Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Hybrid Vehicles Chevrolet Volt Will the Chevy Volt Succeed?
544 messages, Last post on Oct 28, 2009 at 1:11 PM
You are in the Chevrolet Volt Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
|
Replying to: cannon3 (Aug 13, 2009 7:04 pm) And as mentioned, there will be a substantial tax credit so the Volt isn't $40k. Granted the Leaf will have a big tax credit as well, however again the Volt will be useful to a much larger audience than the Leaf. |
|
|
Replying to: eaton53 (Aug 13, 2009 9:19 am) I am not sure where you live. We do not get any off peak cheap rate. Only higher with the more you use. No incentive to add an EV when I am already hitting the top rate of about $.35 per KWH. Making the Volt cost about $.14 per mile on battery only. My electric utility is in the process of upgrading to Smart Meters. This question was asked: Is SDG&E going to charge different rates for electricity based on time-of-day energy use? SDG&E customers now pay a flat rate for their energy. There are no plans to charge customers for time-of-day billing. My guess is with San Diego having the highest concentration of residential solar, the load could be higher at night for the utility. As more people add solar it will become more of an issue for the utilities to balance the day and night loads. They will also raise the rates to compensate for the loss of revenue. The EV option used to look good to me. It is not much value at the current electric rates. With Cap n Trade those rates will go even higher.
|
|
|
Replying to: cannon3 (Aug 13, 2009 7:04 pm) The leaf is a "regular EV" with all the inherent problems - i.e., cannot be taken on long trips. The Volt can drive me 900 miles in one day. There is a vast difference in usability. |
|
|
.That post won't be here long !!!! |
|
|
This today: Getting a charge from the Chevy Volt What happens if you need access to the car's full power to get up a mountain on a long ride? For those demanding situations--in electrical terms, when the car needs more than 50 kilowatts of juice--the Volt will draw on some of the remaining stored energy in its battery pack, explained Andrew Farah, the chief vehicle engineer. When the car dips into that "buffer," the gasoline engine acts to sustain the battery level so that it doesn't go too low, which would strain the batteries, he said. "We're operating between 30 percent and 80 percent (charge). It's important for the battery life," he said. All along, the battery can be charged with regenerative braking and during deceleration. |
|
|
Replying to: gagrice (Aug 14, 2009 5:41 am) Holy cow, are you getting screwed!! Where I live you can get it during the summer, you have to pay a $16 service charge. $0.0438 - Summer price $0.1874 - Winter price So overall I'd pay about $0.11, Juice is a lot cheaper here in Iowa. Were I in Cali with all that sunshine and those high rates I'd strongly consider solar panels... "Getting a charge from the Chevy Volt" That Volt experience sure isn't like other fuel sippers. Sounds like it's gonna be spunky... "The Volt will be a better car than the Leaf." IMO, having a Leaf is like having a sports car. You don't take it on trips and need an extra car sitting around. All you need to do is forget to plug the Leaf in or have a power outage and you're in your other car.
|
|
|
Replying to: eaton53 (Aug 14, 2009 2:53 pm) Were I in Cali with all that sunshine and those high rates I'd strongly consider solar panels... CA has regulations that run our price up higher. They have mandated alternative energy by 2012 and then block the solar and wind projects. Making a catch 22 for the power companies. Then the environmental groups block the power lines that would carry the power from the desert solar farms and wind farms. Plus they will not allow the utilities to buy coal generated power. So you have cheap coal with have over regulated power. If I had your 11 cent power my last bill would be less than half. Plus our largest demand is in the summer. They are getting people to put a device on their AC so they can turn it off if the load gets too high. I expect big brother to mandate that in the near future. Which brings us back to the Volt. How many Volt buyers in CA will be upset when the electric bill makes their gas bill seem small? PS Solar is still a feel good option in CA, not yet cost effective. Even though San Diego is the number one in residential solar installations. Forget wind power, your neighbors would shoot you. Even some of the solar installations in my area are eyesores.
|
|
|
Replying to: gagrice (Aug 15, 2009 6:18 am) That cannot happen. Even if you are paying an outrageous 20 cents per kwh, that's about $1.60 in electricity per day for a 40 mile Volt commute. So unless you are driving a gas car which gets 40 mpg and gas is less than $1.60 a gallon, the Volt will never cost more to fuel than a gas-only car. As far as solar, a company named Solar City can lease you a 4.1 kw solar system for Zero down and $58 a month. That's affordable for just about everyone in America who owns a house.
|
|
|
Replying to: larsb (Aug 16, 2009 10:13 am) You are not paying attention. If I owned a Volt today it would be costing me 34 cents per KWH to charge. If it only allows an 8 KWH charge on the 16 KWH battery that is still as much or more than a Jetta TDI or Prius will cost to drive. You can also bet they will require road tax when they hit the ground. Making them an expensive option to drive, at least in places like CA. And we are not the highest in the nation. It would be a total non starter in Hawaii where current charges for the low end is 28 cents per KWH. How many people work at night and would be able to use solar to charge during the day? I entered my home on Solar City website. They estimated my savings at minus $108 per year. Looks like I would have a total loss over 15 years of $457. Solar is not ready for prime time yet. I have a huge South facing roof also. So if it will not save me money. I am not sure who it would benefit. Plus it will not charge my EV at night. See the rates we pay in San Diego: http://www.sdge.com/customer/rates/baselineTierExamples.shtml They will be going up when SDG&E cannot meet the 2012 alternative energy mandate.
|
|
You are here:
Forums
Hybrid Vehicles Chevrolet Volt Will the Chevy Volt Succeed?
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2011 Chevrolet Volt
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
