Chevy Volt economy

[blind ear]

An email that I recieved. I don't know if any of this is valid or not.  ear
 
In simple terms that MOST can understand!!

Cost to operate a Chevy Volt
Eric Bolling (Fox Business Channel's Follow the Money) test drove the Chevy Volt at the invitation of General Motors.
For four days in a row, the fully charged battery lasted only 25 miles before the Volt switched to the reserve gasoline engine.
Eric calculated the car got 30 mpg including the 25 miles it ran on the battery. So, the range including the 9 gallon gas tank and the 16 kwh battery is approximately 270 miles. It will take you 4 1/2 hours to drive 270 miles at 60 mph. Then add 10 hours to charge the battery and you have a total trip time of 14.5 hours. In a typical road trip your average speed (including charging time) would be 20 mph.
According to General Motors, the Volt battery hold 16 kwh of electricity. It takes a full 10 hours to charge a drained battery.
The cost for the electricity to charge the Volt is never mentioned so I looked up what I pay for electricity.
I pay approximately (it varies with amount used and the seasons) $1.16 per kwh.
16 kwh x $1.16 per kwh = $18.56 to charge the battery.
$18.56 per charge divided by 25 miles = $0.74 per mile to operate the Volt using the battery.
Compare this to a similar size car with a gasoline engine only that gets 32 mpg.
$3.19 per gallon divided by 32 mpg = $0.10 per mile.
The gasoline powered car cost about $15,000 while the Volt costs $46,000.
So Obama wants us to pay 3 times as much for a car that costs more that 7 time as much to run and takes 3 times as long to drive across country.
REALLY?

[Tommyt]

I like your comment
I heard the Volt is no longer being produced
I would bet they got their grant money on the Money guzzling car
and now laughing all the way to the bank
 
Tommyt

[Conan The Librarian]

I don't like the way the volt has been paid for by he taxpayer, but I do like that it's a consumer product using a new technology with a future. Consider that the Prius had poor sales numbers initially, but it became accepted, and about two million of them have been sold in the US. I think that eventually good will come of developments like the volt.
 
I also see that Government Motors 1 and Government Motors 2 (ie. GM and Fiat (formerly Chrysler)) will be selling natural gas trucks. I think that's a good thing too because there can be some regional demand for cars powered with gas, and it is a good application for natural gas because of portability.
 
About the volt, only "the 1%" are likely to buy them now because they are so expensive.

[Land_Owner]

Volt Plants and employees were "downsized", yesterday I think.  Furloughed for two months to stop production so Dealerships could sell stockpiled inventory (to whom?).  Even with the gooberment's $7,500.00 cash discount per Volt, paid for by We The People, the Volt remains a Dog that is too expensive, doesn't perform, and that no one wants.  The Jack Boots can "push" alternative energy through non-legislative mandate but that dog don't hunt with The People. 

As a division of federal goverment that was supposed to find alternatives to oil, the DOE budget increases annually .  They have found alternatives to work through the conversion of taxpayer dollars into gold for their department.

The DOE's Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 budget request was $28.4 billion
In 2009, Congress provided DOE with an additional $38.3 billion for fiscal years 2009 and 2010
The FY 2006 Budget request totaled $23.4 billion. 
The FY 2000 budget request totaled $17.8 billion.

You can see the progression, even leaving out the intervening years in which the Department took Taxpayer dollars for what?  What value did We The People get?  A car that won't go and a bail out for Solyndra of $750M for solar panel technology that doesn't exist.

[rockbilly]

The wife and I looked at them a while back, I don't think I want one there are many better choices out there.

