The Volt's superior battery range will save more money!

My apologies to those who didn't see that it was satire.

Yes, I was deliberately poking fun at government motors and the Volt.

I was trying to be pretty blatantly obvious about it with the name of POTUS, the teleprompter, references to 'Tim' (Geithner) and 'Ben' (Bernanke), my 'personal' approval of the $7500 tax rebate for the Volt (and a lower one for the PHV), the redistribution of wealth bit, and vetoing the plan from Harry (Reid), the deficit in half, etc.

But, the references seem to have been missed by many upon first review.

To me, the Volt is clearly inferior in just about every way:

1> It's more expensive, especially with the $ealers selling them for $8,000 over MSRP during the current 5 state rollout. That's why the Volt's numbers are so low, and they will increase dramatically once the 50 state rollout hits and supply catches up with demand to drop the price to MSRP (or below). At MSRP with the $7500 tax credit (and maybe $XXXX California credit), the price isn't too horrible. (But the PHV will outsell it by at least 2:1 - 10:1 if Toyota can produce them).

2> It's heavy, and extremely inefficient. Why can't any other vehicle besides the Prius pull out 50mpg numbers from their hybrids? The volt has the absolute utopia of what a gas engine should produce. It does not drive the wheels directly, it only generates electricity. That means every single second of it's running life it can run at *EXACTLY* the precise RPM where it will be the most efficient. It can have absolutely perfect air/fuel ratios, it even gets the bonus of premium gas, yet they can't do better than 37mpg on gas? I don't get it.

3> It uses premium fuel instead of regular like the Prius. This is just dumber than a bag of hammers. There's no excuse for using gas that's $.20 more expensive for nearly zero benefit. If the Volt owner actually uses the gas engine, they'll take a decent hit there in the price difference. (If they don't, why not buy a Leaf??)

4> Sure, under absolutely optimal conditions where the owners only drive 30-50 miles per day, in some tiny window, the Volt might be more cost effective. But outside that marginal reality, the Prius wins in every way. Resale value for one. Does anyone here want to bet against the Prius PHV having a far, far higher resale value than the Chevy Volt after 10 years? That would certainly be a sucker's bet.

5> The Volt engine is DIRTY, at least when compared to the Prius. Toyota has developed and refined that engine for over a decade. To me it looks like government motors took an engine off the shelf that is barely as efficient as the Cruze Eco. There's multiple reasons why the 2011 Volt doesn't qualify for the HOV lane in California. First, there's the dirty engine, then there's the substandard warranty on the battery, then no way to pre-heat the cats, etc. Chevy is working to correct these things, and there's rumors that the 2012 might have a 'California' version that qualifies, but I sure don't see it listed as qualified on the ca.gov site, while the PHV already is!

6> Repairs cost. Just like resale value, I don't think anyone here would take a bet even with 2:1 odds that the Volt will cost less to maintain than a Prius PHV.

7> (rumor) Government motors is losing money on every Volt, so what exactly is the point? Just to have a vehicle produced by a company partially owned by the government so the government can give it a tax rebate under the phony disguise of saving the earth? I'm not buying it. (No, literally, I'm not buying the Volt, I'm waiting for the PHV).

I just don't see a niche for the Volt. For anyone driving less than 80-100 miles per day, the Leaf is clearly the winner. It's close to $10k cheaper, will last longer, cost less to run, will be more reliable, has immediate access to the carpool lane, etc.

For anyone OUTSIDE the Leaf's range of 80-100 miles per day, that means you're also outside the 35-50 mile 'optimal' range of the Volt. In that case the Prius wins hands down in every single way, for every one of the reasons listed above.

The only extremely weak argument I can see for the Volt's existence is the person/family that has a commute that falls within the Volt's 'optimal' range and then wants to take trips over 80-100 miles, and can only have one vehicle.

:fear: I fear that such a mythical person is an endangered species already. I find it very, very difficult to justify purchasing a Volt over the Prius PHV in 95%+ of real world circumstances, especially when you do the math of all costs involved (price of electricity, premium fuel costs, repairs, resale value, etc).

The original point of the Volt saving more money because it's battery lasts longer is utter nonsense, to try and say the Prius PHV is worse is just an absolute joke. (Yes, it was meant as a joke, as the false basis of the entire post). The math there is just criminally stupid, and it's the same math I'm disappointed to see the government try to foist on us every day.

I'm an American, and disappointed enough in American cars that I'm buying Japanese. We're better than this, American ingenuity is usually second to none in the world, and I want to buy American, but it just doesn't make sense financially.

