Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid priced at $40,000
By Joshua Fruhlinger 
posted June 19th 2008 1:35PM
posted June 19th 2008 1:35PM
[Via Autoblog]
posted June 19th 2008 1:35PM
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They do, they're called the Aveo and the Cobalt.
The idea is that they test out this technology in higher-end models before migrating it across their brands. There's already been talk of a plug-in Saturn. (And if we want to talk quality, GM has really improved over the last decade. My Saturn Vue has aged better than my first Civic...and cost just about the same, now that I think about it.)
And what most folks around here seem to miss that this isn't a hybrid like a Prius. It is, essentially, all-electric. The gas engine powers the battery, not directly to the wheels. It isn't like a hybrid Tahoe that'll let you go from 10mpg to 18 (wild-ass guess). I've never had a commute, both ways, longer than the 40 miles Volt claims.
This will start at 40,000 and become gradually cheaper. Within a decade (one hopes and pleads) your kids first car might be a plug-in Cobalt. Christ, how did I become a GM enthusiast? I heard Lutz on "Wait, Wait..." and he seemed so damned earnest, I bought it.
NOthing brings out da ha-tazz and the loonies and the misinformed know it alls more than a GM electric car post.
As far as the car itself, the price doesn't matter much, not until/if GM starts to mass produce the car. Remember, in 2010, GM has only committed to producing a very limited test production run. And it will be quite an achievement if they even manage to succeed to that degree.
For everyone that is calling this car too expensive, I have a questions for you...
How much per month are you currently spending on gas every month?
Factor that into your current car payments or car expense and how much is that $25,000 Civic really costing you?
$40,000 is a steal for this car, if you don't think so go to www.telsamotors.com and find out how much their electric car costs.
The problem is that if you compair it to buying a prius and bringing it to a shop and modding it into a plug in hybrid the volt comes out more expensive. Also what if toyota comes out with a plug in option on the next prius?
The thing is their are cheaper options out there.
As ugly as the Prius is I don't care how cheap it is.
As ugly as your mom is, I don't care how cheap she is.
LOL@phanbouy :D
40K makes this car unaffordable to me....and I wanted this car.
Dont giv a crap 'bout you gov'ment lousy subsides.
When I'm gonna trade in my Hummer it will be coz I found something bigger and possibly nastier.
Yeah.
That's it.
If i had 40,000 i would get a slightly used BMW M series instead
14 city 20 highway. I hope I never see you bitching about people driving SUVs.
happy penguin:
There are plenty of reasons to bitch about SUVs besides fuel economy.
Here's one: the premature deterioration of roads due to the obscene weight of SUVs. Everyone gets to pay for the selfishness of SUV owners.
SUV drivers buy more gas therefore they pay more tax so they are the people who are subsidizing road repairs. Besides, I seriously doubt they are causing most of the road damage since semi trucks are where the real damage comes from. And yes, they subsidize that by paying some of the highest vehicular related taxes of all.
"no really we'll be losing money"
"we're practically giving it away at that price"
"trust me"
"no really we'll be losing money"
"we're practically giving it away at that price"
"trust me"
The problem is....
Plug in hybrid is great, but this thing only gets around 60 MPG on the highway once the gas motor kicks on. And what about heat and air conditioning? I bet the 40 mile range drops to under 30 running ac. Why not just make a small car, the 1991 geo metro had 53/58 mileage. The only car to meet this was the Honda insight.
Taking the perspective of someone with a long commute, you're absolutely right.
However, I live 10 miles from where I work. Even a thirty mile range would get me there and back (conceivably) without kicking into gas power. If I charged it every night and drove it to do errands and go out to dinner on the weekend, it's even conceivable that the gas engine doesn't kick in but once or twice a week.
This all assumes, on my part, that the car preferentially uses the electric motor until it's nearly exhausted. I don't actually know.
I concur, for me I live 12 miles from work and the volt would be fine. However the point I was trying to make is that I think we should be able to do better.
