Saturday, May 17, 2014

Is Volt an angel or a devil?



Financially Volt is a disaster but it serves as a compliance car. It drove GM to the brink of bankruptcy – thanks to Chinese for saving GM. Without Volt, the investors of the new GM could make more money. The current owners of Volt do not have good resale values.

Estimate how many miles you drive in a year to calculate how much money you save in gasoline. Most likely it will not pay back the extra investment / maintenance (two drive trains until we have a pure electric car) / reliability, the extra electricity bills, the inconvenience of charging (your time as a Volt owner must be more expensive than the time of a Corolla driver), finding a qualified mechanic (except from the dealer who will charge you a bundle), the tickets for driving too slowly, the increased chance of hitting something due to no warning sound...

Why folks buy it besides the rebates from the government (at least at one time)? It is the same folks camping in line to buy the new iPhone to replace the ones they bought several months ago except of the age difference of iPhone owners and Volt owners. Don't tell me the iPhone would improve the productivity after they have wasted one night camping in the cold.

They want to be the first one in their town to own a Volt and show the world they're green conscious (that is debatable). The obsolete battery is not bio degradable and will harm the environment. I also wonder how often you need to replace the battery. It boosts their social standing and 'prestige' for some. It is not for me even if I had the money. Well, it could save them money by visiting a psychiatrist to boost their ego and most likely a prostitute could do a better job for less. J

There are a very small number of folks buying the car for the good of the environment. It is debatable as I said before. There is no convincing figure that it will reduce carbon dioxide emission significantly even when 80% of all cars are electric. However, I have to thank the first wave of electric car owners and the government rebates. Without them, we will never have a truly usable and affordable electric car in the future.

The battery technology is evolving and M.I.T. has a very promising technology. It may take at least 10 years for M.I.T. folks to deliver the next breakthrough from a research project to a commercial product. Until they prove the battery is 100% safe, you’re advised to take the extra insurance among a list of options. J

I’m very absent minded. Many days I may have to call my boss that I cannot come to work as I forget to charge or I may drive the car with the charger on that could do some harm to the car, the charger or the house (hopefully it would not burn it down).

I also wonder how long it takes to drive an electric or a hybrid car from Boston to Washington, D.C. (including the time to recharge) for my family vacation. It could be a nightmare just planning where and when to find a charger.

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