[Sourdough]

Was in the Chevy Dealership last week, to get parts for my S-10.  They had four Volts sitting in the show room.  They were the only thing in the show room.  I was talking to a salesman, he was convinced they were the best thing since sliced bread.  They are the future.  I asked how many people have taken one for a test drive?  He replyed, "No one yet, it's too cold.  People just don't test drive when it's this cold".  I pointed across the street where new KIAs were pulling out of the parking lot, and a couple of trucks going up the street with the price displayed on the windshield from Affordable Used Car lot, all going on test drives.  He had no response to that.  I then went on to the parts window.  As I was leaving I saw him sitting near the door.  I stopped and we got into a conversation again.  He admitted he had been sitting there counting cars and trucks going by from Affordable, and coming out of the KIA/Mazda dealership across the street.  And the Nisson dealership next door, and the Chrysler Dealership on the other side.  He said "It's my job to build those things up, but I think I am fighting a losing battle".  I replied, "Yep, looks like Government Motors just might fail again.  At least the Volt Division".  He agreed.  Batteries just don't work in Fairbanks Alaska during the winter time.  Honda found that out ten years ago.
 
Now we hear they are having a slow down at the Volt Plant.  The company making their batteries filed for Bankruptcy last month.

[hillbill]

the volt is a freekin joke. if the orig posters specs are correct, 30 mpg? really? my 98 nissan sentra gets 35 mpg all day long and as high as 42 mpg if yu baby it. and its old but admittedly well tuned. im sick of the gov trying to shove stuff down our throat thats junk and dont even work as well as stuff we had a decade ago.

[ironglow]

  Made to fit a niche which isn't there.  It seems nobody wants this dog...  30 mpg  and that's only in fair weather states where you don't need either heater or air (those both suck a lot of electricity).  Of course as Sourdough says, batteries are totally inefficent in cold states.
  The stupid things are in the $40,000 plus and even with the $7,000 filched from other taxpayers as an incentive, the buyer still has to cough up at least $33,000.
   You can get cars which can beat that Volt mileage..Hyundai, Toyota Yaris & Corolla, Ford Festiva, Nissan Versa, Kia Rio & Soul...among many others  which can beat the Volts mileage ..for $14,000..  Why should anyone cough up the extra $20K for a Volt.
 
  If one wants an efficient car in Volt's class, Toyota & Nissan already are ioffering a better, more refined car for less money.
 
  Remember; those all night charges the Volt takes just to make it to work next day...usually comes from a coal-fired generating plant !

[SwampThing762]

We know it's all about Obama pandering to the green weenies, and forcing us into electric cars only shows his hatred for oil and gas companies and affordable energy.       Alas, all the libs and their useful idiots (including welfare parasites) will do everything in their power to keep Obummer in the White House.

ST762

[blind ear]

I read where the big three here have committed to gas/electric rather than sell proven diesel or gasoline autos as "efficent" modles to persue.
 
They are sticking with the planned obselence  for future sales strategy. Batteries, electric motors and shorter overall life of the vehicle plus actual obsolence that is built into ALL electric products. It also generates more future sales of new cars.
 
The platform concept where one chassie/power train can be topped by an option of sedan, wagon or pickup was dropped many years ago. A good diesel in the right platform would be the only auto a person would ever need. 
 
We have been sold on a 100000 mile dependebility when any good car can get 3 times that. Getting from A to B is the purpose. ear

[Conan The Librarian]

That may be a good strategy. Face it, they can't win against car manufacturers of other nations. The Japanese, Koreans, Europeans and Right To Work States simply make better cars and have better production costs for family sedans and economy cars. The rust belt companies have to do something besides make SUVs and trucks. Shooting for high end electric and gas cars that they can do well for a few years may work. At least until the other companies use their better manufacturing and cost structures to dominate those technologies too.
 
The environmental activists need another industry to complain about and shut down, and what better way to do that than to have a robust battery industry right here in the US that pollutes something.
 
One thing to think about is that the hybrid as we know it in the Prius and Insight is a truly mature technology today. It's been in production for over 15 years, and has been on the US market for over 10. The volt comes out with a minor variation and it gets "car of the year" and a lot of fanfare. Meanwhile the industry leaders continue to quietly excel and dominate.
 
Bottom line is that whatever GM and Fiat do, it better be good, or they'll just be peddling expensive econo boxes, and people are only so gullible when it comes to spending their own money.
 
 

[guzzijohn]

Quote from blind ear:
"I pay approximately (it varies with amount used and the seasons) $1.16 per kwh."


