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Originally Posted by fielderLS3
Thus proving that the Volt isn't cost effective. You would be paying a $20k price premium to save $800 a year on fuel, a figure based on the assumption that the electricity would be free, and the notion that the Volt will actually go 40 miles on electricity alone. The conditions that allow 40 miles on the batteries are so idealized, that a Camaro SS would probably get 35-40 mpg under the same conditions.
I agree with this. Diesels or small conventional 4-cyl cars are much more cost effective.
I think the market would better police safety standards than the government. People's demand for safety alone would by itself make the cars exactly as safe as the buyers want them to be. In some ways, threshold government standards leads automakers to build "good enough" cars that they can advertise as meeting standards to make people feel good. Without them, I believe some cars may actually be safer than they otherwise would have been.
The only explanation can be a high compression ratio. However, doesn't the Volt use an Atkinson-cycle engine like other hybrids? If they did, you'd think it would be able to run on regular. If not, they're losing an easy source of efficiency.
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What I still cannot believe are the people who argue in favor of GM over this decision to price the Volt so high. Mid $30's I can understand the first year and then bring it down a couple thousand a year to increase demand but $41,000 makes 99% of the general car buying public to look the other way.. No amount of advertising is going to convince people otherwise. Selling the Volt to a bunch of socialites and movie stars who want to show how green they are after they fly in with their private jets and helicopters to and from their homes who's electrical bill is 10 times more than the average home mortgage is just silly.
What our US Government should do is get rid of this "green hybrid" tax credit and apply it as a direct discount to their new Volt and they will have middle class people flocking to pre-order one making the demand higher so they can build more of them and get more out on the street more quickly. While the buzz is hot about this new electric car, then more people will be interested etc.. By having the price so high, it makes most of those interested in this look at the competition which arguably on paper sounds like it travels farther on a single charge even though it busts at long distances.
Unfortunately now that GM has made this decision, there is no turning back. In my opinion the damage will be in the loss of many potential customers who buy the Leaf or other competition instead..