You wouldnt need a back up car...that is the beauty of this car!

The biggest problem, as seen here, with an electric car is that it needs to be plugged in and charged right?
YOU DONT NEED TO DO THAT! This can be your ONLY car!
The Volt will go farther then 40 miles. You will just now use an onboard engine not to power the wheels, but to act like a generator! And getting about 50 miles per gallon, with 8 gallon tank, thats a 400 mile range, plus the 40.
Tell me what car in your current garage/driveway/whatever gets 440 miles on 8 gallons of gas?
None of them.
/thread

Volt solves the problems of electrical cars of the past.

Obama has already said that if President, 7k rebate for the Volt from the Goverment.
McCain is also talking of major rebate due to American made/ American Company.

Dodge Neon gets 100 mpg!

Nuff said!

:moon:

I recognize this. I was speaking in terms of using it as battery only, therefore getting the most benefit from it being an electric car. After that it seems to me it's like any other high mpg gas powered car. I would still want a backup car for long trips and such because I know that it won't be the most reliable thing in the world, and it looks like it would not be comfortable for me on long trips because I'm a larger person.

55 MPG sounds pretty good to me

And as long as dealers don't "market-adjust" the crap out of them, it sounds like we'll be able to pick one up for $30-35k all said and done. Not too shabby. That only leaves the question of service. How much will it cost, and where (besides a dealer) are you gonna be able to get it serviced? How much will new batteries cost in XX years when the current ones die?

- Justin

Batteries, since they are part of the emissions system, are warrantied like every other emission part on your car...150k miles.
There is talk of GM covering the warranty of the battery for longer.

That's pretty good.

- Justin

Are you sure? Does GM put this in writing.... for all cars??
I did not know batteries are considered part of the emissions system - is this something new?? Maybe for electric cars?

I'm pretty sure it's just for the volt. It's not as simple as a regular car where you can swap it and go.

GM doesnt have too...the Goverment did.
Like any emissions control devise, they MUST be coverd under warranty for 100-150k miles or 10 years. Thats every car maker, every model, everything.
The Toyota Prius's hybrid batter and system follows this, as well as every other hybrid car out there.
The 12 volt battery isnt, but the battery that allows these cars to obtain the gas milage range as well as low emissions due to the engine being turned off, must be coverd.
GM has talked since day one about doing something about the batteries. What GM did in the past with the EV1 is lease the car out only as no one wanetd to take on the full responsability of the expense of replacing the battery.

Why did it take so long to go from this:
http://image.motortrend.com/f/editor...ee-quarter.jpg

to this:
http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/ima...caa64aef_o.jpg

Give the hippies their electric car and stfu :lol:...

Ill take this one instead

http://www.carzi.com/wp-content/uplo...roadster_1.jpg

The Tesla Roadster is nice for sure....but base price is $109k, and IIRC, the total range is ~250 miles.

- Justin

How "energy efficient" is this car going to be? I keep hearing commercials saying to unplug your PC, clocks, radios, etc. when you're not using them. If everyone has an electric car and we're all charging them up, won't that just be adding to a different problem?

most people will be charging at night anyways when power usage is minimal

If "everyone" had one, it would be a huge issue, since power grids in many larger urban and suburban areas are already being pushed to their limits. But a couple in each neighborhood isn't going to bother anything, and that's the most we can expect anytime in the next several years.

As far as how much it would actually raise your utility bill, I dunno. Would be interesting to see if it would be cheaper to plug it in at night during off peak hours, or let the gas motor recharge the batteries.

- Justin

Now thats one hawt Civic!!!! :wink:

Gas motor wont recharge the batteriers. It will only power the electric motors.
To recharge the batteries, it will just have to be plugged in.
GM is working with the electric companies to make sure that the Volt is aware of what time of the day it is as for the rate of charge it will take.
Mid day in July when its 105* outside, the Volt will take at a lower rate to not put a heavy pull on the grid.
But a cool October night, 68*, the Volt will pull at a higher rate.

That's pretty cool....I wonder just how high of a rate it's capable of charging at.

- Justin

:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead: :banghead:

If i had the money I would rather buy that Tesla than GM-Honda looking thing. Its just plain ugly, and not worth anywhere near 40k. :shrug:

you work at sears, that is hardly the career choice for most people, let alone anyone doing any kind of commuting. sears are a dime a dozen, of course there isn't going to be much of a commute.

Guys I work with have over 30 years with Sears. They have been there since when it was a carreer.
Im not talking about tire installers...Salesman and Mechanics that have been grandfathered into every Sears program for three decades.

Your "survey" has sample selection bias written all over it, there for it's irrelevant.

i was going to say "and its ugly as sin" but it actually doesnt look that bad

HAHA...I know you are waiting for me to take you for a spin in my hawt whip....hahaha. ;)