Chevrolet Volt Owners Averaging 1000 Miles...

[DoggyB22]

This is def some AWESOME news! Volt owners are averaging around 1000 miles between gas stops. Who said American cars don't get good gas mileage.... Now if only GM lowered the price to compete with a Prius they can start outselling them! I def think they look a lot better then other hybrids in its class. GM just needs to work on advertising it better & its price.


http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=21457

[TOMS1SS]

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.

[truth411]

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.

It was not BS, it depends on your daily driving range, if you only Drive 40miles or less (as advertised) in theory you won't have to use any gas at all.

From the article:

“Volt owners drove an average of 800 miles between fill-ups since the Volt launched in December, and in March they averaged 1,000 miles,” said Cristi Landy, Volt marketing director. “When the majority of miles driven are electrically, gas usage decreases significantly.”

Another Volt owner, Gary Davis said, "On April 11, I had to buy gas for the first time since filling up on January 9. In my Volt I’ve driven 4,600 miles on 8.4 gallons of gas. That’s an impressive 547 mpg that I am achieving with my Volt."

[FenwickHockey65]

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.

230 was a preliminary formula thought up by the EPA. Nissan came up with their own figure too, they just didn't market it as much as GM did.

[BigDan]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

230 was a preliminary formula thought up by the EPA. Nissan came up with their own figure too, they just didn't market it as much as GM did.

They could probably hit that 230mpg if they tossed the Volts mediocre gas engine and replaced it with a super efficient turbo diesel that can get 60mpg on fuel only.

[Bullitt]

http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/27/auto...ower/index.htm

[syr74]

Originally Posted by BigDan

They could probably hit that 230mpg if they tossed the Volts mediocre gas engine and replaced it with a super efficient turbo diesel that can get 60mpg on fuel only.

Yeah, but hybrids like the Volt are already subsidized to Hades and back as it is. Nobody knows exactly what cars like this would actually cost if they had to compete on a level playing field with other, mainstream models but folks have tossed around price tags that rival those of the Z06. The fact that automakers have all but said they wouldn't even consider building cars like this were the subsidies to dry up tells me that, even if Z06 money is optimistic, the number is still really, really high.

Throw in a turbo diesel for the North American market and you make it that much more expensive to build. (by at least several thousand dollars) If the Volt is already a bit dear at 33k how pricey will folks think it is at 38, 39, or even 40k and change?

[fielderLS3]

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.

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.

[TOMS1SS]

Originally Posted by FenwickHockey65

230 was a preliminary formula thought up by the EPA. Nissan came up with their own figure too, they just didn't market it as much as GM did.

That's exactly the problem, GM went way too overboard with marketing that preliminary number. Outside of hypermiling I haven't seen anyone come close to 230 MPG in normal driving (yes I did see the other poster). I guess people who buy these cars are trying to make a statement, much like the Camaro people here....just a different statement. If hypermiling is your thing the Volt is the car for you.