Thanks Chevy for the Volt...

[berz]

I've never been a huge fan of American cars...but I'm actually digging this design. Moreso, the interior electronics seem pretty ahead of their time. Pity the rest of the console is cheap plastic...but I suppose they need to reap some sort of healthy profit margin on these ;)

Props to Chevy for trying out some real innovation.

[John S. Veteran]

What's the actual retail on this supposed to be...last I heard it was like $40k for the initial release? Is that correct?

[markwolfe Veteran]

What's the actual retail on this supposed to be...last I heard it was like $40k for the initial release? Is that correct?

According to this Business Week article:

The question now is price. Lutz says GM doesn?t yet know what the Volt will cost. It will be more than $30,000, but he wouldn?t be more specific.

So I guess $40k falls in that category. But so does $1:ermm:rmm:

[TruckWEB]

Toyota Unhappy About Proposed $7,500 Tax Credit for Chevy Volt

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=12980

SO, now that GM is able to put out a better vehicle than the Prius, Toyota is not happy about the tax credit proposed....

[markwolfe Veteran]

Toyota Unhappy About Proposed $7,500 Tax Credit for Chevy Volt

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=12980

SO, now that GM is able to put out a better vehicle than the Prius, Toyota is not happy about the tax credit proposed....

Interesting, but it seems that (from the article you posted) the committee has plans to offer a $7,500 tax credit for light-duty plug-in electric vehicles that feature a 6 kWh or larger battery for propulsion.

The Chevy Volt has a 16 kWh battery pack. The Prius, 1.3 kWh.

It looks like Chevy well exceeds the point planned by the government, and the Prius is well under it.

[peacemf]

have you seen the interior?

looks like a cheap ipod chinese plastic thing! (the centre console i mean)

for a company thats betting everything, you think they would have spent some time on the interior

[Hurmoth]

This is the best inside photo I can find of the Volt...

Got any better pics, 'cause that pic isn't good enough to judge IMO.

[goodcase]

Dude you do realize that the appeal of the Volt was probably the styling alone. Now that it's become a Chevy-esque Civic this thread might as well be merged with the "ugliest car" thread.Just my opinion anyways.

the appeal of an electric car is not the style.

[Hell-In-A-Handbasket]

the Prius proves that point so much

the appeal of an electric car is not the style.

either way, 40K is to much, sucks that all the manufactures put the price point of the hybrids/electric's out of reach of the common person. why i personally dont see US comming off its dependancy on oil, not many monetarily viable options

[sundayx Veteran]

the appeal of an electric car is not the style.

To the majority non-environmentally conscious public, the style should be it's appeal. Would you buy a Prius or a Tesla Roaster disregarding it's environmental performance?

[Hurmoth]

To the majority non-environmentally conscious public, the style should be it's appeal. Would you buy a Prius or a Tesla Roaster disregarding it's environmental performance?

It doesn't necessarily have anything to do with being environmentally friendly. Some people also care about their wallets and with gas prices, driving back and forth to work without using an ounce of gas can be huge savings.

From where I live to work is about 10 miles, so I'd only use 20 miles a day of the 40 miles on a single charge. So if I didn't go anywhere else in that car, I'd never have to fill up. I spend roughly $720-1000 on gas right now, if I needed a larger car for a family then I'd be spending the average most likely (which is $1500-2000).

Grant it, this car, when it first comes out, will not allow people to save much (first adopters will probably only be eco-nuts and the rich), but as the price drops, people aren't going to care about the looks as long as they're saving money.

Look at how many people have a Prius now days. Most people think the Prius is ugly, yet it is the top selling Hybrid. The Camry is much better looking and it comes in a Hybrid (and isn't much more than a Prius). Why do people flock to it? Because it gets 50+ MPG (based on personal driving styles, but I get on average 52MPG).

Regardless, I don't see what's wrong with the production ready Volt? It looks like any other modern day car.

[markwolfe Veteran]

...

From where I live to work is about 10 miles, so I'd only use 20 miles a day of the 40 miles on a single charge. So if I didn't go anywhere else in that car, I'd never have to fill up. I spend roughly $720-1000 on gas right now, if I needed a larger car for a family then I'd be spending the average most likely (which is $1500-2000).

...

Exactly. More up-front, yielding savings longer-term.

To look just at the sticker is a bit myopic, in my opinion.

[shockz]

It's 40K because its got a 10000-15000 battery pack + an turbo charged 1.3L engine + the rest of the car...

Given time... those battery packs will become cheaper. Its the first step in getting a completely electric car mass produced... and just like with everything else... manufacturing becomes more efficent and less costly.. in time

I bet in 5-10 more years this technology will make it into other cars that are more people can afford.

