Averaging almost 300 miles per gallon, I’ll put our new car up against any other in the world for fuel efficiency. We have been producing our own electrical power for over two years, with 10 kilowatts of solar panels (650 sf) on the roof of our beach house. When the engine froze on our classic Mercedes coupe in the summer of 2013, we had an excess of 1,250 kilowatt hours (about a months worth of use) in our Progress Energy account. When we learned that the utility would pay us for excess power on January 1 at only 20% of what it costs, we seriously started looking at electric cars. We loved the idea of driving on solar power, but did not want to be limited by the battery. What car(s) at the time could be plugged in, yet run on fossil fuel if necessary?
Believe it or not, there was only one. The Chevrolet Volt.
There were already plenty of hybrids on the market, Toyota Prius being the most established. Other than the cost for a new battery after 7 or so years, Prius drivers were very satisfied with their cars. Dealers were touting a new “plug-in option” for 2014. Still, it cost $10,000 for the privilege and estimated only 14 miles on battery, compared to the Volt’s 40 miles. That made me feel a lot better about the Volt’s $40,000 price tag. (Lowered to $35,000 in 2014) When comparing to non-electric models, there’s also a $7,500 federal tax credit to consider.
Quite a change from the 2nd or 3rd hand German cars we’d been used to driving, the Volt was the first brand new car we’ve called our own in 40 years. We were impressed by its advanced array of efficiency, technology and safety features.
– Lithium-ion battery with rechargeable energy storage system
– Award-winning Voltec® electric drive plus a 1.4L gas-powered range extender
– 7-inch LCD instrumentation with Driver Information Center
– ChevroletMyLink™with 7-inch diagonal color touch-screen
– StabiliTrak® Electronic Stability Control System
– Keyless Access with Push-Button Start
– Remote vehicle starter system
– OnStar®Directions & Connections for 3 years
– OnStar RemoteLink™ Key Fob Services mobile app for five years
– SiriusXM Satellite Radio with three trial months
– Four-wheel ABS
– 8 airbags
The test drive proved the car was extremely quiet, had plenty of pep, excellent handling & responsiveness, and the feeling of driving without burning fossil fuel somehow felt like it lifted the burden of our “carbon footprint” right off of our shoulders.
We decided to lease, for 39 months at 10,000 miles per year paying $2K down and 39 – $353 monthly payments. It came with a 100% bumper-to-bumper warranty for 36 months, and 100,000 mile warranty on the battery and drive train. In 17 months, we have driven it 12,000 miles and burned less than 40 gallons of ethanol-free, high-test gasoline. The car switches flawlessly from battery power to gasoline generator after about 40 miles when the battery reaches half it’s capacity. It has not had to visit the dealer even once. According to the car itself, we still have 31% of the oil life remaining.
While General Motors is under fire for the ignition switch fiasco on many of its other models, so far, we feel they need to be commended on the great job they have done on the design & assembly of this fun, economical Eco-smart green car. We are sure we’ll see many more on the road in the future.
I get asked quite a bit how the Volt affects the electric bill. The answer is less than $2 for 40 miles. So, if you drain the battery every day, it could add maximum of $60, plus taxes to a monthly power bill to take you 1,200 miles a month without visiting a gas station.
For more information, visit www.chevrolet.com, stop into your closest dealer, or call Wayne Culver at Maher Chevrolet. 727-328-5112 now, while the 2014 clearance event is under way. Tell them Paradise NEWS sent you.
Story by Peter A. Roos