Here's the biggest issue. I drive 12 miles to work, which is about 6000 miles a year for my commute. (5 days x 50 weeks x 24 miles round trip) So if gas is $5.00 a gallon and my vehilce gets 20 MPG thats $1500 a year in gas to get back and forth to work. (6000/20) = 300 gallons x $5.00 = $1500.
It going to take 10 years to make up the $15,000 price premium over a 20 mpg $25,000 car.
Again, I think we can do better.
IT'S NOT A HYBRID!!!
Am I alone in my peeve for the mis-use of the word hybrid? This call does not have a hybrid drive system. It is all electric motors. Yes, it has a gasoline generator but that does not equal hybrid.
Uh, yes it is. Look up serial hybrid.
IT IS a hybrid
From Webster's New Millennium™ Dictionary of English
Main Entry: hybrid car
Part of Speech: n
Definition: an automobile with more than one power source, such as an electric motor and internal combustion engine or an electric motor with battery and fuel cells for energy storage; also called hybrid vehicle
Why? Because it's not a Toyota? :rolleyes:
$40,000 for 40 miles per charge. Screw that, I'm holding out for a Triac, which starts shipping this month. http://www.autobloggreen.com/tag/Triac/
$40K for the Volt is rediculous! My wife bought a brand new Prius in 2006 with all features for $33k. The Volt will be the undoing of GM.
Don't forget guys plugin hybrid doesn't mean it runs on free energy. It will still cost you about $3 to charge the battery each night ( which takes 6 hours minimum ), and this only takes you for the first 40 Miles maximum. This car is a joke!
GM is not willing to do what it takes to be a true green company.
The Volt is obviously going to cost more than the Prius because it is a 'better' car. It is bigger, it makes more power, and uses smaller, and much more expensive, lithium ion batteries. Combine that with the fact this is a limited production run and 33k in 2006 dollars != 33k in 2010 dollars and the price difference makes perfect sense. I'd even go as far to say that this may actually be a better deal, not that I'd ever consider buying either car.
It's ok though, you love your Prius, I understand.
I wouldn't go so far as to call it a joke. Without doing any research, and assuming your numbers are true, it still sounds pretty sweet.
Three dollars for a full charge takes me forty miles. If I had a regular-ass car that could go forty miles a gallon, that gallon of gasoline would have cost me a lot more than three dollars. If I had a car that could go 40 miles on three gallons of gas, that car would be called a motorcycle - or at least be half the size of the Volt.
More or less...
"GM is not willing to do what it takes to be a true green company. "
Yeah, unlike Toyota the manufactured of your beloved prius right?
Hmm thats quite expensive...wonder what the plug-in prius will cost? Or how the volt will stand up to the possible Tesla $20k econo car that is supposedly in the works. Either way w00t for electric vehicles...simply the best way to power a car...you can make the electricity anyway you please, gas, coal, nuclear, solar, whale oil, backyard trash fires...either way it will make your car go! ...now we just need some better batterys...i suppose those are in the works though.
Volt has 8kW of usable (chargeable) capacity.
U.S. average is $0.10/kWh
That's nowhere near $3 to charge the Volt.
Turcu Ciprian: damn, dude. Learn how to spell!
Virtually, i think, nobody is going probably buy this car when it comes out in 2010. $40,000? The US economy isn't doing very well. Who knows how its going to look in the next 2 years.
If they don't fix the econ and with inflation rate as of now, by 2010, $40K will be = $30K now.
You guys are all a buncha losers. Just because the title of this post is "Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid priced at 40,000" doesn't mean you have to criticize GM for this fact. The big idea is that this type of product will even be coming to market! Honestly folks. Realize that perhaps this development maybe, just maybe, stimulate some competition with even more eco-friendly capabilities as well as a more pocket-friendly price tag.
Only one thing to nitpick - and this goes to all auto manufacturers out there - stop making eco-friendly vehicles so butt-ugly.
I smile at all you 10-mile 40mph commuters. I myself live in San Diego, and commute exactly 30 miles each way, on Southern California freeways, every day.
Most electric vehicle proposals will go 30 miles (assuming I can plug in at work). But most of the proposals will not go 85mph for 30 miles, which is pretty much required, or you get run over, at times.
