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Originally Posted by Fearer2010SS
Not sure on the exact tank spec but I know its about 9 gallons. 9 gallons at 1,000 miles is 111.11 MPG, great but still WAY off that 230 MPG BS GM was quoting a couple years back. Incidentally consider if your getting 40 MPG with a 12.5 gallon tank, each fill up at $4 dollars a gallon for regular is $50 dollars. So say you filled up once a week that is $2,600 dollars a years. With the Volt your paying $936 dollars a year for gas if your driving the same range as the sub-compact. A well optioned sub-compact comes out at about 18k usually, a Volt after goverment rebate is at minimum $33,500. So to make up the $15,500 dollar price difference you need have your Volt for just over 9 years. Don't get me wrong its still nice technology, but there is no way I would consider a Volt until it got in the mid 20s.
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You would actually need to have it much more than 9 years. First, electricity is not free, so it would by more than $936 a year to drive. Second, someone driving that many miles a day will be running on the gas engine way to much to get 111 MPG (the best case scenario of 40 miles of electric range with a 100 mile/day commute is around 66 MPG overall.) Third, you really can't factor out the $7500 credit, because it assumes it is free (you have to at least consider how much more you have to pay for gas and everything else due to the money printing). You are also assuming the money you saved would not make any kind of return if invested elsewhere. When it is all said and done, but the time the Volt could pay for itself, it's batteries will be dead for years.
I agree that it is nice technology for those who can afford it, but I think the development money would have been better spent on making a more efficient conventional car that actually has a chance to sell in numbers. The overall benefits would be far better.