95 mpg

[wazzuFreddo]

Interesting review. I'm all for american cars making a comeback, but their long term dependability/reliability continues to disapoint. Not that other mfrs are doing any better, in the long term department, they all seem to suck pretty hard.

I am looking forward to the aftermarket for these software heavy vehicles. cm11 for volt!

I used to be import only, but my F150 with over a quarter million that still looks nice and runs/drives like new has made me re-think that.

But it only gets 15MPG

 

[msog]

With the continued growth of EVs and better mileage, it will be interesting to see where the governments make up for the lost revenue (i.e. high taxes on fuels). They'll probably start adding more tax to electric power or we may even seen more tolls on the roads or pay by the mile taxes. It may be cheap now, but that will change.

And one question regarding all the "green" value of these cars. How green is it to manufacture, ship and ultimately dispose of all the batteries from electric vehicles? It seems that is a topic, which is rarely mentioned when people talk about going "green".

 

[Jakemate]

Wait.. our Rob? The one that was lambasting hybrid and plug in technology, like he was clutching a carburetor in the 80's? Saying it would go away, never be mainstream?

 

[Raider]

One of the guys at our company has one, he's averaging a little over 230mpg...
Lives in San Jose, works in Livermore... plugs in at home, plugs in at the office, uses under .5 gallons every day... He let me drive it a few times...

First electric car I actually want... Driven the Prius/Leaf, don't like'em... if this thing was cheaper I'd be in my driveway right now...

told me wife, next car is either going to be hybrid, electric, or diesel, I want mid 40's or higher mpg... i have a bike for fun, i need a good commuter...

 

[Zerox]

if this thing was cheaper I'd be in my driveway right now...

Yes, much lower price needed. And if the fast-charging outlets become mainstream enough so you don't have to plan your route like a Honda VTR1000 seeking gas stations....the Volt might become normal transportation.

 

[Morphine]

If I have the demand to buy another car, I'd def buy something like this. I need my car to break down much faster. Damn Honda and its reliability!

i take it back, car god, please don't smite me with your wrath

 

[sckego]

Forget the lower fuel costs; the driving experience is enough to make me want an EV. If you haven't experienced one, it's tough to explain... instantaneous torque, whenever you want it, all you have to do is plant your foot. No downshifting or waiting for the motor to spool up, just loads of GO, right f'king now. Comparing it to my wife's Acura TL is like going from the Ninja 250 to the FZ1, or more. It's quite the shift in the driving experience.

 

[mbsv]

i don't believe 95 mpg. are you really getting that without plugging the car in?

otherwise heck my car can get 95 mpg too if i pretend that 3/4 of the fillups aren't gasoline but some magical exlir which has nothing to do with energy.

 

[Ducky_Fresh]

Well actually, 96MPG right now. That's the name of the car, or as Chevy calls it, the Volt. Two weeks ago, we bought two for our company. Mine uses a bit more gas than our CFO's as I travel to the Sacramento area twice a week, however with just under 500 miles on the car, I've gotten an average of 96 MPG.

I'm simply blown away by this car...almost every luxury (And then some) as my 2009 CTS-V. Heated seats, collision alert, lane change alert, XM radio/ weather/ traffic, keyless go, Navi (with directions that can be sent from your PC), remote start through onstar app on the iphone (or web interface), Auto wipers, cameras all over, leather, enough gadgets to keep you occupied for months...it's damn cool! One of the most notable thing is how driving is now mission filled...keeping the efficiency "leaf power ball" in the center and trying to achieve maximum efficiency on the way to work is actually challenging and worthy. I never...NEVER thought I'd feel this way about a toaster, yet this isn't a toaster. It drives as well, if not better than the Cadillac, and has such cooler features, all the while not burning an ounce of gas unless you need to.

Incentives, and credits for ours totaled $13K. A free 240V charger is another bonus ($1500 value). Charging at $.04 or at your work for free is yet another, benefit. Finding charging stations while out and about has me rethinking EVERYTHING about auto transport in the future. I'm 100% convinced that the problem with PEV (plug in electric vehicle) in the future isn't the price of the car so much as it is, the availibility of 240V plug in stations. However, that in itself is interesting...power stations can be put almost anywhere. Gone is the day of stopping for gas...now whenever one stops for any appreciable amount of time (even 30 minutes), they can plug in and top off. This means "gas stations" will pop up at every stop on the way through one's day....which means that power stations are the new phone booth and ATM...

