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Knock $6K off the price, bump the electric range to 100 miles and gasoline range to 400 miles (500 total) and you have the car of the future. Congratulations to

Knock $6K off the price, bump the electric range to 100 miles and gasoline range to 400 miles (500 total) and you have the car of the future. Congratulations to GM/Chevrolet for continuing to be innovative in this sector. I just wish Chevrolet would move a little faster with its release cycle; five years is a long time to take for what amounts to an incremental improvement. Unfortunately for them, the new Volt arrives just as fuel prices hit a low of $2/gallon, which when adjusted for inflation is the same as in 1971 (about $0.50). Of course, fuel prices will rise again at some point, but the American car market has a short term mentality; when fuel prices are low, large vehicle sales rise, and vice versa. The Volt will probably continue to do well in the niche market of local urban commuting. The average Volt owners are going 900 miles between fill ups, and the larger battery will probably raise this number.

IndianAstronaut 11y ago
Some electricity companies in Texas offer reduced or free nighttime electricity. Ideal for charging a Volt.
grhmc 11y ago
How about the $7,500 tax credit?
rhino369 11y ago
50 miles is more than enough for a car with a gasoline backup tank for most use cases. Average car users use below 50 almost every single day. Something like 98-98% of trips are under 50 miles. 95% of people commute less than 40 miles. Adding more weight and room for only a small percent of rides is probably less efficient (economically and ecologically) than just popping into gas for 5% of trips.
- blisterpeanuts 11y ago
  Perhaps that was the results of their analysis, I don't know. I used to have a 27 mile commute in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, so even the 53-mile range might not have been sufficient. Every extra 10 miles you add to the range will make the vehicle that much more useful for a wider category of drivers (in terms of staying in electric mode and avoiding burning gasoline). At some point perhaps they see it as diminishing returns, except that really when it comes to electric vehicles, the more range the better.
  - Grishnakh 11y ago
    Oh please. If the gas engine has to come on for the last couple miles of your commute, what's the problem? You're still only using a tiny amount of gas for a 54-mile commute. That's the whole point of cars like this: most of your trips fit within that range, or just barely outside it, so your overall gas usage is almost nothing.
carlivar 11y ago
In California cities, the ability to use the carpool lane with an electric vehicle (Volt qualifies) helps support demand.

IndianAstronaut 11y ago

Some electricity companies in Texas offer reduced or free nighttime electricity. Ideal for charging a Volt.

grhmc 11y ago

How about the $7,500 tax credit?

rhino369 11y ago

50 miles is more than enough for a car with a gasoline backup tank for most use cases. Average car users use below 50 almost every single day. Something like 98-98% of trips are under 50 miles. 95% of people commute less than 40 miles. Adding more weight and room for only a small percent of rides is probably less efficient (economically and ecologically) than just popping into gas for 5% of trips.

blisterpeanuts 11y ago
Perhaps that was the results of their analysis, I don't know. I used to have a 27 mile commute in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, so even the 53-mile range might not have been sufficient. Every extra 10 miles you add to the range will make the vehicle that much more useful for a wider category of drivers (in terms of staying in electric mode and avoiding burning gasoline). At some point perhaps they see it as diminishing returns, except that really when it comes to electric vehicles, the more range the better.
- Grishnakh 11y ago
  Oh please. If the gas engine has to come on for the last couple miles of your commute, what's the problem? You're still only using a tiny amount of gas for a 54-mile commute. That's the whole point of cars like this: most of your trips fit within that range, or just barely outside it, so your overall gas usage is almost nothing.

carlivar 11y ago

In California cities, the ability to use the carpool lane with an electric vehicle (Volt qualifies) helps support demand.