Posted on 03/09/2012 8:49:13 AM PST by jazusamo
This tax credit is for all EV’s that qualify and includes the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf.
Working link:
http://nlpc.org/stories/2012/03/08/another-%E2%80%9Ccrapload%E2%80%9D-chevy-volt-nonsense
If they understood math and how to calculate total dollars per mile of ownership, they wouldn't be Volt owners.
does the gas engine in a Volt recharge the battery? or drive the car?
I haven’t seen this ad with the dizzy broad , but I have seen the one were some Leftist looking middle age guy tells me he never loved a car before, but he loves his Dolt. If you are that old and never owned one car you loved, you probably spent most of your life riding your bike to Green Peace rallies in your youth. The ad makes me laugh at it’s pathetic message.
Both.
There are two electric motors—a 149 horsepower primary drive motor and a 74-hp motor/generator—and a 1.4-liter internal combustion (ICE) gas engine. All three elements are connected via a planetary gearset.
Planetary gearsets—which are common elements of automatic transmissions—are ingenious devices that have three meshed elements: A sun gear in the middle, a ring gear with internal teeth and smaller planet gears between the two which are joined together by a carrier. Alternating the speed and direction of the various elements changes the ratio between the inputs and outputs.
In the case of the Volt, the main output is the driven front wheels, which are connected to the planet carrier. The large drive motor is affixed directly to the sun gear. The ring gear is where things get interesting.
One clutch connects the ring gear to the transmission case and when engaged, it stops the ring gear from rotating. A second clutch joins the smaller motor/generator to the ring gear. A third clutch combines the engine crankshaft to the motor/generator.
Chevrolet Volt Hybrid Drive System - General Motors Volt Powertrain - Popular Mechanics
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/alternative-fuel/cells/chevy-volt-hybrid-drive-system
Exactly...Then there’s the unknown factors involving the new technology, it is not proven for durability and could also be completely obsolete within a few years.
I believe Modica is correct about the possibility of Obama factoring into this obsession of GM and the Volt. Obama has gotten on the Volt bandwagon, he basically appointed Akerson CEO and Obama doesn’t like to be wrong - ever.
With the election coming up Obama may have more say in GM policy than anyone thinks.
Fair weather car - not so good when it’s cold and raining at night and you have to use wipers, heater and lights all at once.
Thanks, that a great explanation.
The Chevy Volt has a battery replacement cost of $8,000. Now, proponents will argue that large scale manufacturing will bring this cost down; I argue the opposite. IMHO, the Chevy Volt is being REJECTED by the consumer, thus the replacement battery will not be a common part - it will be on par with a "collector's item", far exceeding the $8,000 price tag of today. Even if the price were to remain constant, and this part was available - given the overall reliability and depreciation of Chevy vehicles, my question is this "Will an $8,000 battery replacment exceed the value of the car?". I submit that the cost of the replacement battery will effectively "total" the car out. It will be most cost effective to scrap the car, than replace the battery.
Or, in simple terms - for $8,000 you can basically rebuild the engine, transmission and still do substancial body and interior work on the Toyota Camry. Essentially, if you put $8,000 into your 8 yr old Camry, you will have a very well restored car. New engine, new transmission, new interior, new paint, new tires, new exhaust. If you put that same $8,000 into the Volt - you get a new battery. Same worn paint, body, exhaust, engine, transmission, seats, carpet, etc.
I just see no justification for the Volt at all.
According to Modica’s calculations, it would take about 20 years of $2/day gas savings to make up for the $15,000 premium in price over, say, the Chevy Cruze (which is built on the same chassis as the Volt).
That’s a crapload of time to make back your investment!
What are they driving? Mid Sized GM SUV...
What my auto gnome says is from an engineering standpoint it is the real deal and clever, but it doesn't get the mileage and it is a marketing disaster.
You can make a barn door fly with enough Horsepower but do ya really want to do it?
I completely agree, and it's not just the battery but the systems technology that go along with it, the cooling system, generator, computer interface, etc.
Some clinton era politcian (mccauliff?) was on MSNBC this am pushing the absurdity of electric cars and the fiction that jobs in the usa is the same as profits.
There are no adults in the green industries.
Yep, and a Chevy Cruze Eco can be bought for a little over $18K and gets over 40 mpg.
And, if you can find one, a VW diesel from the late 70s might run $1800 and get nearly 50 mpg.
And, if you can find one, a VW diesel from the late 70s might run $1800 and get nearly 50 mpg.
Maybe it’s the crowd of people I associate with, but pretty much everyone I know, keep their cars until the cost of maintenance is equal to, or greater than the anticipated car payment.
I drove my 97 Lexus for 15 yrs and 312,000. Best car I’v ever owned. Never touched the engine or tranmission - just typical wear items (brakes, battery, tires, belts and plugs). My ‘05 Acura TL still has plenty of life left in it, and at 80,000 miles; will be around for the forseeable future. My ‘03 Tacoma has 120,000 miles and is going strong. I see myself replacing the seats in the Tacoma ($6-800), but the engine and transmission are fine. I expect at least another 100,000 before anything major happens.
I don’t think people are getting rid of cars like they used to. Cars are lasting longer - 150,000 miles is becoming the norm. Some people may change cars every 8 yrs, but those cars are staying on the road a lot longer than ever before.
8 yrs, IMHO, is not acceptable anymore. Now, I think 12+ yrs is the expected lifetime of many cars. Perhaps I’m full of poo; but this is my observation. Yours, may of course, differ.
“if you can find one, a VW diesel from the late 70s might run $1800 and get nearly 50 mpg.”
Buddy bought a diesel Rabbit Pickup for almost nothing last fall, put $2g’s in it, including an engine rebuild, and now has a truck for his 50 mile each-way Chicago-area commute that gets 48-58 MPG.
This summer, he intends to start cooking his own diesel.
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