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Will the Chevy Volt Succeed?

1015 messages,  Last post on Dec 09, 2012 at 8:21 PM

You are in the Chevrolet Volt Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Volt, Automotive News, Hybrid Cars, Coupe, Hatchback, Truck, Sedan, SUV

Messages Page 96 of 103

#943 of 1015 Re: Just leased CA HOV Volt [kentmoon1] by gagrice

Mar 09, 2012 (8:48 pm)

Replying to: kentmoon1 (Mar 09, 2012 8:36 pm)
Did the dealer take the $7500 tax credit and reduce the lease? I did not think the CA AT-PZEV Volt was going to be available for about a month. Did the dealer guarantee it was an HOV qualified Volt? Only the new ones coming out are eligible for the Green HOV sticker. Hope you like it.
 
The catch is that you need to buy a 2012 Chevy Volt equipped with a low emissions package. These are being made available for Volt’s built and sold in the state of California. Keep in mind not ALL 2012 Chevy Volt have the low emissions package and will not qualify. GM only started to produce the Volt’s with low emissions packages as of February, and will start to deliver low emissions Volt’s in March.
 
If you are on a dealer lot and want to make sure the Volt you are buying will qualify for an HOV sticker, you can check the VIN number of the Volt. Look at the 5th position of the VIN for the letters (E, F, G, or H) For example, my Chevy Volt VIN number is 1G1RD6E4XBU100010. The 5th position is a “D” so it does not qualify for HOV lane privileges. Older Volts cannot be retrofitted to include a low emissions package so if you bought in the first year you are out of luck!

#944 of 1015 Volt Sticker Shock!! by gagrice

Mar 10, 2012 (12:53 pm)

#945 of 1015 Finally got one today by igh

Mar 11, 2012 (1:29 am)

I am in the Bay area. Got the base with rear camera package - 200 below invoice and 0% for 60 months. Qualifies for 7500 federal and 1500 CA tax credit (correct VIN). Carpool sticker not
important to me. Will be wife's car - daily commute 31 miles. Yearly 9000 miles. Hoping to get
by on one tank per year. The electricity comes from my solar panels.
The dealer cannot keep them on the lots - already pre-sold 3 of the 4 new CA ones allotted
to him. If Chevy is having trouble selling the car elsewhere maybe it can send all of them to the
Bay area .

#946 of 1015 Re: Finally got one today [igh] by gagrice

Mar 11, 2012 (6:19 am)

Replying to: igh (Mar 11, 2012 1:29 am)
With solar the Volt makes more sense. I don't think the ones sent to other states have the same warranty. If they sell well in CA, Chevy will send most of the production there. Not sure where they are coming from with the factory shut down and all the people laid off. The 10 year battery warranty would be a big plus if I needed a car like that.

#947 of 1015 Re: Just leased CA HOV Volt [gagrice] by kentmoon1

Mar 11, 2012 (7:29 am)

Replying to: gagrice (Mar 09, 2012 8:48 pm)
I have double checked VIN, and it was definitely CA HOV car (5th Digit is G). I drove it home yesterday (60 miles away), and it went 45.5 miles before gasoline engine kicked in...not bad. Car was smooth and drove very well.
 
I checked CA DMV site, and I have to wait until I have DMV registration card before I can apply for green HOV sticker.
 
US Bank uses $7500 to reduce lease rate. HOWEVER, (this is kind of strange) residual is increased by $7500, so it won't make sense for me to purchase the car after the lease because residual is very high. I think it was around $26000 after three years and 15K per year.

#948 of 1015 Re: Just leased CA HOV Volt [kentmoon1] by gagrice

Mar 11, 2012 (7:50 am)

Replying to: kentmoon1 (Mar 11, 2012 7:29 am)
I understand the leasing company getting the tax credit. Does not seem right they add it back on the end. As you say best to give it back to them after the lease ends. If you really like it after 3 years you may want to buy a new one. If you don't have solar and live where it would work, that would be advisable. CA utility rates are outrageous. Do keep us posted how well you like the car. Who knows how many people's thinking you may turn around on the car.

#949 of 1015 Re: Just leased CA HOV Volt [kentmoon1] by gagrice

Mar 11, 2012 (7:50 am)

Replying to: kentmoon1 (Mar 11, 2012 7:29 am)
I understand the leasing company getting the tax credit. Does not seem right they add it back on the end. As you say best to give it back to them after the lease ends. If you really like it after 3 years you may want to buy a new one. If you don't have solar and live where it would work, that would be advisable. CA utility rates are outrageous. Do keep us posted how well you like the car. Who knows how many people's thinking you may turn around on the car.

#950 of 1015 Re: Finally got one today [gagrice] by igh

Mar 11, 2012 (4:50 pm)

Replying to: gagrice (Mar 11, 2012 6:19 am)
The factory will close on March 19th and stay shut till Apr 23. The special CA Volt production started on Feb 6. Those Volts are currently arriving at the dealerships. The factory has a capacity of about 4000 Volts per month currently.

#951 of 1015 is Volt a big-dog with power/torque/stability on highway? by elias

Mar 12, 2012 (12:00 pm)

Replying to: igh (Mar 11, 2012 1:29 am)
awesome move with the solar-charged volt, iggy ! do you have a website showing maximally nerdly photos of components/systems involved in setting that up? is the car a big-dog with torque & power at real-world big-dog highway speeds? Or is volt really only good for commuting & around-town?

#952 of 1015 Re: is Volt a big-dog with power/torque/stability on highway? [elias] by igh

Mar 12, 2012 (8:22 pm)

Replying to: elias (Mar 12, 2012 12:00 pm)
Unfortunately I do not have a website yet but I am thinking of setting one up. My renewable energy project is much more ambitious than the Volt. I want to be energy independent in day-to-day living. My solar panel system is a 11.8KW standard grid tied system. It generates about 17000 kwH of energy every year. It makes my all-electric home net zero energy and then there is about 6000 kwH left yearly for the cars. The Volt will use up about 3000 and I have 3000 kwH remaining for the Ford Focus Electric which I will buy next. Looking forward to a life free from PG&E, Chevron and Shell. Now if only they could make the plug in hybrids flex fuel, then I could get rid of all fossil fuels once and for all.
 
About the Volt, it drives really well. Electric mode is buttery smooth with 0-60 about 8 sec. 0-30 is better than a 3 series due to the instant electric torque. The handling is excellent due to the low center of gravity resulting from the batteries. In gas mode with complete battery depletion, it is a bit sluggish at times but very quickly the generator builds up supplementary battery power and again you are good to go for those occasional high accelerations. You with hit 80-85 mph very often if you do not pay attention. The seamless drive train integration is a marvel of automotive engineering. No wonder it is car of the year in US and Europe. It is unfortunate that people trash this car for political reasons. This is what US innovation is all about.

Messages Page 96 of 103

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