[shockz]

I take it back about the engine... looks like its a 1.4L N/A 4-Cyl instead of the 1.0L 3Cyl Turbo

@ wikipeida

Since the electrical drivetrain is not affected by the method used to charge its batteries, several options could be available for an engine. The newly released primary configuration specified by GM executives uses a naturally aspirated 1.4-liter engine with four cylinders. It is a heavier engine but is cheaper to produce than the previously announced turbocharged 1.0-liter three cylinder version. It would be a flex-fuel engine capable of running gasoline or E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline). Fuel would be supplied from a "saddle" tank 45 litres (12 US gal) in size.

[majortom1981]

The volt is not worth it. It will Not save you any money when it costs $40,000. That car is the price of two corollas. You could save more money buy buying a yaris or honda fit and using the rest of your money for the gas.

[sundayx Veteran]

I don't have anything against it.... I just don't like look of these environmentally friendly vehicles, Prius for one, Volt for another. I thought the concept Volt would have a turn-around, guess not. Perosnal opinion.

[afusion]

IMO these cars need to happen.. as shocks said with time everything comes down in price and the technology increases 2-3 fold at the same time.

The only question I have about this car me being a Japanese auto buff. Is the reliability..

[TruckWEB]

The volt is not worth it. It will Not save you any money when it costs $40,000. That car is the price of two corollas. You could save more money buy buying a yaris or honda fit and using the rest of your money for the gas.

Yeah because the Yaris and Fit are of the same size and comfort level than the Volt. Tons of people pay $40K for their cars right now. I would not mind having a $40K car that don't use any gas when I go to work. For me, it's a nice saving. And I don't really care about the environment, I care a little bit more about my wallet. I admit, the prototype Volt looked much better than the production, but if you compare it to the Toyota Camry or even the Chevrolet Malibu, the Volt look really nice.

What's the price of the Toyota Camry Hybrid? Yeah, close to $40K and still drink gas to run....

[Dc'1]

The first picture is a really good looking car, the second one looks FAR too much like the Honda Civic weird bubble s***ty thing :p (The Type-R)

[Hurmoth]

What's the price of the Toyota Camry Hybrid? Yeah, close to $40K and still drink gas to run....

In all fairness to Toyota, the Camry Hybrid starts at $26K, so not close to $40K.

[MR_Candyman]

To all the people saying it will come down in price after a while: No, it won't. It might actually get more expensive unless they find something better than the lithium batteries. Why? The majority of the world's lithium is in the salt flats in Bolivya, which will NOT get mined.

People also seem to think that running on electricity is free gas. We save ~$40 a month in our 2 bedroom apartment from just switching to compact fluorescent lighting from incandescent (yes the woman's bad at leaving lights on, she can sleep with them on...). I would hate to see the electricity bill from charging a car every day. I bet it would cost more than the gas I would use actually...

[Hurmoth]

To all the people saying it will come down in price after a while: No, it won't. It might actually get more expensive unless they find something better than the lithium batteries. Why? The majority of the world's lithium is in the salt flats in Bolivya, which will NOT get mined.

Not according to Wikipedia: "Chile is currently the leading lithium metal producer in the world, with Argentina next. Both countries recover the lithium from brine pools. In the United States lithium is similarly recovered from brine pools in Nevada."

According to an estimate, lithium is the 33rd most abundant element.

The price will come down.

People also seem to think that running on electricity is free gas. We save ~$40 a month in our 2 bedroom apartment from just switching to compact fluorescent lighting from incandescent (yes the woman's bad at leaving lights on, she can sleep with them on...). I would hate to see the electricity bill from charging a car every day. I bet it would cost more than the gas I would use actually...

It will still be cheaper than gasoline. Those batteries will auto charge themselves when pressure isn't applied to the gas pedal as it does in Toyota's hybrid vehicles, so most likely you won't actually have to charge as much as you think. Of course that depends on your driving style.

[MR_Candyman]

yes, largest PRODUCING, not HAS THE LARGEST QUANTITY.

In a car as gutless as this will be, I'd be pedal to the metal.

[Hurmoth]

yes, largest PRODUCING, not HAS THE LARGEST QUANTITY.

In a car as gutless as this will be, I'd be pedal to the metal.

OK, typing in large letters really is intimidating. :rolleyes:

So Bolivia has 2,700,000 tonnes in reserve.

Argentina, Chile, China has 3.6 million tonnes in reserve.

And no one knows for sure how much is really out there. Some have put the number at 35 million tonnes.

[Snakehn]

I Like the Production version better :)