Ear,
Are you sure about you cost? I just looked up the current average rate for Kansas and it is 8.07 cents per kwh.
GuzziJohn

[yellowtail3]

the volt is a freekin joke.

relax; the original poster's specs were not correct.
http://gm-volt.com/2012/02/23/mpg-comparison-2012-volt-vs-2010-prius/
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1108_2011_chevrolet_volt_vs_2011_nissan_leaf_vs_2011_toyota_prius_comparison/viewall.html
I recently spent some time with a Prius (not my car). Impressive; got a steady 48mpg. I've not driven a Volt - I'm a poor guy, I drive an old Tracer Wagon (excellent car) - but I believe the Volt is more efficient than the Prius.

For cheap driving... the old Tracer does the job. It's paid for. Keep tire pressure high, drive gently, and daily get 35-38, and it'll crack 40mpg if I REALLY try (not worth it, though)

[blind ear]

Quote from blind ear:
"I pay approximately (it varies with amount used and the seasons) $1.16 per kwh."


Ear,
Are you sure about you cost? I just looked up the current average rate for Kansas and it is 8.07 cents per kwh.
GuzziJohn

Not my data. OP: An email that I recieved. I don't know if any of this is valid or not.  ear

[blind ear]

yt3, what year and what engine and transmission does your Tracer have? I have been looking for something like that but get lost in all the different possibilities.  thanks, ear

[LunaticFringeInc]

An email that I recieved. I don't know if any of this is valid or not.  ear
 
In simple terms that MOST can understand!!

Cost to operate a Chevy Volt
Eric Bolling (Fox Business Channel's Follow the Money) test drove the Chevy Volt at the invitation of General Motors.
For four days in a row, the fully charged battery lasted only 25 miles before the Volt switched to the reserve gasoline engine.
Eric calculated the car got 30 mpg including the 25 miles it ran on the battery. So, the range including the 9 gallon gas tank and the 16 kwh battery is approximately 270 miles. It will take you 4 1/2 hours to drive 270 miles at 60 mph. Then add 10 hours to charge the battery and you have a total trip time of 14.5 hours. In a typical road trip your average speed (including charging time) would be 20 mph.
According to General Motors, the Volt battery hold 16 kwh of electricity. It takes a full 10 hours to charge a drained battery.
The cost for the electricity to charge the Volt is never mentioned so I looked up what I pay for electricity.
I pay approximately (it varies with amount used and the seasons) $1.16 per kwh.
16 kwh x $1.16 per kwh = $18.56 to charge the battery.
$18.56 per charge divided by 25 miles = $0.74 per mile to operate the Volt using the battery.
Compare this to a similar size car with a gasoline engine only that gets 32 mpg.
$3.19 per gallon divided by 32 mpg = $0.10 per mile.
The gasoline powered car cost about $15,000 while the Volt costs $46,000.
So Obama wants us to pay 3 times as much for a car that costs more that 7 time as much to run and takes 3 times as long to drive across country.
REALLY?

Thats because generally speaking, Obama doesnt think your smart enough to figure things like that out.  Liberals discount anything that makes sense since they are more concerned about "what feels good" vs whats reality.

[yellowtail3]

Thats because generally speaking, Obama doesnt think your smart enough to figure things like that out.  Liberals discount anything that makes sense since they are more concerned about "what feels good" vs whats reality.

Sticking to automotive metaphors, you're talking out your tailpipe. 


The Volt is a neat system; learn a bit about it. The article/email ear posted has some mis-information in it. For someone with a relatively short commute, the Volt can be run as an electric. Read the link from Motor Trend that I provided.


There are cheaper ways to drive, and in bang-for-the-buck the Volt isn't there yet... but it will be if gas goes up a couple more bucks a gallon. Here's hoping it does not.

[ironglow]

YT says;
  " There are cheaper ways to drive, and in bang-for-the-buck the Volt isn't there yet... but it will be if gas goes up a couple more bucks a gallon. Here's hoping it does not."
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
 
  And that is why the boy-king and his toadies are doing their best to force gas to $10 per gallon ...at a minimum..
  Then he can say..     "See, I told you the volt makes sense !"
 
  The volt is an answer to an unasked question...                          ...not by any rational person, anyway !

