Hot Georgia, the cost difference is not nearly what you think it is...I am getting 30-35 miles to a charge in winter, 40-52 in summer...the cost of a charge here is $0.75...I bought mine in mid December 11, I have used 5.6 gallons of gas in the last 5 months...yes, I still have nearly 1/2 of the tank of gas the car came with....or about 515 mpg http://www.voltstats.net/Stats/Details/453 for my numbers....all this in a fairly cold climate.
But, here is the bottom line, this car is smooth, quiet and powerful, there is no vibration, you do not have to worry about accelerating to quickly and burning too much gas...I don't have the feeling that I will get stuck if I have to accelerate at the top of a hill like I did with my Honda....I am operating at slightly more than 94% electric...
As for cost, how does a BMW, Audi or Mercedes Benz "pencil out" people choose cars other than the most crude base model everyday, no one questons them...drive a Volt, it does not take a long drive to have you reaching for your checkbook...

 

Bob, great to hear. I don't know why so many people believe the Volt is supposed to be some rattle trap econo box like a mid 80s Civic! For me it has TOO many high end features, gadgets, buttons and the like. Frankly they intimidate me. Cool but intimidating.

If people actually drove one before throwing stones, they would see that you need to spend well over $35k on ANYbody elses car like a BMW, Audi, or Benz to get the same features. And that would be if it was a "dressed up" regular Cruze. Then you have stellar electric performance and low cost to operate.

While I have lots of respect for Honda, they have nothing like this.

Enjoy!

 

can you actually do away with a charging station with the volt? It is not a leaf that is tethered to the home charger. I have a 240v source from my home drier, I guess I just need a volt to plug it in

 

I have had the opportunity to try a few Volts. I have looked into the cost of having all the permits, inspections by township and electric provider, and the install by licensed electrician.

I will stick with the 120V plug into the wall and plan my trips be.tter

 

I have to agree, they want way too much for the 240, I have a new house with an exposed electric pannel in the un-drywalled garage...they wanted $1300 to install it...this is 5 minutes to put in a 240 breaker, 2 ft of wire, 3 screws and done...charger 490, breaker 25, wire 10, permit 60...so $715 for 30 minutes MAYBE labor...I passed, the 120 is suiting my needs just fine.

 

Can you point to anyone (you say there are so many) who has said or hinted that a Volt is supposed to be a "rattle trap" or like a Civic produced 30 years ago?
If you refer to my post, I never suggested that a Volt is supposed to be like a Civic... certainly not one 30 years old. I understand after the followups that the Volt is marketed to a more luxury purchaser.

Back to the Volt's efficiency.
I was wondering how far people are driving on battery over a month's time and specifically how does that usage reflect on your electric bill? Saying it gets 500MPG isn't the full accounting of efficency and it isn't accurate information to base an economic calculation on. A chunk of that is part of your utility.

For example if one can estimate 1500 miles in EV and they pay an additional $300 in utility that figure would be more useful to calculate savings of petro versus electric.

 

Hot Georgia you brought in the Civic as a Volt comparison and you have ignored posts above on how far and for what cost Volt owners are getting. Bob says he charges for $0.75. Looking at his winter versus summer info as posted I will average it to his extremes of 30 and 50 miles.

So 40 miles for 75 cents becomes $1.88 per 100 miles or $28.13 for your hypothetical 1500 miles.

My electric is much more almost twice Bobs. It costs me about $1.55 for the full charge. Bob must be paying under 9 cents per kWhr.

1500 miles electric per month for me will add almost $60 per month to my bill.

So in NO way is it anywhere near $300 per month. If you can get 74 from HCH you could squeeze over 50 miles on a single charge in a Volt.

 

I thought I spelled out my cost to drive pretty clearly, did you read my post?
I am getting 30 to 35 miles per charge in winter.
I am getting 40-52 miles per charge in summer.
Electricity in my area costs about 7 cents per kwh (.07) the rate varies based on the amout of power used. Where I live the power is clean using Hydro, wind and solar....we only use coal in an emergency.
I am using about 1 gallon of gas per month avg, more in the winter when the generator comes on below 26 degrees, less when it is above 26 degrees because my average daily drive is less than the maximum range.
In the last 60 days I have used .03 gallons of gas because I drove slightly more than 50 miles on one charge.
It is impossible to say my electric bill has gone up X $ per month as it is such a small amount it has been lost in regular usage, for instance, my bill went down $10 over this same period (when I did not have the car) last year.
According to OnStar, I am using 29 kwh per 100 miles since I bought the car (29X15X.07=30.45 per 1500 miles).
I am running 95% electric.
I have used 5.6 gallons of gas in 5 months.
The sad part is you are coming off just like the nay sayers that were saying hybrids were not viable, then you tried to prove them wrong...
I do not care what the nay sayers say, I bought this car for many reasons...I was frankly tired of the quality of the Honda, the attitude of the dealers and the general lack of respect shown by Honda if I tried using HOA to solve issues.

I have to admit, I was not happy with the sales aspect on the Volt, frankly the dealers came accross as overly willing to gouge and play games, once I did manage to obtain a Volt, everything has been first class....maybe the car should have been branded a caddy because Chevy is a lower end car...of course people have no issue coughing up 50K for a Camaro or 100K for a Corvette...but they are fast so it is ok?????
Drive a Volt, I dare you...you will not remain a cinic.

 

Thank you for the information Bob.
My power rates average to be about 0.06/kwh over the summer and winter rates. Assuming the Volt's metering system is accurate with 29kwh/100 miles it would cost me around $6 for the trip (If the Volt went 100 miles per charge).

I commute 100 miles every working day so the 100 miles is relevant to me. The trip in gasoline alone is costing me about $6.50/day so I'd see a little savings. I am aware the Volt won't take me the 100 miles in EV.

I understand through this thread and the owners of the Volt that the attraction is a nice luxury vehicle and not fuel savings. There's nothing wrong with that. It's just a specific market as there are many different marketing targets.

Undersand it's not generally known that the Volt is marketed to the luxury market hence the Chevrolet brand. Most people assume the Volt is made for fuel savings. I was one of the typical masses who hears rumors which prompted my questions here. I think it would be good if more people were asking honest questions about it to the people who actually own one rather than believing (and possibly spreding misconceptions) things heard by here-say. That is why I mentioned the Civic, a well known efficient vehicle.
My questions aren't to ridicule but to gain knowledge.

The next time I hear a conversation complaining "I could get two Corolla's for the price of a Volt" I'll know how to respond. Thanks for the informaion.

Me? I am not in the luxury car market so it doesn't appeal to me. That should be ok, too. They don't make 30 year old rickety Civics anymore.

 

Actually Steve, I truly respect that not every car is for every person and respect your desire to drive the car you like.
Just wanted to point out one thing...@29kwh per 100 miles, and $.06 a kwh it would cost $1.74 to go 100 miles, if you were able to squeeze 50 miles out of a charge and recharge at work (probably for free) that trip would cost as little as $.87. If you drove 45 miles each way on a charge and the generator powered you for 5, it would cost a little more. I suspect with your mileage history you could squeeze much better mileage out of the Volt than anyone but, yes, in your worse case noted above you would only save about .50-1.00 per day. But the reality is that the Volt is intended for the bulk of people who drive 30-40 miles a day or can recharge during the day...I am in the target market, you aren't....The Prius plug in is probably a better fit for people who drive more miles and cant recharge.