Chevy Volt.....230 mpg for $40,000

[TripletDaddy]

By now I am sure everyone has heard of the new Chevy Volt, the new GM plug-in hybrid that is scheduled for release next year. GM is claiming that it has been tested and achieves fuel economy of 230 mpg. The predicted sticker will be around $40K.

EPA has yet to test, but that is supposed to take place this year. Highway mpg would obviously be lower.

This seems like a big risk for GM.

1. In this economy, are people wanting to spend $40K....for a GM?
2. Many critics feel that GM is off on its math....that the car cannot possibly achieve this type of fuel economy. If GM is correct in its math, it still has to deal with the recession sticker shock. If GM is incorrect in its math, it would be an embarrassment and PR nightmare....one that it cannot afford as it tries to reinvent itself.
3. GM also estimates that the cost to recharge the Volt would wind up being about 3 cents/mile based on the national average cost for electricity (11 cents/kwh).
4. Despite the price, I would definitely have strong interest in buying this car. It actually is a decent looking sedan and the fuel economy would be amazing.

Anything that helps us move towards energy independence and away from the clutches of Middle East oil is encouraging. If accurate, this is a nice step forward for US automakers. The price point still concerns me, though.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,4416022.story

[LiveCoug]

EPA has yet to test, but that is supposed to take place this year. Highway mpg would obviously be lower.

Isn't highway mpg usually higher?

[Surfah]

Isn't highway mpg usually higher?

Not in hybrids where city speeds and more idling don't zap as much fuel.

[LiveCoug]

Not in hybrids where city speeds and more idling don't zap as much fuel.

Gotcha.. thanks.

[Katy Lied]

I talked to my friend who works in the industry about this car.

He said it does get that gas mileage, but what they don't tell you is that every 80 miles you have to plug the car in for recharge. The problem is that the very small gas-powered recharger engine cannot recharge the engine fast enough to keep up with the power draw from driving the car.

If you drove the car between 2 and 4 miles per hour, it could recharge sufficiently that all you'd need to do is fill up the tank when you're low.

The government forced GM to put this car out 12-18 months ahead of schedule, when all the bugs had not been worked out, and it is still basically a non-practical concept car. This is GM's penalty for taking government dough. It is very much still a beta model.

Chrysler also took government dough, and their penalty is that they had to merge with Fiat for no cash. (They got nothing for it.) Fiat has enough 4-cylinder car models that the government will simply force Chrysler to start producing lots of these small cars.

[TripletDaddy]

I talked to my friend who works in the industry about this car.

He said it does get that gas mileage, but what they don't tell you is that every 80 miles you have to plug the car in for recharge. The problem is that the very small gas-powered recharger engine cannot recharge the engine fast enough to keep up with the power draw from driving the car.

If you drove the car between 2 and 4 miles per hour, it could recharge sufficiently that all you'd need to do is fill up the tank when you're low.

The government forced GM to put this car out 12-18 months ahead of schedule, when all the bugs had not been worked out, and it is still basically a non-practical concept car. This is GM's penalty for taking government dough. It is very much still a beta model.

Chrysler also took government dough, and their penalty is that they had to merge with Fiat for no cash. (They got nothing for it.) Fiat has enough 4-cylinder car models that the government will simply force Chrysler to start producing lots of these small cars.

ok.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I can't wait until the bugs are all worked out and these cars are in full production mode so that the price can be lowered. Most days I only drive a few miles anyway. A car like this would be great for driving around town.

[JohnnyLingo]

If you're worried about price, this isn't for you, but the Tesla Roadster kicks ass.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster

The Roadster can travel 244 miles (393 km) on a single charge of its lithium-ion battery pack, and can accelerate from 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 3.9 seconds.

The vehicle set a new distance record when it completed the 241-mile (388 km) Rallye Monte Carlo d'Energies Alternatives with 36 miles (58 km) left on the charge.[4] The base price is US$109,000.

[Mormon Red Death]

If you compare this with the Prius

Prius cost 30G gets 50MPG

Volt costs 40g gets 230MPG

10k can buy a lot of gas in fact the break even point @$4/gallon doesnt happen till year 11. Of course the volt looks a lot nicer than the prius IMHO.

The real payoff for producing the volt will be when they put the engine in the escalade, Yukon etc... (2013 My home teaching companion is designing the 2013 cars and trucks that will have these batteries and engines in them) then you will see it starting to be worth it.

[Mormon Red Death]

I talked to my friend who works in the industry about this car.

He said it does get that gas mileage, but what they don't tell you is that every 80 miles you have to plug the car in for recharge. The problem is that the very small gas-powered recharger engine cannot recharge the engine fast enough to keep up with the power draw from driving the car.

If you drove the car between 2 and 4 miles per hour, it could recharge sufficiently that all you'd need to do is fill up the tank when you're low.

The government forced GM to put this car out 12-18 months ahead of schedule, when all the bugs had not been worked out, and it is still basically a non-practical concept car. This is GM's penalty for taking government dough. It is very much still a beta model.

Chrysler also took government dough, and their penalty is that they had to merge with Fiat for no cash. (They got nothing for it.) Fiat has enough 4-cylinder car models that the government will simply force Chrysler to start producing lots of these small cars.

This car has always been scheduled for 2010 IE before they took the money. Your friend is misinformed.

[thesaint258]

If you're worried about price, this isn't for you, but the Tesla Roadster kicks ass.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oUw43oC2A34&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oUw43oC2A34&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

[SteelBlue]

MRD introduced me to the Volt last summer. The 40k is almost double the price predicted as a few months ago.

[falafel]

If you're worried about price, this isn't for you, but the Tesla Roadster kicks ass.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster

A paralegal I know (that's right) is on the waiting list for the 4-door version.

[Donuthole]

If you compare this with the Prius

Prius cost 30G gets 50MPG

Volt costs 40g gets 230MPG

10k can buy a lot of gas in fact the break even point @$4/gallon doesnt happen till year 11. Of course the volt looks a lot nicer than the prius IMHO.

Same could be said for buying a fuel-efficient, non-hybrid car.

Chevy Malibu [or insert your preferred fuel efficient vehicle here]
cost: 17k
gets: 28 mpg

Prius
cost: 30k
gets: 50 mpg

At $4/gallon, the break even point is roughly year 14.

[Mormon Red Death]

Same could be said for buying a fuel-efficient, non-hybrid car.

Chevy Malibu [or insert your preferred fuel efficient vehicle here]
cost: 17k
gets: 28 mpg

Prius
cost: 30k
gets: 50 mpg

At $4/gallon, the break even point is roughly year 14.

Good point... maybe guys like Ed Begley Jr. will buy it so they fellate themselves like they've done with the prius.