[charles p]

I live on Hatteras Island in NC.  I am 65 miles from a WalMart and about 55 miles from any competative gasoline pricing.  Stations on the island charge about 30 cents per gallon more than on the mainland.  A reliable gas/electric vehicle might make sense out here, but we are about 75 miles from a dealership, so service would be about impossible.  No natural gas lines either.  Propane is high.  No rail.  It is expensive to purchase any fuel where I live other than electricity.  I'd pay a premium for a reliable electric vehicle, but don't know if I will live to see one.  Our island is breached every few years by hurricanes, and we must resort to ferries to get basic supplies.  This disrupts the electricity, phone, cable, water, you name it.  Such is life in paradise.
The UPS man has become my best friend.  I wish he would deliver our mail and groceries.  I do all possible shopping on the Internet.  Its about 10 miles to the only large food store and five miles to the post office (no delivery here).  If fuel prices were to double, I'd really have to plan all my trips very carefully.  Maybe the neighbors would come together for common trips for food and mail.
I'm hoping for an electric vehicle that will actually save money.
 
On top of all this, the National Park Service just charged us $120 per year to drive on the beach. 
Drove 20 miles Monday to the vet to get hartworm pills.  Vet is open on Monday and Wednesday afternoons only.  Office was closed all day Monday.  Vet was on a mission trip somewhere.
 
 
 
 

[Swampman]

I'd love to have an electric car, I expect it will be a Toyota when I get one.  The thing is those of us who can't afford $4.00 a gallon gas can't afford a $40,000.00 car.  We need a $13,000.00 car.  For me that is the Toyota Yaris and the Ford Fiesta.  I'd like to see cars and trucks that get less than 20mpg have to pay an additional $1000.00 a year for tags.  That would reduce dependence on foreign oil.

[Drilling Man]

  I was at a Chevy dealer today, i saw 1 or 2 Volts there.  I also see them driveing around here once in a while.  If i lived in town, maybe it would pay to have one, but i live too far out and it would run too much on gas....
 
  Yes they stopped makeing Volts, but only for a month or so, when they will make more of them.
 
  BTW, Chevy has been makeing natural gas powered vans for a long time, i've even thought about buying one a time or two...
 
  DM

[hillbill]

I'd love to have an electric car, I expect it will be a Toyota when I get one.  The thing is those of us who can't afford $4.00 a gallon gas can't afford a $40,000.00 car.  We need a $13,000.00 car.  For me that is the Toyota Yaris and the Ford Fiesta.  I'd like to see cars and trucks that get less than 20mpg have to pay an additional $1000.00 a year for tags.  That would reduce dependence on foreign oil.

um well that wud screw a lot of small biz guys that depend on everything larger than a smart car to get their guys and materials to the job site.it would screw farmers who need 1 ton trucks to haul their equipment around. it would screw me as a small bussiness man getting my dozer and backhoe around. are yu serious?i mean really?id jus give it up and not try to make any extra money. that would be that much less money in the econmy.1000 doll\ar licenses would shut down a lot of the economy.

[Swampman]

Perhaps legit small business could be exempt on a case by case basis with proff of need.  Gas hogs need to go or we'll be kissing the Arabs feet forever.  Many large trucks get better than 20mpg.

[scootrd]

This is all such a crock of garbage.

42% of our oil comes from right here in the good ole USA and US territories .
The rest of the majority of our imports come from the Western Hemisphere
ie: Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Columbia.

The U.S. imports only about 25 percent of its crude oil from the Middle East. 

Crude oil imports by the United States have fallen to a 12 year low in 2011, as per data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Oil is a Global commodity , no President, king , queen,  etc.. can set or lessen the Global price for oil.  Oil Speculators bettng on oil future contracts probably cause the most damage by creating artificially inflated oil prices more than any other entity. 

[blind ear]

This is all such a crock of garbage.

42% of our oil comes from right here in the good ole USA and US territories .
The rest of the majority of our imports come from the Western Hemisphere
ie: Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, Columbia.

The U.S. imports only about 25 percent of its crude oil from the Middle East. 

