How Your Car Compares to the Chevy Volt

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Like others have commented, you have made a MAJOR misstatement as to how the Volt will work. It will NEVER be powered by the gas engine. The gas engine is mainly a generator that will recharge the batteries when the initial grid-supplied charge is depleted. The generator will be tuned to operate at peak efficiency under ALL conditions since it has mainly a single function - charging the batteries. The electirc motors will power the vehicle at all times. So the performance of the vehicle should be the same at mile 200 of your trip as it is at mile 2. My wife has a 45 mile round trip commute. The gas engine/generator will need to operate only for the last 5 miles of that trip every day. For commuting only, she would burn only about 1 gallon or less of gasoline every week, as opposed to 5 gallons with a Prius or 10 gallons with an average 20-23 mpg compact car. I'll take a gas bill that is 20% of the fuel usage and emissions any time.
You really should print a correction to the misconception that you have already published.

Joel B of CA 2:40PM August 23, 2009

Rick - in your article entitled "How the Chevy Volt Will Transform Fuel Economy" for U.S. News (there was no option to comment on that article), your comments conveyed that you have a fundamental misunderstanding about the drivetrain of the Volt. Specifically, you stated:
"...the Volt won't be so impressive when powered principally by gas. The small engine is likely to be underpowered, with the huge battery amounting to a lot of dead weight when it's not propelling the car. Buyers shelling out $40,000 for the Volt--the expected sticker price--could find it more of a wheezer than a Wowmobile if most of their driving is on gas."
Umm...the Volt is NEVER powered by the gasoline engine! After battery power is depleted, the gas engine powers up ONLY TO RECHARGE THE BATTERY!! There is no "wheezer" gasoline engine that is having to pull around the rest of the drivetrain. The Volt is ALWAYS powered by the electric engine, meaning the drive experience is essentially always the same.

Wesley of AR 10:46PM August 22, 2009

i'd rather change my car than to change my driving habits, that VOLT shall be my next car...

Arturo of CA 1:37PM August 22, 2009

how about when you trade gas for grass?

smoker2 of AL 4:09AM August 22, 2009

We can all drive more fuel efficient cars starting today without spending a dime – it’s a matter of adjusting our driving habits. I learned a ton at an eco-driving workshop at this summer’s Midwest Renewable Energy Fair. Check out the top ten tips at http://digginginthedriftless.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/10-ways-to-cut-gas-costs-and-save-the-planet/
Gass savings for all,
Denise Thornton

Denise Thornton of WI 11:49PM August 21, 2009

I own a chevy Cav and I try to get the most MPG's I can. I am now getting an extra 30+ miles out of a tank now that I changed my driving habbits. I read an article on it, I hope this helps everyone else.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5327064_maximum-mpg.html

billy of PA 4:01PM August 21, 2009

The Volt concept solves a lot of problems with traditional EVs and Hybrids, with the potential for a very real concept shift in fuel use.
I do wish the linked web site for electricity pricing was a bit more accurate though. It shows average electricity pricing in CA as 12 cents / kwh, which is not realistic. We live in a Tiered system, with base rates of 11 c/kwh, and this increases rapidly to 35 cents / kwh. Charging up the car will be done at the highest tier rate - 35 cents / kwh, not at the lowest, as this electricity is already used for normal household purposes.
For those banking on a smart grid to save money - I doubt it. The subscribers of this concept in CA at least have mostly seen their bills - RISE.
I ran the calculations though for cost per 100 miles, and interestingly, it was still pretty reasonable to use the Volt in electric only mode. (my estimate is 7.5 cents / mile) Now if they can just come out with a family size van or suv in this setup, it will be practical.

Harry of CA 1:50PM August 21, 2009

"Someone pointed out in a article elsewhere that adding more generation of coal-fired electricity for cars might be worse for the atmosphere than gas-burning cars."
This is not true. Even if an EV is powered solely by coal generated electricity, it will still emit less CO2 than a gas car due to the efficiency of a coal power plant, the efficiency of the power grid, and the very impressive efficiency of electric cars.
But that is the extreme case. In the US, only about 50% of our power is from coal.
Also, the DoE already released a report saying that our power generation capabilities could handle some 70 million EVs today without building a single new plant. Why? EVs are charged at night when there is excess power generation capacity.

Dag Johansen of CA 1:42PM August 21, 2009

The Prius is not a 'conventional car'. It is a hybrid. It is pretty clear he meant an internal combustion engine only car. But till, estimates for the Volt performance while running on gas only is around 40MPG or so.

Dag Johansen of CA 1:36PM August 21, 2009

May we hope that the Volt performs very well, that the battery technology is improved by GM over time to pull the sticker price down, that GM is revived for the sake of its workers and taxpayer owners, and that the environmental aspects of all this are positive.
May we also hope that America's electrical grid can stand the addition of many cars plugged into it, and that we move toward generating more electricity from sources other than the burning of fossil fuels.
Someone pointed out in a article elsewhere that adding more generation of coal-fired electricity for cars might be worse for the atmosphere than gas-burning cars.
But I'm hoping for the best, not the worst.

Muser of NM 1:23PM August 21, 2009