 

1. Thanks, but I'm not lazy. I test drove a Volt down in Santa Clara, CA on Stevens Creek, they had ONE in stock, no more coming in soon, and wouldn't budge from $8,000 over MSRP. (There should be a flood of new Volt's by August/September though).

I called around to every other $ealer in Northern California, they were either out of stock with a waiting list (if they're selling at MSRP), or they're price gouging. I also need a somewhat specific color range and features as this is a work vehicle.

When I shop, I do a LOT of legwork and get the best price possible. I've bought used cars as far away as Virginia, Washington, and Los Angeles and either driven them back or had them shipped over. On our most recent new vehicle purchase we got $14,000 off MSRP after shopping around. (Last model year of a car, luxury vehicle for the wife).

Lazy? I don't think so.

2. Combined MPGE isn't really a tried and true method, it's just something the EPA pulled out of it's hat to try and rate these new vehicles. I do know the Prius' engine is far cleaner than the Volt's, so unless we're talking about the distance between 13 miles and the Volt's 37 miles, the Prius is always cleaner. (I'm pretty sure even under battery power it's more efficient getting more miles for a specific charge).

3. You may be one of the few people that have a medium commute and have a use beyond 100 miles, I'm thinking those folks are endangered, not extinct. ;]

4. Yes, time will tell, but we can predict with sufficient accuracy. How do you think the lease companies calculate residual value? In general they're pretty accurate. KBB put the Volt's resale value at $17,000 after 36 months, or 41%, where the Prius is over 46%. Even if we take into consideration the $7500 tax rebate that only goes to 51% (and we'd have to make the same calculation on the Prius with the lower rebate). The value might even be higher due to the coveted car pool lane stickers, which boosted hybrid resale values by $4,000 before. Out here in the real world the Prius has been selling for closer to 70-80% of it's new value after 3 years, and this residual gap will grow as the Volt edges closer to it's lower warranty. Any way you slice it, the varying federal and state tax credits along with the HOV nonsense make this very shaky ground beyond 'known Japanese vehicle having higher residual value than completely unknown American vehicle with new technology'. Time will tell, but you can see where I'd bet my money.

5. Comparing a less efficient vehicle running on electricity at a slower speed against a more efficient vehicle running on gas at a higher speed. Sounds like apples to oranges to me.

6. Speculation? Not really. The Prius has a proven track record, the only difference with the PHV is a decent boost to the battery capacity (and motor/torque output I think). The Volt is a 100% new model, no parts are carried over from a previous generation. Even if we're not talking electric and an untested battery, a true first model year car will almost always have more problems. That's just a fact of the car world. And American cars for the past 10 years at least in my experience have needed far, far more in the way of repairs and service. Let's hope the Volt can buck the trend of history.

7. Exactly, I don't get the point of the Volt. GM is good at bleeding cash, we know that, but I don't see what their plan is here. Heck, the Leafs are sold at a loss too.

Niche: I don't think the Volt is more efficient, only in a very, very narrow operating range for a small segment of the population. The Prius is more efficient under 13 miles, and it's more efficient after 37 miles, by a very large margin. Personally, some days I'll drive 5 miles, others I'll need to do 100-200. In almost every circumstance the Prius wins (my driving needs are also quite out of the norm).

On the Leaf $5000 difference, you're right. I was under the mistaken impression that it was about $32,500, and not $35,200. But $5,000 is still $1000/year for 5 years, or almost $100 per month. That's not chump change. =]

Your next point is correct too, it sucks sitting with my current junk mileage vehicles getting them repaired constantly while waiting for the PHV to come out. Sucks sucks sucks. You win that one. I don't hate the Volt, but I do hate my American cars that are falling apart and getting lousy mileage while I wait for the PHV. Buying American again scares me (financially). I use these vehicles for business and would like something predictable. I really think we should be able to beat the foreign car makers at this game!

 

You guys obviously have more experience with electric propulsion than I do, but how exactly do these numbers work?

Where can I get electricity at 1/40th the price of gas, or better yet 1/400th! Wow!

Here in California, electricity prices are $.15/kwh. So if the Volt (for example) has a 16kwh battery, and 8kwh is the actual usable bit/charge needed for 37 mile range, that comes out to $.032/mile.

Where a standard 3rd gen Prius gets 50mpg+ on 1 gallon of gas, at a local price of $3.60, that comes out to $.072/mile.

So I'm only seeing electric being about half the cost. I googled electricity prices across the US, and some areas are much lower at $.09/kwh, some even $.07/kwh, but that only translates to 1/4th the cost of gas under optimal conditions. Maybe 2am charging rates are 10 times cheaper than day rates somewhere? Or we're talking Solar?

Sorry, just curious on the math how I can get to 1/40th the price of gas or 1/400!