cost of ownership for the chevy volt

[Frank Lee]

This discussion has gotten nearly as stupid as the original "news story".

Makes me wish I had a Volt; it would be worth it to drive to ecomodded's place and have a 190 mile race with him on his bike. I'd call up Faux Noise so they could be there and follow the story.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by rollercoaster

The volt seems more appropriate to a local commute rather than a long distance one. This way you mostly run on the electric.

That needs to be one's profile in order to make the concept work.

Pretty short distances that can be done mostly, if not solely, on electric power and an occasional longer trip.

[Ryland]

Originally Posted by euromodder

That needs to be one's profile in order to make the concept work.

Pretty short distances that can be done mostly, if not solely, on electric power and an occasional longer trip.

At what point does having the first 35 miles of your driving for the day be on 100% electric only fit a small set of people? if you drive 100 miles per day then you are still only driving 65 miles per day using gasoline!

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by pete c

And yes, the TdF guys can ride 25 mph avg. But, remember they are not riding solo and they are simply not human!

Yeah, I'd forgotten about the peloton, since almost all of my riding has been solo. Per Wikipedia, riders in the middle of the pack can see a 40% drop in drag: Peloton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Marc F.]

I drove one today, I am used to feathering a thottle and saving fuel, I figure the writer stood on it. I can see the average driver not liking a Volt, its not a powerhouse.

Its one of those things that people mostly either love or hate. I wrote my impressions of the car and posted them on the "stopped production thread".

I havent decided firmly to buy one, but I liked the car. Its a contender.

[jakobnev]

Marc F. -

Would you say it was more comfortable than a bicycle? Do you think, for example, that the windshield would keep rain off your face?

[Marc F.]

Bicycle - A personal (very personal in some areas) torture device. (*MMD)

I have 2 of them, I would like a tadpole recumbent. None of those would be practical for getting to and from work. Trying to relate them to the Volt is stupid.

But to answer your question, yes it is MUCH more comfortable than a bike. Lack of rain in your face is a bonus and I'm not related to Lance.


* defined according to Marc's Mental Dictionary

[ecomodded]

Originally Posted by pete c

If you can maintain 22 mph on a mtb, you are in damn good shape, IMO. 22 mph on a roadie requires being in what I would categorize as good shape.

And yes, the TdF guys can ride 25 mph avg. But, remember they are not riding solo and they are simply not human!

My mountain bike weighs 20 pounds has all titanium nuts bolts carbon fiber handle bars and carbon fiber front suspension forks, tires are 1 inch wide and and are rated for 100 lbs air pressure which i do keep them at. I rode racing 10-12 speeds since i was 15 so my mountain bike is built with road riding in mind, I switch tires when I am doing hard core type cross-country rides.My mtb hauls ass on one down hill run I hit 58 mph That time i was unable to use the brakes and had to just ride it out. hitting the brakes would of meant death, I was coming down a massive hill on a hard packed logging road. made me feel like i was 16 again, as we used to do this sort of thing on our racing bikes as teenagers.
I am currently making a even more road worthy mtb, with a Quintana Roo frame and carbon fiber 56 tooth cranks carbon fiber mtb handle bars with carbon fiber bar ends and seat post and a carbon fiber solid front fork. It will be my road bike and my rocky mountain will be my trail bike after that.
And Frank you would lose by a landslide.
In just five hours of ride time i would cover over 100 miles.. the Volt would be on its first 30 to 50 miles

[ecomodded]

I want to show you my mtb with its tires which roll like nobody's business and as you can see are completely smooth.

[cfg83]

Frank -

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

This discussion has gotten nearly as stupid as the original "news story".

...

Yeah, I know what you mean. I posted the earlier article to point out the *design* *intent* of the Volt, aka the "40 mile a day" commuter. I don't care about the rest of the article.

The Volt is definitely an oddball. If you want to dog it, point out it's shortcomings outside of it's operating range. If you want to extol it, point out it's performance as it was intended to be used.

Maybe the following is a fair beef. The closest thing to the Volt in the real world is the plug-in Prius :



The distinction here is that you maintain Prius MPG at the cost of electric range. The plug-in Prius (PIP) will get you 13 miles in EV-Only mode. That tells me that a consumer that wants a plug-in will be smart to choose the "PIP" if their commute is under 13 miles and the Volt if it is between 14 miles and 40 miles. Above 40 miles becomes a calculation.

CarloSW2