to stick it to the Arabs, or some other nonsense?).

Personally, I think this one is priced far too high to be successful. But who know? If gas hit $6 a gallon next summer, or they proved to be mechanically bulletproof, it may be a game changer.

[snafu]

Depends on how you use a car. As a 2nd car, short hops to grocery, p/u kids from friends, an electric car could be practical unless you live in a high kWh zone. I wouldn't use it on a regular highway commute where an accident can leave you stranded for undefined time. I can't use it for highway travel to visit family in other cities not only due to time/distance but I would feel uncomfortable adding to their electric bill and likely need to ask them to buy/install the special gadget needed. Finally, I share a car with teens and that reads endless problems of planning. It's one thing to get in a car and see the red light...need gas. It would be more frustrating than words to get in a car that takes hours to power-up.

[wincrasher]

This one seems to be more practical than that. With the gas generator in it, you can go around 300 miles before you'd need to either plug it in or put more gas in it.

But if you just had a 20 mile or less commute (each way), you could theoretically never have to buy gas. That could be appealing to some folks for reasons other than just saving money.

[PMMM]

I have a tidbit of tech data on the battery. What makes this car unique from others is that the battery is cooled with coolant. Just like an engine. I don't know the mixture of the coolant to water but it's unique in the new electric vehicles. The battery is transported in a cocoon that is 6 feet long by 4 feet wide and 2 feet deep. With the cocoon it weighs 650 pounds. Without the cocoon it is 450 pounds. It's a good sized battery. It shaped like a T. You can Google pictures of it.

I agree the car is kind of expensive. I think it starts at 40K. Net after tax savings is about 33K. Interesting car and I understand the battery will have an 8 year warranty. It costs about $1.50 per day to run on electricity.

PMMM

[greenskeeper]

My 12 year old car gets 50mpg, no batteries required.

[EEinNJ]

GM bet the company on this car, and they screwed up. That is, the company imploded before they could get it to market. Even if the car was technically brilliant (which it isn't), GM fails at execution. It's late to market, overpriced, and heavily subsidized. I don't understand why the US taxpayer should be underwriting incompetence and bad business management. Watch "Who Killed the Electric Car?" and you'll see this is not GM's first shot at this.

It's entirely possible to produce gas engined cars that get mileage that rivals hybrids. Further, there's no reason for so many people to be driving around in gas-guzzling SUV's, other than auto companies make big profits on them. Auto companies are global, and they have many, better mileage vehicles they just don't sell in the US because of regulations or marketing. For example, Ford has an updated crew-cab Ranger with a turbo- diesel they will be selling throughout the world- except the US, because they don't want it to compete with the F-150!

[bjl584]

I would not buy this car. The technology is too new and the price is too high. Ask me this question 10 or 15 years from now and I may say yes. But, my little 4 cylinder all gasoline car gets great mileage, and has low cost of ownership. Right now, I could not get those benefits from an all electric vehicle. I'll wait.

[feh]

I'd love to have one, for several reasons: I'd like to use less oil; it harms the environment less than a standard car; its range would be more than sufficient for either my commute or my wife's; from what I've read, it's a very well-built vehicle; operating expenses would be less than a standard vehicle.

However, we won't be buying one. Way, way too expensive.

[bjl584]

I'd love to have one, for several reasons: I'd like to use less oil; it harms the environment less than a standard car; its range would be more than sufficient for either my commute or my wife's; from what I've read, it's a very well-built vehicle; operating expenses would be less than a standard vehicle.

However, we won't be buying one. Way, way too expensive.

Chances are, the electricity that will be generated to power up your Volt will be coming from the burning of coal. So much for helping the environment. And, the batteries that are used in those cars contain a laundry list of heavy metals and chemicals. If you are buying a car like this to make an environmental statement, then you are being deceived.

[EconoMutt]

The majority of our driving is highway.

A $40,000 Volt will get 37 MPG
A $20,000 Sonata will get 35 MPG
(Mileage is HWY)

It makes more sense for us to save the $20,000 and drive the Sonata.

[cjscully]

Hmmm an electric car from GM...

Even if I was in the market for a car and was willing to pay cash for a brand new one, which I'm not, I wouldn't buy a Volt until the model matures. After it's been in production for 5 years and I see that they're reliable and the GM is committed to the model, then I might be interested. Until then I'd be concerned about this being EV1 part two.

[disneysteve]

A $40,000 Volt will get 37 MPG
A $20,000 Sonata will get 35 MPG
(Mileage is HWY)

It makes more sense for us to save the $20,000 and drive the Sonata.

I totally agree. I honestly don't know why anyone would buy a Volt other than the Hollywood types who want to make some statement and be trendy. You'll save a little money on gas but spend so much more for the car itself that it isn't worth it.

If they come out with an electric car that is identical in all respects to the gas version of the same model including identical price, then people might start thinking about it. Either that or if gas prices skyrocket and stay there long term. Until then, electric cars will remain a novelty purchase. Besides, most electricity is still generated by burning coal so it isn't like you are really reducing pollution.

[GREENBACK]

Besides, most electricity is still generated by burning coal so it isn't like you are really reducing pollution.

Precisely what I've thought since this electric car stuff came up. The current argument about driving these things as a planet saver equates to draining the one of the great lakes one five gallon bucket at a time. impress me with some economical reason for buying one and maybe I'll pay attention.

[feh]

Chances are, the electricity that will be generated to power up your Volt will be coming from the burning of coal. So much for helping the environment. And, the batteries that are used in those cars contain a laundry list of heavy metals and chemicals. If you are buying a car like this to make an environmental statement, then you are being deceived.

Incorrect. Despite the battery disposal and electricity from coal-fired power plants, EVs cause much less pollution than a gas-powered vehicle. Many studies demonstrate this.

[bjl584]

Incorrect. Despite the battery disposal and electricity from coal-fired power plants, EVs cause much less pollution than a gas-powered vehicle. Many studies demonstrate this.

Prius Outdoes Hummer in Environmental Damage | One Man's Blog

There's a place to start to prove my point.

Another one is that the battery for the Volt causes so much pollution and is so toxic to produce that Chevy can't even produce it here. It is being built in Korea where Environmental Standards are much looser. These cars are window dressing. There's nothing about them that makes them better for the environment than a traditional car with a gasoline powered engine. People think that they are doing something good because perception is reality, but if you actually start to peel back the layers and look deeper into things, such as longterm effects, life of the battery, replacement and disposal of the battery, where the electricity comes from, and manufacturing practices and its effects on the environment, then quite a different picture starts to emerge.