The Cost to operate a Chevy Volt - The typical Washington D.C. Solution and it's consequences

Email From A Relative | April 2, 2012

[Iam1ru1-2]

Eric Bolling (Fox Business Channel's Follow the Money) test drove the Chevy Volt at the invitation of General Motors.

For four days in a row, the fully charged battery lasted only 25 miles before the Volt switched to the reserve gasoline engine. Eric calculated the car got 30 mpg including the 25 miles it ran on the battery. So, the range including the 9 gallon gas tank and the 16 kwh battery is approximately 270 miles. It will take you 4 1/2 hours to drive 270 miles at 60 mph. Then add 10 hours to charge the battery and you have a total trip time of 14.5 hours. In a typical road trip your average speed (including charging time) would be 20 mph.

According to General Motors, the Volt battery hold 16 kwh of electricity. It takes a full 10 hours to charge a drained battery.

The cost for the electricity to charge the Volt is never mentioned so I looked up what I pay for electricity.

I pay approximately (it varies with amount used and the seasons) $1.16 per kwh.

16 kwh x $1.16 per kwh = $18.56 to charge the battery.

$18.56 per charge divided by 25 miles = $0.74 per mile to operate the Volt using the battery.

Compare this to a similar size car with a gasoline engine only that gets 32 mpg.

$3.19 per gallon divided by 32 mpg = $0.10 per mile.

The gasoline powered car cost about $15,000 while the Volt costs $46,000.

So Obama wants us to pay 3 times as much for a car that costs more that 7 times as much to run and takes 3 times as long to drive across country.

REALLY? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other peoples' money." --Margaret Thatcher

[Myrddin]

I own a 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid 4x4. Since the day I purchased it, it has only turned out 32 MPG once during a very mild weather drive across the desert. Idaho winter temps require running the heater. MPG hovers around 21.6 all winter. Spring and Fall, the mild weather permit operation without heat or cooling. Mileage improves to 28 MPG. Summer temps require cooling. Back to 25 MPG. The high altitude doesn't help the mileage. Freeways at 75 MPH require the engine engaged. There is never a traffic jam, so the engine management to hop between electric/gas is rarely engaged. The 32 MPG was achieved in San Diego in early June. The electric mode is usually operating only in parking lots where pedestrians express shock and surprise at not hearing the vehicle approaching.

[Lazlo in PA]

Your right. It was called the Reactor. I don’t know if it handled well at all with the mysterious green Citroen spheres. As far as I know, it was mostly for show and no go.

[Cobra64]

Plan on distance being reduced by 30% if running the AC in summer and the heater in winter.

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Something is amiss in Obama’s policy. On the one hand he wants all to drive electric cars. Then he uses the EPA to shut down 26 power plants. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2862793/posts

Something is not logical captian. I’ll wait till we get the dilithuim crystal power.

[I Drive Too Fast]

I thought that looked like Samantha and Darren from Bewitched. Here is a link with some info on the car. I also see that the episode is on youtube. I believe you can find it by searching “supercar”.

http://www.harpiesbizarre.com/supercar.htm

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

***Eric calculated the car got 30 mpg including the 25 miles it ran on the battery.***

I have a magazine, NATIONAL WILDLIFE from 2008 with an interview with candidate Obama.

In it he says he wants ONE MILLION plug-in hybrid autos that get 150 MILES PER GALLON on the roads by 2015.

And by 2012 he wants 10% of our energy needs coming from renewable sources like solar and wind.

In other news today, Mitsubishi, in Ft Smith Arkansas is not going to start up their wind generator manufacturing plant. No one wants to buy their product.

[Lazlo in PA]

The Reactor was actually a car built for the 25th anniversary of the Hartford Autorama. Some Television studios saw the car and slipped it into some episodes of shows as a future car. The episode of Bewitched was actually written just for the car.

[_Jim]

Your right.

"You're" maybe Laslo?

Please, for me?

[mo]

Your basically buying a car with a 600lb one gallon gas tank. Only a liberal could think that’s smart....the same crowd that has driven our country into 15 trillion of debt.

It is civically irresponsible to let this crowd near any issue requiring adult decision-making.

[Lazlo in PA]

Only if you can get my name right.

Lazlo