I myself ride a 650cc motorcycle to work. I can go nearly 100mph if I have to, I can out-accelerate and out-brake nearly anything on the road, and get 45mpg doing it, and I can lane split when the traffic bunches up.
The bike cost me just over $3000, used. It's even way cheap to insure.
Put that in your $40K Detroit hybrid pipe and smoke it.
I save the car (a Toyota Matrix) to cart the family around, go to the grocery store, and such.
AMEN MAN! fucking brilliant! LOL
Exactly, I myself also ride motorcycle, but 1000cc, and still get over 40mpg, paid $8,000 for mine brand new. I put almost 12,000 a year on the bike and only 6-7000 on my full size crew 4x4. Motorcycles and scooters are the cheapest and best alternative if your just wanting to save money at the pump, and I for one would love to see more of them on the road.
Well la-ti-da, aren't you special.
Your situation is different, so therefore everyone else's argument is invalid. That said, the Volt should go over 85mph. And, if you can charge at work, you'd likely beat 45 mpg.
Yes, you can weave through traffic. I'll be sure to wave as I pass your smeared carcass.
>Yes, you can weave through traffic. I'll be sure to wave as I pass your smeared carcass.
1. Lane splitting is not weaving through traffic. In fact, it's considerably safer (by actual real research--see Harry Hurt) than sitting in traffic and trying to enforce your space against deaf, blind, and stupid SUV drivers. And Saturn Vue drivers.
It also helps YOU by reducing traffic congestion. One less car, as they say.
2. I have been riding Southern California freeways on a motorcycle most all my life. I'm not a smeared carcass, and don't intend to become one. But it's really sweet of you to suggest it.
damn there goes my 2010 car purchase right out the window:(
It all depends on the price point of the 2010 Toyota Prius, which is slated to be a plug-in hybrid as well.
Frankly, who the hell associates the word "quality" with "Chevrolet?" Their biggest problem (even bigger than the $40k price tag) is that this car is a Chevy.
BobTurbo -1
Kev +1
Bob
Kev made a decent point, and you look like you need to turn fox news back on. Socialist aspects are in every democracy to some extent, and hundreds of millions of people benefit from them everyday (even if they dont accept them as socialism). Not trying to start a political discussion just thought you were being a bit too 'bill o'reilly' for friday morning.
I love this comment system.
Back to the Volt / Prius talk everyone :)
The REAL reason energy prices are going up. As we move away from oil, electricity will be the new king and we're gonna pay through the nose for it to power our pricey new electric cars.
The average wage of a non-union employee at Toyota's plant in Georgetown, Kentucky is $26 an hour.
That is the wage, the pro-union fellow suggested is minimum wage, and requires a person to work 3 jobs.
In point of fact, the cost of living in Kentucky is quite low, and most workers at the plant work only one job.
Well, at least GM is going for it. We all know that major corporations all go where the money for shareholders lie. So "good for the environment" isnt at the top of their list. As someone who CAN afford 40K, and is looking to buy in the next 2-3 years, this car is #1 on my list.
Yes, i know its a shock, but those of us who do purchase $40K DO care about the environment, DONT like paying $4 a gallon, and HATE the fact that our great country is so dependent on foreign governments.
Additionally, once this car does well, it will open the door to more modest cars being produced at a lower price point. I know this is a stretch, but it is basic formula for car purchasing...as we Americans purchase based on "emotion" and not "reason" (myself included), if a hot, sexy car is given status, then everyone wants to drive one...therefore, create that with your first one....when someone is seen as successful driving a volt, the lesser expensive version is then seen as "close to cool" (i.e. BMW 3 series vs. the BMW 5 series).
C'mon people - educate yourselves....making this country great again starts with OUR attitudes and behaviors....there is no "MAN" trying to keep you down...that is all part of the great "surveillance theory"...the MAN is in each of our heads!
John
Austin, Texas
The price...Once again, this proves to me that that the car mfg's are in bed with the oil companies and have no real intention of offering an efficient vehicle to the US public at an affordable price.