Crude oil imports by the United States have fallen to a 12 year low in 2011, as per data from the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Oil is a Global commodity , no President, king , queen,  etc.. can set or lessen the Global price for oil.  Oil Speculators bettng on oil future contracts probably cause the most damage by creating artificially inflated oil prices more than any other entity.

Talk show said 1/3 of the price of oil is due to speculateing. Said it was legit as a way to fix future cost. If the entity had to take delivery and not sell as well as buy I might agree but until it is controlled that excuse is bogus.
ear

[ironglow]

Ear said;
  "Talk show said 1/3 of the price of oil is due to speculateing. Said it was legit as a way to fix future cost. If the entity had to take delivery and not sell as well as buy I might agree but until it is controlled that excuse is bogus."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
 
   Obammy keeps blaming "speculators"..  Listen folks, those speculators are you and I... if you have any stock or if you have an IRA or 401K.     ...Buying shares of stock is "speculating"...DUH !  I have petroleum stocks and I am happy to say so..you can get some too..
 
Speculators are betting that our petroleum supply may be shut down by Iranian antics, so they bid higher..DUH !
 
   If the boy-king wants to "fix' those evil speculators, who have driven the price of petroleum stocks up....all he would have to do is open new fields for drilling, Let Canada build the Keystone,  allow construction of new refineries, and encourage domestic production in every way possible.
  That would force down the stock prices and "fix those evil speculators".
 
  So folks, if you own stock, have an IRA or 401K...we have met Obama's enemy, and it is us !

[Drilling Man]

Ear said;
  "Talk show said 1/3 of the price of oil is due to speculateing. Said it was legit as a way to fix future cost. If the entity had to take delivery and not sell as well as buy I might agree but until it is controlled that excuse is bogus."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
 
   Obammy keeps blaming "speculators"..  Listen folks, those speculators are you and I... if you have any stock or if you have an IRA or 401K.     ...Buying shares of stock is "speculating"...DUH !  I have petroleum stocks and I am happy to say so..you can get some too..
 
Speculators are betting that our petroleum supply may be shut down by Iranian antics, so they bid higher..DUH !
 
   If the boy-king wants to "fix' those evil speculators, who have driven the price of petroleum stocks up....all he would have to do is open new fields for drilling, Let Canada build the Keystone,  allow construction of new refineries, and encourage domestic production in every way possible.
  That would force down the stock prices and "fix those evil speculators".
 
  So folks, if you own stock, have an IRA or 401K...we have met Obama's enemy, and it is us !

  On top of that, when we started driveing less, we created a glut of oil in the US.  SO, the glut was sold off to china and india, and now the glut is gone and that drives the price higher too.
 
  obammy's energy secretary has made the statement that he would like to see OUR fuel prices as high as they are in europe as that's the only way HE FEELS Americans will control there wasteful ways!
 
  There lies the reason the pipeline isn't going in today, and there lies the reason we aren't drilling or building refineries.
 
  DM

[scootrd]

Let Canada build the Keystone.

I don't know if the pipeline is good or bad, but let's all understand ,
The Keystone oil pipeline project has never been intended to create refined oil for US consumption. Canada wants to use the  US as a middleman to reach tax free zone refineries. The refined oil will be sold on the open market to the highest bidder. That is exactly what Valero, one of the largest potential buyers of Keystone XL's oil, has told its investors it will do. Valero has planned to be a shipper and purchaser of keystone Pipeline oil since 2008.

I haven't seen the chevy volt up close yet , but I feel we should be investing in all forms of alternative energy R&D.
I could see where the volt may make sense and be quite applicable as a commuter city car.

[blind ear]

Farmers arn't legally allowed to "book" more comodities that they can deliver based on acres. Yet they can speculate by hedging far outside what they can deliver or recieve delivery of.  As long as it is in the hands of a stock broker it is legal but the individual private person can't do the same thing. Apply the rules equally.
Owning stock is apples to oranges compared to hedging commodities.
ear

[Lon371]

 Volt must be in high demand. Obama wants to give $10,000 instant tax credit to those who purchase one. I don't see why you would need that big of a credit if it is sooooooooooo good 
 
 
Lonny