2011 Chevrolet Volt gets an EPA certified rating of 93 MPGe and 37 mpg in gasoline mode

I did for at least 70 days last year. (Accumulated, not consecutive.) It worked quite well.

It wasn't in the Prius but in my 'other car', the one with pedals. Round trip pedal commute distance is about the same as the Volt's AER, some weekend 'driving' is much longer.

 

WOW ! !
Hawaii gas has gotten that cheep today?
Must have come down after "todays price" was posted ... or maybe you have a relative that sells to you at cost


Average Prices By State - Hawaii Gas Prices

Anyway, here's what I do NOT understand about Volt MPG computation;
If I drive out a "tank full" in a Volt, I burn 10 gallons, times 37mpg get me 370 miles. Add 40 EV miles (best case scenerio), and I get 410 miles. 410 divided into my 10 gallons yielded 41mpg.
WHY don't they simply POST 41? In the small print, you can say all the other junk ... "if" you only go EV ... "if" you never recharge, etc.
Is that so complicated?

What? No one doing something about "ev's??" GM has an EV? um, just because Pre bankrupt GM was bragging about the Volt for many years before they were able to deliver, and bragging that it was an EV, does NOT mean that the Leaf wasn't in the works. In fact, the Leaf was under development as well. That's why it was delivered first. Sadly, GM marketing toots it horn a lot more than they deliver ... which is why so many are disappointed. 230mpg? Under $30,000 ?? we'll deliver the Volt before the Leaf? all electric Volt? The Volt is an EV? GM is not considering bankruptcy? We didn't sell EV-1's because no one wanted to buy them? Hardly. And no one thinks less of you for buying a Volt, just because GM's pr people have no integrity . . . but that's why folks get bugged with GM. You simply can't believe what GM says. I'm glad when ANYONE can get past GM's huge issue with honesty and character. Personally I hope GM sells a million quickly! I hope there are that many who can afford it!

 

Yes, it does. You are not powering your car from your solar panel as you stated. Sorry, you don't get to take home that "feel good" marketing trophy.

It shows you understand the concept and benefit of opportunity charging (charge often and pay less for the battery). Yet, you bashed PHV Prius' the 13 EV miles. You seem to be implying the notion of "the more the better" yet ignoring the upfront cost of the Volt.

Volt requires premium gasoline. Prius requires regular. You assumed both cost the same. Please show us your calculation for that 4 cents per mile in EV.

This is from my last month's electric bill. What appears as 10.3 cents/kWh turned out to be 36.2 cents/kWh after all the fees, charges and taxes.

Supply Charges:
$13.50 131 kWh @ 10.3053 cents/kWh
$00.52 Merchant function charge
$00.34 GRT & other tax surcharges

Delivery Charges:
$16.36 Basic service charge (infrastructure and customer-related services)
$11.89 Delivery 131 kWh @9.0763 cents/kWh
$00.81 SBC/RPS charges @0.6183 cents/kWh
$00.61 Temporary NY State Surcharge @0.4656 cents/kWh
$01.44 GRT & other tax surcharges

$02.04 Sale Tax @4.5%
-----------------------------------
$47.43 TOTAL for 131 kWh

Per the official EPA label, Volt would consume 12.9 kWh for 35 EV miles. I am using EPA numbers for Prius also for valid comparison purpose. Therefore, Volt would cost me $4.67 for 35 miles. Prius would cost me $2.36 (@3.37 per gallon) for 35 miles. Electric miles in a compact 4 seater Volt would cost me twice as much as gasoline miles in a midsize 5 seater Prius. This is only the operating cost.

Electricity rate in Hawaii ranges from 22 cents to 33 cents per kWh. After all the fees and taxes, it should cost you more than me to operate the Volt.

How about a challenge without plugging in and no gas for a day or two? Without energy, neither cars would run. I don't get your point other than bragging about ability to run on coal, gas, nuclear, or renewable fuel sources than just the gasoline. You may have a valid bragging right if the result is more efficient, cleaner and less consumption but the Volt does not.

Volt consumes 41% more electricity and 34% more gasoline than a PHV Prius! Volt also emit more emission so it is not as green as you think. It is still greener than a non-hybrid but it is worse than the Prius.

Tesla was doing EVs before the Volt concept. Toyota was testing PHV Prius (with NiMH) before the Volt concept came out.

The cost is too steep for the benefits (described above). I would have to agree with Toyota for saying Lithium was not ready. When the gas price goes higher and the price of the battery come down, it can make sense (assuming the price of the electricity remains the same).

Here is a bold statement. Prius saves more gas than the Volt.

25 MPG midsize non-hybrid would consume 6,000 gallons in it's life (150k miles). 50 MPG midsize Prius would save 3,000 gallons by cutting the consumption in half.

