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This criticism misses the Volt's unique powertrain configuration. Trips under 40 miles are all on battery power, so the average commuter uses no gas doing their

This criticism misses the Volt's unique powertrain configuration. Trips under 40 miles are all on battery power, so the average commuter uses no gas doing their daily business. However, unlike an EV, you can hop in the same car & drive as far as you want, pausing only to fill up the gas tank. So while it is pretty damn expensive, it's not necessarily worse than having one ICE car for long trips & one EV for commuting, especially considering that you'll only need to buy gas for trips over 40 miles. It's not going to hit too many people's sweet spot but there's some real potential.

lutorm 16y ago
This is all true, but unfortunately the amount of money spent on gasoline over the lifetime of a normal car doesn't approach the price premium of the Volt unless there is a phenomenal skyrocketing of gas prices.
- angstrom 16y ago
  Or we shift our oil subsidies to another energy source like solar/wind to supply the electric. We're already paying high gas prices, consumers just don't see it at the pump. Out of sight, out of mind I guess. Government can play a big role in setting the stage for infrastructure by changing the rules when the time is right.
- MikeCapone 16y ago
  Indeed. But does it have to pay for itself? Nobody buys a car that is above the cheapest model expecting it to pay for itself. A sunroof or bigger engine will never pay for itself, and is usually bought to get some other benefit (sometimes mostly in the mind of the buyer). The same can happen with early PHEVs and EVs. By the time all the early adopters who buy them for the technology or environmental benefits have one, the technology should have improved and price lowered enough so that the cars will be attractive to a larger group.
  - anamax 16y ago
    > But does it have to pay for itself? Nobody buys a car that is above the cheapest model expecting it to pay for itself. A sunroof or bigger engine will never pay for itself, and is usually bought to get some other benefit (sometimes mostly in the mind of the buyer). Bingo. So, what is Volt's corresponding benefit, how much does it cost, and how many people are willing to pay that much for that benefit? > By the time all the early adopters who buy them for the technology or environmental benefits have one, the technology should have improved "should"? If Volt doesn't recover its development costs, how is GM going to pay for improving the technology?
- coreymull 16y ago
  Sounds like your beef isn't with the car, but with policymakers who are too cowardly to put a price on carbon emissions. Incorporating externalities, I think the cost-benefit analysis of the Volt becomes much more balanced.
- teamonkey 16y ago
  ...Or if sold anywhere but the US.
stcredzero 16y ago
How about $25280 (after tax breaks) for a LEAF as an individual car for each family and Zipcar for the longer trips? If Zipcar isn't available, find two other families and arrange a "car co-op" with a Nissan Versa, which would cost about an additional $5000 to each family. That still comes out almost $10k ahead of the Chevy Volt. (My dad did a "car co-op" with his best friend in medical school in Pittsburgh. It was an Edsel!)
- dminor 16y ago
  Isn't the Volt around $33.5k with tax breaks?

lutorm 16y ago

This is all true, but unfortunately the amount of money spent on gasoline over the lifetime of a normal car doesn't approach the price premium of the Volt unless there is a phenomenal skyrocketing of gas prices.

angstrom 16y ago
Or we shift our oil subsidies to another energy source like solar/wind to supply the electric. We're already paying high gas prices, consumers just don't see it at the pump. Out of sight, out of mind I guess. Government can play a big role in setting the stage for infrastructure by changing the rules when the time is right.
MikeCapone 16y ago
Indeed. But does it have to pay for itself? Nobody buys a car that is above the cheapest model expecting it to pay for itself. A sunroof or bigger engine will never pay for itself, and is usually bought to get some other benefit (sometimes mostly in the mind of the buyer). The same can happen with early PHEVs and EVs. By the time all the early adopters who buy them for the technology or environmental benefits have one, the technology should have improved and price lowered enough so that the cars will be attractive to a larger group.
- anamax 16y ago
  > But does it have to pay for itself? Nobody buys a car that is above the cheapest model expecting it to pay for itself. A sunroof or bigger engine will never pay for itself, and is usually bought to get some other benefit (sometimes mostly in the mind of the buyer). Bingo. So, what is Volt's corresponding benefit, how much does it cost, and how many people are willing to pay that much for that benefit? > By the time all the early adopters who buy them for the technology or environmental benefits have one, the technology should have improved "should"? If Volt doesn't recover its development costs, how is GM going to pay for improving the technology?
coreymull 16y ago
Sounds like your beef isn't with the car, but with policymakers who are too cowardly to put a price on carbon emissions. Incorporating externalities, I think the cost-benefit analysis of the Volt becomes much more balanced.
teamonkey 16y ago
...Or if sold anywhere but the US.

stcredzero 16y ago

How about $25280 (after tax breaks) for a LEAF as an individual car for each family and Zipcar for the longer trips? If Zipcar isn't available, find two other families and arrange a "car co-op" with a Nissan Versa, which would cost about an additional $5000 to each family. That still comes out almost $10k ahead of the Chevy Volt. (My dad did a "car co-op" with his best friend in medical school in Pittsburgh. It was an Edsel!)

dminor 16y ago
Isn't the Volt around $33.5k with tax breaks?