A desperate plea for someone to by this “car” so Chevy can lose more money or something
(USA Today) The Volt is getting a jolt — at least when it comes to price.
The slow selling newfangled plug-in car, which is supposed to the star of General Motors’ portfolio, is going to have $5,000 knocked off its list price. The 2014 Volt will now cost $34,995, including shipping, 12.5% less than last year’s model.
With a full $7,500 federal tax credit, the price is cut to $27,495. Some states have tax credits as well.
Or, you can purchase a fully loaded Honda Civic for less and be able to actually drive somewhere. Or, heck, a fully loaded Prius.
Weds. morning links…
Holistic admissions policies at Berkeley Born this way? Transexuals Bad Weather Reducing Chevy Volt Reduced By $5,000 Light-Rail to Nowhere: Honolulu, Hawaii’s Train Boondoggle Obamacare: Aetna Pulls Out of Maryland, Connecticut Busybody P…
Given the heavy metals and other, very ungreen, products in these vehicles, buying a Mini Cooper at $26,000 without federal subsidies is a better solution for ending whatever warming you want to stop while avoiding the destruction of our environment and economy.
Teach You seem to think that the Chevy Volt is an electric car. It is not is is a hybrid like the Prius. The Volt has an all electric range of up to of about 35 miles. After the battery has dropped to a pre determined level the GASOLINE engine kicks in. This gives the Volt a TOTAL range of 379 miles.
Certainly at least part of the drop in price is to try and capture market share since Tesla (Consumer Reports Best Car Ever!!) and BMW’s new model will be hard competition.
As far as how “green” hybrids are/aren’t the battery will of course be recycled or repurposed. When the Prius battery reaches 80% capacity it is replaced BUT the old battery still has a high value either as a solar storage unit or to be recycled.
Tesla is already outselling the comparable priced Audi, Mercedes, Lexus models
The concept of reusing batteries is rather new and not fully developed. At this point, there are only two recycling companies handling used lithium and nickel-hydride batteries. Even if the main components are recycled, there’s still massive waste in the overall product. Not to mention the overall cost of purchase (even with gov’t rebates) and continued ‘fueling’ remains greater than a standard car, especially a Mini Cooper.
As far as being green, the total ‘green’ potential of an electric car, today, from manufacture to end of life is currently roughly equal in terms of carbon footprint to a standard auto, since most electricity is still generated by coal.
Tesla represents a potential break in the bottleneck of electric cars, truly utilizing new technologies – at a cost. Notice the comparison you make (Audi, BMW, Lexus) – it is a high end auto.
Best solution? Let the Teslas continue to do what they do, end the federal grants and subsidies, and buy a smaller gas-powered car today. In 10 years, even with the grants and subsidies (though more cheaply without), Tesla will have a meaningful car for the masses.
You see, all new technology starts out expensive – why subsidize it? If you want it, you should pay for it. I shouldn’t have to pay for it just because you want it. But that’s what a subsidy does.
I got rid of my 2001 Dodge Caravan Sport (@ ~ 18 mpg) and got a used 2012 Toyota Prius 3 with 8500 miles on it for $21,500. I’ve been getting about 48 mpg with it. I figure that the savings in gas @ $4/gallon (I live in the Chicago area) covers at least 30% of the payment. No subsidies, no “I’m holy because I went green”, I just decided to save money.