33 MPG compact non-hybrid would consume 4,545 gallons. 60 MPGe compact Volt would save only 2,045 gallons.

These are facts and I am not stating them to boost my ego. The shortcomings of Prius is well known and often exaggerated. There is no need for me to state them again.

 

That was an extreme case. Average American household owns 2.5 cars. There may already be an existing gas burner already insured. If not, a used non-hybrid would be ideal. I was just countering the unfair attack on the Leaf. I was not asking him to buy two cars instead of the Volt.

 

You are being too nice. A compact car should cost less to operate than a midsize. You should ask the cost to operate the Volt vs. the Cruze.

I don't think hampdenwireless' point is valid. Prius does pay for itself (and more) if you compare it with a non-hybrid in the same class. The Volt should as well.

 

usb, poor "Not A Prius Owner" is leading with his chin ... we gotta give 'em a break

 

Volt is one solution out of a piece of paper, which in design was something ideal and concievable, apparently.
But, in fact, there is nothing more than that, as science is speaking for itself.

Li-ion yet to prove. Haven't you read about Nissan 6-8years decrease capacity expectations? Come on.

EV were in the thread for years, but not developed, and surely you have missed that Toyota has studied EV and hybrids for 15 years now and put for sale 2 million Priuses since 1997 until 2011. No way was Volt reason for kicking EVs develop out of the shade! Ridiculous, or my bad english reading.

Yes, EVs for some, Hybrids for most. E-REVs for a breakthrough and totally reinvent, since they are not good enough to compete, as proven with the Volt.

 

That does not preclude anyone else from answering the question.

And I can answer it. The Volt will never pay back economically over purchasing a Cruze, Prius or other high mpg cars that cost less then $25,000. The $10000 + difference buys way too much gas.

 

Yes, I am often cursing the fact no one was doing anything about EVs... While driving my EV!!

 

MaybeI am but my point was to illustrate that no matter how it is spun, the volt will not save you money when compared to the prius or similarly priced hybrid or efficient compact. The low lease for the volt could throw a wrench into that conclusion though.

True but you didn't attempt to answer the question. You simply tried to derail the line of reasoning with a different argument.

I do not dislike the volt nor would I chide someone who wants to purchase one no matter how much I dislike GM.

 

Volt's lease is $350 per month but you have to pay sales tax for $41k+. With all the fees add up I think it came out to $380.

I have seen Prius lease going for $189 per month. With the tax and fees, it may end up under $250 per month.

There is an owner on the big Volt forum driving his Volt exclusively on gasoline because electric miles are costing him more. You would think people do their homework before making that $41k decision.

 

You are the king of Volt FUD. This one just takes it.

The thread you point to does not back that up. Someone mentions a poorly written report (Prius/Hummer report memories anyone???) that others debunk. The only way to make the Volt cost more under electric.....

Do all of the following:
1) Live in CA
2) Do not get an electric car meter that gives you lower rates
3) Charge in the day when electricity is many times the night price
4) Pick plain schedule D electric rate (the worst one for electric cars)

To make electric cost more you need to have power over 35 cents a kWh. The USA average is currently 12.

 

I linked to post #11 there. You are probably reading the article on post #1.

 

Um, the average cost we found to have an electrician install an EV TOU meter socket (a simple install at that) was $1,300.00 ... and it'd take a long long time to make that pay for itself. Some on this board have chosen to abandon the meter and opted for whole house TOU after the socket install. Based on that, I'd say USING a separate EV TOU meter would have the opposite effect ... for many years.

 

Petrol in my area is $2.9 a gallon, and we average about 55 mpg in the winter. This works out to 5.27 cents a mile. Volt EV miles in the winter are about 400 wh/mile, so the breakeven point is 13 cents a kwh.

 

How much do you pay for electricity - including delivery charge, taxes and other fees?

 

Additional kwh over 200 costs 11 cents/kwh.
I have said for a while that EV is attractive to me when matched with PV. It appears others are coming (slowly) to the same conclusion.

 

Well this was fun. I actually quite enjoyed seeing how full of oneself some members on this site could be. Defensive and heated wow. Try listing to your fellow man for once. I never said the Volt was the end all be all. Reading you post really does put credit to how "smug" other people view Prius owners ;-)

Ok so lets see if I can sum up the responses to my posts...
Prius is better period. No room for any other car, any other technologies.

Got it. Good luck with that.

And as was said earlier, if cost and pay back were the only reason to buy a car we'd all be driving used beaters...

 

So you're going to walk away and not answer my question? You were the one who brought up the cost of gas and how much you were saving over the Prius.

The PC members that are arguing your points are not smug. They are correct. Just because you disagree with them does not make them smug any more than it makes you smug because you refuse to listen to your fellow man.

 

Sure, there is room for other alternative fuel vehicles. In your case, it may be better to drive a TDI and leave your solar panel for your neighbors.