Chevy Volt

[chcr]

Production model.

Link to specs and pics.

 

[MrBishop]

Nice...slick looking too

 

[samcurry]

nice looking car. May be nicer looking than the malibu i own now.

 

[Professur]

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

 

[Luis G]

It looks good, we'll have to wait until production units to see how it actually looks. Renders tend to make cars look slicker.

 

[pc_builder]

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.

 

[chcr]

Alternatively...

 

[pc_builder]

Ooh, futury. That'll make heads turn.

Edit: After reading some specs, maybe I'd buy that instead. Some good mileage on that baby!

 

[Dave]

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.

 

[Inkara1]

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.

 

[Dave]

and here I was thinking GM was starting something new...should have known better...

 

[Gonz]

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.

 

[chcr]

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.

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.

 

[Gonz]

Lithium Ion battery packs should be good for 8-10 years.

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)

 

[catocom]

I want one.

They coulda called it the Chevolty. sounds cool

Kruz, I guess you'll have to do some more schollin' eventually

 

[chcr]

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)

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. They do have a working prototype.

 

[GrandCaravanSE]

I still perfer my gasoline powered car.