Quote:
Originally Posted by TexasSP
I am all for the idea of electric cars. Obviously I understand the many benefits. So I see Chevy is pursuing the volt on schedule according to them and claiming MPG at 230. That I don't get from a pure electric car.
So what I really want to know is what is the actual cost of ownership going to be?
What will be it's distance at X average speed you will get per charge?
What will be the size of the batteries which will answer the question of how many watts to fill up the batteries?
What is the fuel burn on oil and/or coal burning plants to achieve the required wattage to recharge the batteries?
What will be the battery cycle life?
How much are new batteries going to cost?
Etcetera etcetera....
I really think this needs to be looked at deeply across the whole to determine if it really us a better alternative. Right now as great as hybrid technology is, the real cost of ownership appears to be as much and in some cases much higher than their pure gas counterparts.
Anyway just some ideas to think about.
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THe report actually had a lot of the data you were asking about. The Volt is actually a hybrid - the electric is good for about 40 miles before "a small I.C.E. motor kicks in" then it has a range of 300 miles.
I was thinking as I read it that the EPA needs to have them also publish KWH cost of ownership just like they do on appliances. It will definitly cost some bucks to charge these things every night. They gave an estimate of charging cost, but I'd need to see that in KWH to know what my cost would be. Its really just a commuter car - nothing you'd want to drive across country.
I'm interested in what "they" are going to come up with for farm tractors, semi's, and such. Maybe a micro scale version of a train diesel powered generator system???