Because I find myself bored, and marginally frustrated that I don't have enough people to coerce into listening to my rants, I return again to blogging. Ah, interwebs, were it not for you, I would have to come to terms with the knowledge that nobody cares what I think.
So, the Chevy Volt has a sticker price, and as an interesting experiment I decided to really figure out what your trip costs in a Volt. The best estimates I was able to find suggest an average power consumption rate of 0.25kWh/mile and uses about 8kWh for its 40-mile range. After that the hybrid engine gets an average of 50mpg. The average price of electricity in Arizona is $0.099/kWh, and the average price of gas $2.76/gal. So how good is that? Well call the Volt comparable to a luxury Cobalt, which has an MSRP of $24,500. To make it worth taking a Volt for purely economic reasons, you'd need to save $16,500 over the life of your car. How long will that take? As long as you drive it at least 40 miles every day, the answer is as long as $16,500 of gas would last you at 40 miles/day, which at the current prices is 31.92 years.
As my coworker helpfully pointed out, GM is not known for making durable, lasting vehicles.
But wait! What about peak oil! Someday gas will be way more expensive than the current (no doubt recession-deflated) prices! Let's go w/ a mind-blowing $6.00/gallon. Congratulations, your Volt only has to last 11.28 years now! And don't forget to drive it 40 miles every. single. day. If you skimp on Sundays, it'll just make it take longer.
No doubt you will be joining me this evening to demand its hastened production and release. I look forward to seeing you.
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