saw a Chevy Volt motoring around downtown Austin today. I don't think this to become a West Mall type thread...I thought the styling looked pretty good! i would definitely be a prime candidate for this type of vehicle, as most days i don't put more than 15 to 25 miles on my car. However, i will probably wait. My MO is to not buy new technology right away.. a la CD player, DVD, Blu-Ray, Ipod, Iphone.. i almost always wait a few years, let the price come down and have the kinks get worked out.
I am supposed to get a Nissan Leaf delivered in October (after six months on the wait list). I drive around 20-30 miles a day. I am very interested to see what the true operating costs are. I was going to keep my old car, but my wife wants me to trade it in for the Leaf.
Looks like it requires a special cord to plug in where the gas tank normally is. Do you know if it uses a normal 115V outlet or would you need to install a 240V outlet similar to an electric dryer? Just curious. Edit: found the answer myself on the chevy website. Looks like it could use either a normal 115V outlet or you can install a 240V charger that would use its own circuit like a clothes dryer.
Texascoder, are you asking about the Leaf? If you use 120v it takes about 20 hrs to recharge. 7.5 hrs on 240v. Motortrend actually has a great comparison of the Volt vs. Prius vs. Leaf this month. It breaks down pluses and minuses of each, which is better depending on driving style and actual CO2 production per car depending on which state you live in and how that state generates electrical power.
In order to buy a Leaf, you have to install a 240 volt - 40 amp charging station in your garage. It is a ripoff ($2,000 instead of about the $300 that it really costs) and is causing me to question buying the car. I guess the bright side for the environment is that 45% of my electric power is nuclear.
I have to side with the Volt for now over the Leaf. Ultimately, the goal is for us all to drive cars like the Leaf (100% gas/oil free) however in the mean time I think the Volt is an excellent bridge technology at a reasonable price. I did post a thread on West Mall a few months back saying- GM's early data on real life usage from Volt users was that it was going typically 1,000 miles between fill ups (meaning they were charging it in between as well.) I always tell people- if you're going to calculate how much time it takes to get your money back on the gas premium part in exchange for the increased mileage- don't use today's gas prices- assume what the gas prices will be in a few years as this car should last you at least 6+ years. I think the Volt is a value, today, if you are in the market for a smaller sedan. My neighbor bought one- and all I can do is drool. I personally am waiting for an SUV plug in or similar to come out. Ford might do this with the Vertrek (which is the Escape line). I need the space given I have ninos and a perro. If anyone gets one- please tell the board how you like it, or not.
Secondly- the plug in enables us to use the technology in larger cars, like SUVs, so you don't get flak (like if this was posted on W Mall) that the car is a small, weenie car etc. Some full EV cars are a joke and should not be made. If the car is not practical for anyone but the designer and his friends, it shouldn't be introduced to the market place. The Leaf is not a joke at all- just not practical for most. It is probably a great car for those without a family, have a second car and do plenty of day trips under 80 miles. These plug in sales are further supporting R&D for batteries- and trust me, in 5-10 years time we will have commercial batteries for sale that enable cars like the Leaf to go 300 miles, not 100, and for half the cost of today's batteries.
Or you might be married and your spouse might have a regular gasoline powered car so that you could trade off in the event one spouse needed to drive more than 100 miles in a day ... My wife drives maybe 5-10 miles a day. On normal days, she will drive the gasoline powered car. I drive more than 100 miles in a day maybe once a month. We are trading cars on that one day. Otherwise, it makes more sense for me to drive the Leaf the 20-30 miles that I normally drive than for her to drive it a shorter distance. I have actually thought about this. btw I like the Leaf better than the Volt because I feel like the Volt, with the engine, is cheating. It just doesn't feel right. My one concern with the Leaf is that it will feel like a glorified golf cart although from what I have read, this probably will not be the case.
I love it when someone intends not to buy something, and they feel the need to tell this to people who do. Insightful input there Sangre. I think the stats are 80% of all automobile trips are less than 40 miles/day. And out of a year, there may be 6-10 trips of greater than 100 miles. Considering most families have 2 cars, this is not an issue. The icing on the cake is when the EV will be able to do the 300 mile trip and have room for luggage- and this will happen within 5-10 years. Toyota Rav is the first EV SUV, coming out within the year, in a partnership with Tesla. The range is only 100, but that too will improve.
Y'all have fun in your little battery powered toy cars. Maybe if somebody builds one with a giant wind up key on top you can tool around in one of them too.
And sincerely, if you guys want to be early adopters, God bless you and more power to you. I'm not one to stand in the way of anybody choosing a product to add to their lives. But my personality is very, very anti-early adoption. I'm the type who is very content sitting back and letting others deal with the bugs and hassles that come with having the newest gee-whiz kind of products. I'll gladly consider entering the market when the technology is proven and prices have normalized. (I still have no flat screen TV, nor blu ray disc player, I use my dumb clamshell mobile phone and am very happy with it, etc.) So yeah, enjoy your Volts, Leafs, and whatever else comes out. I'll join you in 2025 - maybe.
Tesla Model S, 300 mile range, available 2012/late 2011 Smith EV Fleet Truck, Available today. Range 150 miles. Toyota Rav4 EV, available 2012/late 2011. BMW's Plug in sports car- available 2012-2013 Fisker Karma Plug in 4 door sedan- available now Sangre- I don't think you're ready for one of these "toys".
McBrett, I have absolutely no need nor desire for one of those toys. You can continue to attempt to be insulting about it if you want. It doesn't matter the tiniest bit to me.
re: Tesla Model S, 300 mile range, available 2012/late 2011 . Will this type of vehicle eventually help bring prices down on hybrids? Has anybody compared costs to own a plug-in vs. a hybrid? I would think a hybrid is much cheaper for several years. Btw, what happens if you own two Leafs and the electricity market goes through the roof, say even as high as it was several years ago, 13 or 14 cents a kilowatt hour? What are your actual costs?
Nice threadshit there.... The volt looks sweet, but damn they are asking too much for it. The sad part is if you can afford a volt you can afford gas a lot more than someone who can't afford a volt. I'm off to fill up my F-150
Interesting. My father-in-law is an electrician and offered to install a 240 volt charging station for free. My Leaf is supposed to be delivered in October and I am pretty committed to getting it. I now have to decide whether I trust my father-in-law to do the installation. Our electric company charges half price on electricity from 9 pm to 6 am so I really want to fully charge it at night.
I would trust him Paso - it really is not hard. When he shows you what it takes you will be pissed they charge that much.
