http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/11/auto...ion=2009081108
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Meh...
It still only goes a mere 40 miles on a charge without the use of gasoline. And what about all of the emissions put off from the electric motor generating O-zone?
and 40K+ price tag.
heh... this must be that New Math™... because by their formula, if I drive < 40 miles a day, I'm getting ∞ MPG
Yup, gotta love bean counters. They just don't understand the real world.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave04
I think it's amazing there is all this fuss over a car getting 40MPG. I had a 1988 Honda CRX HF that was straight gas that regularly got 50+ MPG and it was acually fun to drive. I know I have said this before but if they could get that kind of milage 20 years ago why can't they get even better on straight gas today?
Emission controls and safety standards.Quote:
Originally Posted by HudsonHawk
I like the Volt and the concept, regardless of the MPG tag. You get the "benifits" of an electric vehicle without getting stranded for eight hours if you run out of batteries. Judging by this, many of us would not consume any gas or only use the gas engine for a small percentage of the time on our way to and from work. It would also cover you for local trips to stores. However, if you need to take a long trip, then it can handle that, too.
I would rather have 40 miles battery plus unlimited gas usage versus only 100 miles on a battery.
Here is a story on that.Quote:
Originally Posted by HudsonHawk
So does that mean the Fiskar will also get an super high MPG rating since it can run on just batteries also??
http://www.treehugger.com/fisker-kar...0h45645601.jpg
Safty I can undersatnd. The cars have to be heavier to be safer (apparently).Quote:
Originally Posted by sammm
I don't agree with the emmisions. The one time I had it tested the guy thought his equipment was broken because he could not get a reading. They tested the car 4 times before they accepted the results. It was one of the first cars to qualify under Californias ULEV standards.
I'm not sure exactly where they came up with the 230, but I calculated out a real life example and coincidently came up with the same number:
Total miles driven: 50
Miles on electric: 40
Cost to charge: $0.40 (Based on a quote from one of the Volt articles)
Cost to drive electric per mile: .40 / 40 = $0.01
Cost for a gallon of gas: $2.75 (pulled from my memory of my most recent trip to the pump)
Total cost equivalent MPG while electric: 2.75 / .01 = 275 MPG
Miles on gas: 10
MPG on gas: 50 MPG (Based on a quote from one of the Volt articles)
Average MPG over 50 miles: (275 *.80) + (50 * .2) = 230 MPG.
Meh...
22 miles to work... lots of stop and go on I-35E... The car won't make a round trip for me. What a joke, 40K and can't drive to the office and back on electric.
I'll keep the Diesel Jetta. David and I just got back last night from our annual father/son road trip. We filled up in Aurora, Colorado and still had a quarter tank when we stopped in Amarillo. Filled up there and still had a tad less than a half tank left when we got home.
Not bad for a 4 door family sedan that seats 5 realistically.
Too bad the Tesla is so expensive. It at least has a decent range for an electric.
The TDI is an impressive motor. Tesla is cool but it doesn't handle well with the extra weight and it takes a long time to charge I think. I saw one in Plano this past weekend. For the price I'd rather just have a gasoline supercharged Elise and a TDI VW.Quote:
Originally Posted by channelmaniac
This thing is going to sell to the "greenies" like crazy!
I think Jay Leno hit the nail on the head when explaining why so many Hollywood folks bought the Toyota Prius. I believe the exact same principle will apply for the Volt! ;)
Quote:
James May: “You know how the Toyota Prius is sort of like the _____ of Hollywood. It’s a fashion statement.”
Jay Leno: “But, you know why. You see, because it has the moral superiority. With the Prius, you can go ‘look, I am driving an unattractive car because I am saving the planet.’ See, in America we’re like, ‘Everyone should know about the good work we’re doing anonymously.’”
Heresy!Quote:
Originally Posted by Radio-Active
You've been reported to the authorities at [email protected].
I wonder how well that car will do on steep hill roads...
With regerative breaking, probalby pretty good.Quote:
Originally Posted by MiataMike
Well... I'm sure GM will put the 230 MPG on the sticker, but it will need to have a big huge "*" next to it... because the actual MPG number for the car can change drastically based on your driving habits... much more so that regular cars.
