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Two words: Range anxiety.
I flew out to Baltimore yesterday (I'm in Boston) to pickup a Camaro (2013 2ss vert for those interested). The sales guy picked me up from the airport in a Volt. While I'm a gaz guzzling type of driver, I'm interested in the technology more so to get other people onto electric so I can drive gasoline cars that much longer. We chatted a lot about the Volt on the 45m drive from the airport to dealership. He told me average range is 40-55 miles. I can tell you this. He told me he drove to the airport on gas and switched over to electric to drive me back. It was on a full charge. We didn't make it back to the dealer (again, 45m, but true mostly highway) without the charge running out and going back to gasoline.
What's the point?
When we got to the dealership he plugged it in. He told me a full charges takes 4 hours. Yessterday was his day off. Was he going to wait around for 4 hours? I was there 5 mins and left with my new car. Maybe he was staying around for an hour and maybe that's enough to get him home (to charge again), but what's the point? I don't get it.
I guess to me the point is to get the technology started and improve upon it from here. To me it needs 100+ miles on a charge and absolutely still a gas engine. I spoke to my wife about the vehicle and she was horrified by the idea of driving 50 miles and then having to stop for 4 hours. When I explained the gas engine to her, she asked the same thing: What's the point?
Getting one for commuting seems silly. The thousands of dollars you will pay each year for car, especially adding in insurance and excise tax, will buy you a lot of gasoline for your guzzler. Of course, there are other reasons for a commuting car and I get that. I myself am keeping my wife's tiny little Aveo (bought her a Kia Sorrento 7 seater) as a commuting car but not really for gas savings (again, it's mostly negated by insurance, maintenance, excise) but to keep mileage off my Camaro and to keep it off the roads during New England winters.
Rant over!
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