And that alone has me thinking and working...on securing contracts with landlords to supply these into the future. The car is THAT cool...and the best part: $13K in incentives, as well as 0% financing. My $6500 gas bill last year should be 20% of that, if even that high...and there's enough left over to buy whatever else and drive it on the "nice" days! Coming from a guy who's owned all high HP, track type cars, I find this one of the most satisfying drives ever. Gone is my 18 MPG average...!

Whoever would have thought that I'd take the CAR for gas mileage, not the BIKE...

Rob, you were right...this thing rocks! Driven a leaf, owned a Prius and I feel at home in the Volt. It feels like a very quiet, very smooth, normal car.

1. You can do remote start from the key fob. I believe you hold down the lock or unlock button or something.

2. We didn't get a free charger. If you're talking about the standard 120V, we have that. But we need the high speed 240V. Was that standard, the 240v? Or are they trying to extort us for $500?

3. It does ride really, really well.

4. I have to say though, the buttons (on the console) are inconvenient. Plus, the parking brake and shifter are poor designs stuck in old ways. My Prius is more evolved, which makes sense, they've had an 8-10 year head start.

5. The volt is faster than I expected, it feels like a quick V6, which is pretty sweet. No one expects it. It's a total sleeper. Now to find the top speed..

 

[Ducky_Fresh]

Sales were slow to start, but they've really picked up in the past 6-8 months.

They tripled for 2012.

 

[sckego]

i don't believe 95 mpg. are you really getting that without plugging the car in?

otherwise heck my car can get 95 mpg too if i pretend that 3/4 of the fillups aren't gasoline but some magical exlir which has nothing to do with energy.

The official EPA rating for the Volt is 94 MPGe (miles-per-gallon equivalent). Why don't you believe that someone can better that by 1%?

It's not that they are pretending that the electricity in the batteries comes from thin air; it's just that the electric motor is WAAAAAAY more efficient at using it then an ICE engine is at using gas... thus, much better fuel economy numbers.

 

[Ducky_Fresh]

Does the Pigs, Goats & Extortionests give you a lower rate to charge it at home? If not it would just add to the highest rate on my bill. If they do how is it calculated?

You can program the car to charge at off peak times, for as low as $0.30 per charge or so. Assuming your area has that. Peak charge is $1.00 per charge.

The Volt can go approximately 40 miles on one charge. My Prius gets 46 MPG (the way I drive). You basically get a free gallon, then all bets are off and its roughly 38 MPG on the Volt. So, you can do some cost models on 40, 80, 120, and 240 miles a day. It still lops off $3 a day, regardless of how you look at it.

 

[Ducky_Fresh]

The official EPA rating for the Volt is 94 MPGe (miles-per-gallon equivalent). Why don't you believe that someone can better that by 1%?

It's not that they are pretending that the electricity in the batteries comes from thin air; it's just that the electric motor is WAAAAAAY more efficient at using it then an ICE engine is at using gas... thus, much better fuel economy numbers.

They did a lot of math on the average person's daily driving habits. Assuming 12,000 miles and breaking that down by 30 days per month, then how many miles that is per day, and a full charge each evening, they arrived at that number.

Take 50 miles a day, 25 each way to work for example, and you only need gas for 10 miles. It weights everything accordingly..

Berto, we should take them to the track!

 

[Killroy1999]

With the continued growth of EVs and better mileage, it will be interesting to see where the governments make up for the lost revenue (i.e. high taxes on fuels). They'll probably start adding more tax to electric power or we may even seen more tolls on the roads or pay by the mile taxes. It may be cheap now, but that will change.

And one question regarding all the "green" value of these cars. How green is it to manufacture, ship and ultimately dispose of all the batteries from electric vehicles? It seems that is a topic, which is rarely mentioned when people talk about going "green".

The Plug in Hybrids like the Chevy Volt are great, but it will take time for people got open up just like Gas-electric cars. You dont have to drive one, but they are reducing the demand of oil, which helps regular drivers.