How long after it's release will it take someone to sue GM because they aren't getting 230 MPG?
The number on the sticker will come from the government, and GM is required to put it there. That should protect them from any lawsuits.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave04
What may be more likely is the conspiracy theorists screaming that there must be a connection between the rating given by the government and the governments part ownership in GM. Can you say conflict of interest?
Have you been reading my private blog? ::BaHump::Quote:
Originally Posted by Titus
I am still waiting for a car that will run on smoke. With all the smoke that congress has been blowing up our arses for years, we should have an infinite supply.
The Tesla is a toy that seats two and won't even pass a 3-mph gov't bumper test. The Volt is a real car that seats four/five and won't leave you stranded when the batteries are depleted. The Volt is also projected to cost about a third of what a Tesla costs. How can you be impressed with one and not the other? :scratch:Quote:
Originally Posted by channelmaniac
Personally, I have a lot of respect for GM for bringing the Volt to market. Yeah, I'm leery of the "230 MPG" figure, but I understand that calculating equivalent efficiency for dual-mode hybrid vehicles is going to be difficult. If it really can go 40 miles on an electric charge alone, my wife and I could both commute to work in one without ever using a drop of gas, which seems pretty significant to me.
What I'd most like to know is how heavily that projected range will be affected by things like ambient temperature, a/c usage, etc. 40 miles on a charge is great, but if that becomes 20 miles on a charge in 100-degree temps with the a/c on halfway, then not so much.
I'd also like to see what the projected city/highway mileage are when it isn't operating in pure electric mode.
Same here. I know that even in the summertime, up in Michigan, you can get by without the AC most of the time. In the winter, however, you'll need to plug the thing in just to get it warm enough to keep the batteries from gelling! Cold batteries have a much higher resistance. Maybe they're counting on the overnight recharging to keep them warm in a cozy garage?Quote:
Originally Posted by altiain
The 40 miles on electric range is obviously a "best case scenario". I see no way that power-intensive options like a/c and thumping subwoofers aren't going to put a serious dent in that. Then again, most eco-hippies in their Priuses don't have 10" subs in the hatch like I do. :D
Personally, I can't wait for them to make versions of the Volt that run on natural gas (a la Civic GX) or a bio-diesel capable diesel model. Diesels are ideally suited for the duty cycle in this car. Most electrical generators (larger than a carry-on bag that is) are diesel units that run at a pretty much fixed RPM and are tuned for maximum electrical output per minimum fuel input. A LOT of R&D has gone into that process already, reuse it already!
A small, lightly turbo'd diesel motor with 1.0L displacement or less could produce more power per gallon of fuel than any gas motor on the market today. I bet Volt 2.0 will have this as an option. If you can use biofuel, then you can literally go "off-grid" with the Volt by generating your own power at home and using waste oil (chickety china anyone?) as fuel, even if your daily drive is >40 miles round trip. Take THAT oil companies!
I'm just hoping that GM can pull off the Volt-as-next-Prius-game-changer. They sorely need the good publicity. They've done a LOT of R&D already on how to make sure the batteries don't get toasted in 2 years like the one in your laptop. They stay in the 80-20 range. Never more than 80% full or less than 20% full. Once the batteries get to around 20-something %, the ICE kicks on and keeps it in "charge sustain mode" until you plug the thing in to "refill" the batteries to 80% full off the grid.
The hard economics of the Volt vs Prius vs Insight aren't easy to calculate yet, as we don't have hard figures on the Volt yet, but from my (fairly thorough) previous reading on the subject, it looks like the Volt will be around $40k, and if you act now!, you too can get Free Gubbmint Money! in the form of a $7500 tax credit... so you walk out the door paying about $33K for a Volt. I figure that depending on your driving habits and your actual electricity costs and MOST importantly, the future price of gasoline, you can easily break even on the thing before your 5-year loan is paid off.
Personally, being able to drive a GM car that shows they're not stuck in the 90's (can you say Sunbird, Berretta, and last-gen Malibu? YUK!), but instead shows that they are technological leaders is worth a premium, but then again, I'm a GM fanboy (for the most part). That, and I want GM to succeed so that they can pay back the billions they "borrowed" from the Treasury! ::Rant::::Censor::::BaHump::
You say you have a Prius.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dante