I recently had the opportunity to test drive the Chevy Volt as part of Drive for Innovation, a partnership between UBM Electronics, the parent company of Design News, and Avnet Express. During the test drive, EE Times' editorial director, Brian Fuller, asked what it would take for me personally to buy a Volt. I talk about that in the video below.
Source: General Motors.
It's a good question. The short answer, though, is pretty simple: money. The Volt's MSRP is $40,280, which is high, at least for my pocketbook. If you subtract the $7,500 tax credit, it comes to $32,780, which is still about $7,000 more than the base price of a Nissan Leaf.
For me, though, the money issue is also inextricably tied to another matter: all-electric range. At first glance, that might seem like an odd statement, since the Volt has a gasoline backup and an overall range (electric and gasoline) of more than 340 miles. But, right now, I own two cars with more than 150,000 miles on them.
My annual mileage clocks in at well over 30,000 per year, with a high percentage of my trips exceeding the Volt's 40-mile all-electric range. For me, the $12,000 penalty imposed by the Volt's 16kWh battery doesn't make sense, since so much of my time is spent well beyond the all-electric range. In much of my driving, I'd be lugging around a depleted, 400-pound battery that would actually cut my fuel efficiency.
That driving profile is unusual, of course. But Fuller's question raises some valid issues: If you buy an electric, does it become your first car or your second? If it's a second car, is the price within your means? Finally, what driver profiles are well-suited to the Volt's capabilities?
If you want to learn more about the Volt, we recommend you go to the Drive for Innovation site and follow Fuller's cross-country Volt journey. On his trip, sponsored by Avnet Express, Fuller is taking the fire engine red Volt to innovation hubs across America, interviewing engineers, entrepreneurs, innovators, and students as he blogs his way across the country.
In the meantime, let us know what you think: What would it take to make you buy a Volt?
What happened to the electric vehicle that has a turbine that burns most any combustible fuel. Runs a ac generator which has a hermetically sealed dc converter (rosin motors). Last i heard 104mpg. in any climate or atmosphere (1.5k). and will retrofit into most vehicle type's.
Yes I would to own one too! I have been lucky enough to have been able to drive several iterations during its development. Even in the early prototype vehicle it was one of the most solid development cars I had driven in my 20+ years in automovite development. The final production cars are testomony to the leadership at higher levels all the way to the ground level of GM. The center of gravity on the car thanks to it low slung batteries made it as nimble as the covettes I had driven in the past. The acceleration was not viper like but was enjoyable when paired with the quiet of the electric motor.
The cost is a bit high but there are many reasons for this. Take the systems that are in charge of pre cycling of the glycol to keep the battery warm in the winter and cool in the arid heat of summer. They are an expensive engineering feat in themselves. Pair that to the system that allows you to continue on when the battery is discharged. You are now running two cars in one.
I look at it like this. The steam locomotive was likely less cost than a diesel/electric when the latter was first introduced. But if were not for the purchasing of the first diesels there would still be smoke stacks puffing on the rails today.
In my household, we don't have the concept of first car or second car. I have my car and my wife has her car. When we take a long trip, we frequently don't decide which car to take until the last minute. I want a car that can go at least 400-500 miles between fill-ups. And I don't want to pay an arm or leg to buy it.
In fact, I'm the kind of guy the auto manufacturers hate. I never buy car when its new. Only used.
This is the most exciting new product that GM has produced since the Buick Grand National. It is really the ONLY GM product that I would credibly consider for a new car. That being said, when looking for a new car (2 years from now) I'd prefer a Toyota, Hyundai, or Honda version. Just based on my experience with all of these brands.
My daily commute to work is 7 miles one way, so I could easily drive a Chevy Volt for 2 to 3 days before recharging, but I will not buy one at any price. In fact, I will not buy any GM car again. Two years after I bought my Chevy Corsica, it was discontinued. 4 years after I bought my Saturn, it was ..... discontinued. Wonder how long they will manufacture the Volt before they discontinue that.
At that price? No. Also, in much of the USA, the more "plug in" your car, the more of a coal/NG/nuclear car you are driving. ~64% of your electric mix. Think of an EV as a coal powered car with a magic NIMBY exhaust system.
No - I want the electric part enhanced for additional range and reduced complexity. A single engine, battery powered vehicle should be simple and reliable for 90% of the the trips I make. So for total miles this electric vehicle will become the primary car for driving. With range extending charging infrastructure, the anxiety over where can I drive to will reduce as the ability to recharge is increased. I see a number of comments on cold anxiety - when the vehicle is plugged in it can be warmed with AC electricity for both the cabin and the battery. And when you reach your destination, a hitching post would provide the same function.
Tesla Motors plans to roll out a “compelling, affordable electric car” that will sell for about half the price of its high-profile Model S by the end of 2016, company chairman Elon Musk said last week.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
1 
