Chevy Volt

It's kinda a shame that they spent the last decade trying to destroy the tech in that car ... particularly since there's precious little new that they didn't have in the EV-1
 
It looks good, we'll have to wait until production units to see how it actually looks. Renders tend to make cars look slicker.
 
After I first read about the Volt I don't know how long ago. I decided if I was ever going to get an electric car, this would be it.
 
Ooh, futury. That'll make heads turn. :grinyes:

Edit: After reading some specs, maybe I'd buy that instead. Some good mileage on that baby!
 
Only problem I'd have with the Volt is the 40 mile range. The 120 mile range of the Aptera is more doable.
It'd probably cause a lot of accidents here in the Land of the Explorer. People wondering what the hell it is as they drive into phone poles.
 
The Volt's 40-mile range is for electric power only... after that it'll start up the gas engine to charge up the batteries and let the car run for a few hundred more miles.
 
and here I was thinking GM was starting something new...should have known better...
 
What is the daily (weekly) cost for a charge?
How about long term....battery replacement has got to be a killer.
Haz-mat?
Comparative cost to an internal combustion engine, lifetime, will be worth watching.

It's a start but our infrastructure is in no position to pick up several hundred thousand new drains on the power grid.
 
Gonz said:
What is the daily (weekly) cost for a charge?
How about long term....battery replacement has got to be a killer.
Haz-mat?
Comparative cost to an internal combustion engine, lifetime, will be worth watching.

It's a start but our infrastructure is in no position to pick up several hundred thousand new drains on the power grid.
Click to expand...

About 2 bucks a day for the Aptera, no figure for the Volt. The price of batteries will come down fairly quickly if they start moving the cars but right now it's about a third of the production cost (give or take). Lithium Ion battery packs should be good for 8-10 years. The extra drain on the power grid is likely to be the real problem right enough. As near as I can figure, looking at TCO over 5 years, the plug-in hybrid is the way to go for the foreseeable future if you can afford the price of admission. Always keeping in mind that I drive less than 30 miles a day.
 
chcr said:
Lithium Ion battery packs should be good for 8-10 years.
Click to expand...

On a daily recharge cycle?

For my daily commute, this vehicle is perfect. I just can't afford to replace the transmission & do a full overhaul every few years (relative cost)
 
I want one.

They coulda called it the Chevolty. :D sounds cool

Kruz, I guess you'll have to do some more schollin' eventually :blank:
 
Gonz said:
On a daily recharge cycle?

For my daily commute, this vehicle is perfect. I just can't afford to replace the transmission & do a full overhaul every few years (relative cost)
Click to expand...

So they say. I don't think we'll have a real world figure for at least a decade. The thing to remember about battery replacement is that, at current prices, you're saving about eighty percent of your gas bill. That'll go a long way toward paying for your replacement battery pack. I did a cost analysis in 2004 considering everything I could think of regarding converting and driving an electric car on my commute (20 miles per day). Gas had to get over 3.80 a gallon to make it worthwhile (hello). That was using lead-acid batteries and changing them every 3 years. Keep in mind that, at least for now, an equivalent pack of lithium-ions is about triple the cost of the lead-acid batteries. Note that the guys at GM say the first battery replacement will be under warranty.

Another thing to keep in mind is this: How much will the battery/motor technology improve in the two years before the Volt finally hits the market? Hell, the guys at Tesla can fix you up with a 130 mph sports car that goes 300 miles on a charge for around 200K. I understand though that they have yet to actually deliver one. :shrug: They do have a working prototype.
 
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