Did you happen to catch the Bob Lutz interview on the Colbert Report recently? The GM Vice President of Global Product Development (how do they fit that on a business card?) stopped by to tout the company’s new wonder child, the Chevrolet Volt. We like to think of ourselves as a bunch of open-minded guys here at Autofiends, so we put aside our thoughts on plug-ins, sat down and watched the interview. Something Lutz said happened to stick in my Fiendish ear. Lutz made mention that depending on where you live, if you charge the Volt overnight, it will only cost you between three and eight cents per mile to operate. Gee, that sounds amazing. I have an aversion to numbers like cats hate water, but I dusted off my trusty calculator to see just how many cents per mile the P.O.S. Civic is costing me to operate. Maybe Lutz has something here with this plug-in hybrid. Jump to see what we figured.
The Civic gets about 40 mpg on average. Let’s say I fill up the tank at $4.00/gallon. I can drive 400 miles at a mere $0.10/mile. So, Mr. Lutz, you’re telling me that the very, absolute best GM can come up with is a vehicle that gets $0.02/mile better than a $1,500, 13-year old Honda Civic? That’s supposed to convince me to embrace a transportation source that generates twice the green house gasses of gasoline? Two pennies? That means if I drive everywhere — and I mean, everywhere — say, 30,000 miles per year, the fabled Volt would save me $600 per year. And the Volt’s looking to be a $40K car. The Civic’s worth $1,500.
This car boggles my mind. Even more so that Detroit is proud of their efforts. Now, the 1.4-liter emergency gasoline engine that gets 40 mpg while charging the batteries — that’s impressive. Why don’t you turbo that thing and put in something that’s good looking and fun to drive. You know, instead of blowing millions in capital on a media-fed pipe dream. Just a thought.
Posted By: Zach Bowman |
Tags: 2010 Chevrolet Volt Chevrolet Civic Electric Car Electric Vehicle EV Honda Honda Civic Plug-in Hybrid Volt
Well, maybe the Volt is fast?
What’s the point of comparing a new car to an 13 year-old econobox that has no airbags, much less safety structure, and much less refinement? If sipping gas and economics were the only things that mattered, then everybody should be driving around in 3 cylinder Geo Metros.
You must understand that high-tech fuel saving cars are not going to make economic sense, at least not right away. Buying a Prius versus a Corolla will pay for itself in four to eight years. But as with any new technology, hybrid drivetrains will get cheaper and cheaper to the point where mass adoption may eventually happen. Someone buying a bleeding edge car like the Volt is more interested in the environmental statement (zero tailpipe emissions if your commute is < 40 miles) and novel drivetrain and high-tech looks.
Hey, I hear what you’re saying, but in the Civic’s defense, it’s a ‘94, not a ‘74. Dual front air bags and a safety rating good enough to garner a discount from the insurance company are all standard.
As for the nada tailpipe emissions–that’s a pretty hefty illusion. All that power has to come from somewhere, and in the Volt’s case it’s about as green as my Lincoln. It’d take a long, long time to make up the $40k you’d have to shell out for a Volt to be worth it.
I’m just saying that Detroit–and the rest of the makers out there–should be capable of something much, much better.