About Gas Tax: Gas tax only pays for about 50% of roads and it has been a problem for a long time. Raising gas tax is not popular, so the cost of roads gets paid for with other taxes, so everyone pays even people who down own regular cars. Since oil security has been a big problem since WWII, it would make since to give a tax break to EVs that hardly use any oil and pollution is greatly reduced. Oil is heavily subsidized already.


Batteries a known issue for EVs, but the myth of them being more of a problem that gas cars has been de-bunked ad nauseam. A EV does not produce any more e-waste than the average consumer with electronics like computers, cell phones, ect. Most EV batteries, have a >10 year life and are re-used. Bad cells (part of the battery), are recycle at a rate orders of magnitude greater than aluminum, plastic and paper.

 

[Johndicezx9]

Wait for the Cadillac ELR coupe coming in 2014, very stylish.

Now that the Volt isn't an election issue more people will see how good a car it actually is. On a side note, I've been seeing an awful lot of Tesla S's around Monterey/Carmel lately, gotta say they look pretty cool.

 

[TheRobSJ]

Wait.. our Rob? The one that was lambasting hybrid and plug in technology, like he was clutching a carburetor in the 80's? Saying it would go away, never be mainstream?

Pure electric is not gonna be mainstream, if ever, for quite some time.

Plug ins like the Volt, plug in Prius, Fusion/C-Max Energi, Accord plug in, etc are are good stop gap between the way everyone is used to and pure electrics.

The original Prius and other hybrids were the start of these kind of cars that transition people into not relying on gasoline so much. They're successful because they require practically zero adaptation. You still put gas in them just like every other car you had. They just get better mileage. And the engine doesn't idle when you sit at a stoplight.

Now the plug ins take it step further. One little thing to adapt. Just gotta plug it in. But if you don't, or can't...no biggie. It still runs on gas. And gas stations are everywhere. So no compromises for the driver. Unlike pure electrics which have a limited range and are a dead pony till they can recharge. Or CNG powered cars that have you trying to find a CNG station, which there aren't that many of.

But just plug the thing in when I get home from work? That's easy. And if I want to cut out if town a take a long trip it's just like its always been. No planning stops at places I know I can recharge or whatever. Or just flat out rent a car.


Now I've never owned a FWD car. Nothing with less than a V6. I love power and going fast. But what the hell good is a supercar just trudging along at 25mph in heavy traffic? It's work having to row that six speed back and forth and work the clutch twenty thousand times in an hour. It's also a liability. Constantly wondering if this guy behind me sees we all came to a stop suddenly and doesn't rear end me. That piece of shit uncovered gravel hauler is gonna cause a chip in my $2000 windshield. And burning through $70 a week of 91 octane just to go no faster than some goon in a barely running beater car. So fuck it. I want a not so very fast commuter car. And if it's gonna be a commuter, then I want maximum mileage. But I don't want to be stranded if I should try running some errands and tacking on a few more miles on the way home. So a plug in car like the Volt is pretty damn perfect.

 

[GAJ]

If you factor in price, isn't the standard Prius still way cheaper to own?

The Volt is a far nicer looking car though.

 

[Killroy1999]

Does the Pigs, Goats & Extortionests give you a lower rate to charge it at home? If not it would just add to the highest rate on my bill. If they do how is it calculated?

PG&E gives good rates to EV for off-peak demand charging, utilizing the grid better. The state also likes no-emission vehicles. A significant amount of smog is just vapors from refueling.

PG&E sees EVs as a grid saver since with enough battery storage, they can prevent the rare blackout when demand is too high. Search V2G (Vehicle to Grid). Most cars cars sit for 23 hours of the day, so there his a use cost savings for charging off-peak demand. The Volt even has a app to time charging for off peak.

 

[Killroy1999]

If you factor in price, isn't the standard Prius still way cheaper to own?

The Volt is a far nicer looking car though.

Its a mistake to think that people are buying hybrids and EVs on price alone, same goes for sports cars and motorcycles.

Think image and think of the difference in image of the Prius and Volt. The Plug-in Prius has some really good numbers too.

 

[mike23w]

a couple of guys on my team at work both bought prius' last year; and generally seeing a -LOT- more hybrid/EVs on the street.

it's noticeably increased this past year. not sure why. i think adoption is just going to keep accelerating.
hybrid, electric market will be very interesting the next several years.