A happy Chevy Volt owner

[Morris Minor]

This is the web page & blog of a colleague's friend who is, as you can see, a bit of an evangelist for the Volt.

First Volt in Georgia
http://www.firstvoltingeorgia.com/

and

One year with an electric vehicle.
http://intermod.typepad.com/intermod/2011/12/one-year-ev.html

[AutobahnSHO]

The Volt is a great "gateway drug car". If new cars weren't so expensive, I'd totally go for a Leaf for my commuter car.

[Eye of the Tiger]

This guy likes his Volt, and his guns: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zK0ieX9mHr4

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

I want a Volt as my daily run around when the prices come down.

[Morris Minor]

I want a Volt as my daily run around when the prices come down.

Looks like your local dealer might be open to some hard bargaining:

http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/automobiles/213889-gm-halting-production-of-chevy-volt

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Looks like your local dealer might be open to some hard bargaining:

http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/automobiles/213889-gm-halting-production-of-chevy-volt

WOW!!!

[ChrisV]

Local demo one is for sale at $30k. Not a bad price for a low mileage unit. You can get a new one for a $349/mo lease, however, At that rate, the monthly payments are like BUYING a $20k car, which makes it a great deal. Thing is to see what they go for as they come off lease in 3 years (when a new version is out).

[Atomic]

if the volt does not sell better, especially with rising gas prices, i fear these vehicles will become toast. BTW: when is the two door caddy "version" due out? initially, the stylish cadillac coupe was scrapped when GM anticipated not having enough plant capacity for its production.

[AutobahnSHO]

... You can get a new one for a $349/mo lease, however, At that rate, the monthly payments are like BUYING a $20k car, which makes it a great deal....

Even figuring in the usual $2500 in upfront fees??

[Speed_Racer]

Looks like your local dealer might be open to some hard bargaining:

http://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/automobiles/213889-gm-halting-production-of-chevy-volt

Quote from that article:
"Lee noted that sales of the Volt were higher in February than they were in January, and added that California recently decided to allow the electric car to qualify for High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes in the state."

I was sitting in traffic the other day watching Priuses (I refuse to use Toyota's term for Prius plural) w/ one person zipping by me on the HOV lane and thought...logically, it'd make more sense to have the Priuses and Volts stuck in traffic because they have stop-start functions and electric only modes, meaning reduced pollution from idling cars.

[ChrisV]

Even figuring in the usual $2500 in upfront fees??

Yup. We leased the MINI and the upfront fees were similar, to get a similar monthly payment, and the MINI was a $23k car.

[AutobahnSHO]

I'm saying that $350/month is different than $350/month plus $2500.

So is this price for leasing a volt equivalent to buying a car, even with the lease fees??

[Byteme]

if the volt does not sell better, especially with rising gas prices, i fear these vehicles will become toast. BTW: when is the two door caddy "version" due out? initially, the stylish cadillac coupe was scrapped when GM anticipated not having enough plant capacity for its production.

I heard yesterday GM was shutting down production for 5 weeks to reduce inventories of the Volt.  It sold about 75% of it's projected sales of 10,000 units the first year and doesn't stand a chance of selling 45,000 units this year, it's sales target.  January and February sales amounted to just 1,600 units.  It's hard to sell them when a Cruze is sitting on the same lot and gets 40 MPG for half the sticker price of a Volt and is more useful. 

[AutobahnSHO]

  It's hard to sell them when a Cruze is sitting on the same lot and gets 40 MPG for half the sticker price of a Volt and is more useful. 

The electric cars are cool. Not cool enough to mortgage the universe for them...

[Byteme]

The electric cars are cool. Not cool enough to mortgage the universe for them...

Driving something more affordable and useful is cooler though.   

[Morris Minor]

The best way for the government to force people to buy the vehicles it thinks are good for them is through raising the Fed gas tax to $5 or so. Much better than dicking around with CAFE standards, tax credits, HOV lanes and all the other complex nonsense.

[ChrisV]

I'm saying that $350/month is different than $350/month plus $2500.

So is this price for leasing a volt equivalent to buying a car, even with the lease fees??

On a 23k car, you still have to get the same down payment to get that 350 a month, is what I'm saying.

[Colonel Cadillac]

There's one potential problem with plug-in cars that I have been thinking about lately. When you drive somewhere and plug in your vehicle, who's paying for that power? I don't think the local supermarket is going to take a keen interest in paying for people to charge their cars while they shop.

[93JC]

If you're at the supermarket for an hour you might have used 10¢ worth of electricity to charge your car. They're not going to be particularly upset at selling you $100 worth of groceries and having their profit on that reduced by a measly dime.

[Speed_Racer]

There's one potential problem with plug-in cars that I have been thinking about lately. When you drive somewhere and plug in your vehicle, who's paying for that power? I don't think the local supermarket is going to take a keen interest in paying for people to charge their cars while they shop.

Might get passed on to the rest of us by way of higher prices?

[AutobahnSHO]

If you're at the supermarket for an hour you might have used 10? worth of electricity to charge your car. They're not going to be particularly upset at selling you $100 worth of groceries and having their profit on that reduced by a measly dime.

Installation of charging outlets will be expensive. You can't just run a bunch of extension cords, car owner would sue if it somehow shorts and fries your car.

[93JC]

True, true. He just asked about the power itself, not installation of extra services to support it.

[AutobahnSHO]

True, true. He just asked about the power itself, not installation of extra services to support it.

Right- the power will cost almost nothing, but places WILL be installing charge stations. That installation money has to be recouped somehow..   Supposedly there are a bunch of 220v charge stations around Nashville (Nissan's USA headquarters) but I haven't seen any of them.

[Byteme]

Right- the power will cost almost nothing, but places WILL be installing charge stations. That installation money has to be recouped somehow..   Supposedly there are a bunch of 220v charge stations around Nashville (Nissan's USA headquarters) but I haven't seen any of them.

I can picture the day when kids no longer siphon gas, but instead sneak an extension cord over to the neighbor's outside outlet at night.   

[Morris Minor]

Right- the power will cost almost nothing, but places WILL be installing charge stations. That installation money has to be recouped somehow..   Supposedly there are a bunch of 220v charge stations around Nashville (Nissan's USA headquarters) but I haven't seen any of them.

See: http://www.carspin.net/forums/index.php?topic=26924.msg1682243#new
Taxpayers are in the government's crosshairs for bearing the cost of installation