Electric cars are just a bandaid for the problem. To be completely successful, a vehicle must have a unrefueled range of at least 350 miles and refueling must be readily available and take no more than 5 - 10 minutes. The Volt does not really fulfill these requirements because after only 30 miles or so, you may as well be driving a standard gasoline powered car. My money is on fuel cells in the long run.
The Chevy Yolt does not make sense at this time. Especiaally at 40 grand + for the cost. The range it has makes it non-functional for 80% of the American public. It is another result of a government gone crazy with global warming. I have worked within the electric car industry and can tell you that battery technology limitations make this car and those like it, a bust. Battery technology must make a giant leap forward to make any electric car feasible in todays world. Intenal combustion engines of today burn gasoline more efficiently, ergo the vanishing local emmissions testing stations around the country. Don't fall for this push from government, They want cars that are efficient past logic, and are pushing automotive manufacturers to make "greener" cars. With that comes many more deaths from a lighter car. Complete nonsense.
Spoken as someone who sells Volkswagons or Oil. The assumptions here about electric cars are not well thought out, and obviously predjudiced by either stock in Volkswagon or stock in oil. Electric cars make a lot of sense, and the energy density of batteries has improved to the point of sensable electric cars. To say that they have no use is simply not true. To say the range is an issue is simply not true for most Americans, who commute on the average of 30 minutes a day. Some longer, some shorter. This relates to a distance of about 15 miles each way. Electric cars have more than enough power to make many people's commutes to and from work.
Spoken as someone who sells Volkswagons or Oil. The assumptions here about electric cars are not well thought out, and obviously predjudiced by either stock in Volkswagon or stock in oil. Electric cars make a lot of sense, and the energy density of batteries has improved to the point of sensable electric cars. To say that they have no use is simply not true. To say the range is an issue is simply not true for most Americans, who commute on the average of 30 minutes a day. Some longer, some shorter. This relates to a distance of about 15 miles each way. Electric cars have more than enough power to make many people's commutes to and from work.
EV technology is too much of a work-in-progress for me. It will be many years before I will have sufficient confidence in that technology to invest multi-kilodollars in the purchase of a Chevy Volt or any other such vehicle.
If it were not for the price, I would buy the Volt - mainly to avoid going to the gas station so frequently. The Volt can charge itself, from the onboard ICE, or plug into a standard outlet. Add to that the extended range of the beforementioned onboard charging system and this becomes a primary commuter. The Leaf, Tesla, and other pure electrics are limited to the recharge availability and we will see how long the battery life is in extreme heater/AC zones or areas of extreme terrain. I originally thought that the Volt ICE was oversized for extended power production, but discussions with an engineer who had worked on the project outlined how the powerplant was sized to handle high altitude mountain driving with full GVW.
AMPERE would unlikely be marketed by Plymouth. First is that Plymouth is no longer. And second even if they were still around the legal department would never try to win the copyright case over the similarity of AMPERA which is the OPEL model
No I would not buy Chevy Volt or any electric car. Electric cars are nonsense at this time.
I would (and will) buy Volkswagen Golf Diesel.
VW Golf Diesel has better mileage, it is much more reliable, it is faster, it will make 400K miles without any problems, it is half the price, it is of significantly higher quality that any Chevrolet, it has better re-sale value, even with Diesel fuel gauged prices it is cheaper to drive, and so on and on.
60% of all cars in Germany are Diesel and these guys know what are they doing.
At this time, until energy density of the battery is increased (battery 140 gasoline 12,000) which will never happen, until batteries becomes extra light, which will never hapen, there is no common sense to by any electric car. All these Teslas, Volts, Leafs, Fiskers will go bankrupt.
Simply electric car technology is not there yet and probably will never match Diesel or gasoline powered car.
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