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"The Volt is going to be a major success. Live with it."

And we have a winner for Most Unintentionally Hilarious Assertion of the Day. The primary problem (though there are many) with the Volt is the same one that hybrids suffer from: It is impossible to offset the much higher initial capital cost with lower gasoline costs before the car wears out.

It has been amazing to watch people foolishly pay a premium of $10,000 - $15,000 for something like a Prius (versus a comparable non-hybrid car) because they think they are going to save so much money on gas. They get positively giddy about it. Yet, the reality is that at best, at today's $4.00 per gallon prices, they probably only save on average about $700 per year on gas. So divide $10,000 (taking the lower of the range) by $700 and you can see that it would take over 14 YEARS just to break even! Assume the higher cost differential of $15,000 and it would take over 21 years before the Prius owner started to see a benefit. That just makes no rational sense.

Yet, the economics of the Volt are much worse! And that's before you even take into account the fact that the extremely expensive battery pack has a limited life, which means that there will be virtually no used-car market for Volts. Who in their right mind would pay an inflated price for a used electric car, with a battery whose remaining lifetime would be difficult to determine, and which to replace would cost at least $8,000 and as much as $15,000 (GM has yet to give a definitive cost estimate)? Yep, I guess you're right - It's got major success just written all over it. /s

“Who in their right mind would pay an inflated price for a used electric car, with a battery whose remaining lifetime would be difficult to determine, and which to replace would cost at least $8,000 and as much as $15,000”

Reminds me of considering buying a used Dewalt cordless drill. The replacement batteries cost far more than the bare drill, and the Dewalt batteries are total junk. Never again will I buy a Dewalt cordless product. Going back to Makita. I’ve got cordless Makita drills I’ve had for decades and only had to replace the batteries once.

Some random thoughts on your post:

I suppose you think that the Wright Brothers could have started off with a 747? You will never get to a viable alternative to ICE automobiles by never trying anything. Is the ICE engine going to be the prime mover for personnel transportation forever until the end of time? If not, then what do you suppose will replace it?

Not every car purchased is done so by strict economic analysis. If that were the case, the Porsche Motor Company would not exist.

The people who buy a Prius are typically those with very long commutes. I know a few of these folks who commute long distances. Yes, they might have saved a few bucks in the long term IF they had bought a 4-Banger like a Corolla. I've mentioned this to these people and they are emphatic on saving the max they can on gasoline. One said to me, he's interested in using as little Oil as possible and he wants the country to stop spending so much for imported Oil produced by nations who sponsor terrorism.

The economic viability of the Volt is dependent on keeping the cost of electricity down to reasonable levels. From an economic standpoint, the analysis of cost savings is dependent upon the price of electricity and the price of oil. But many people are sick to death about the price of gasoline and oil. They will spend a little more long term not to use oil. Maybe it's psychological, but they would rather spend more if the money stays in the US and doesn't go to OPEC.

If you were King, what would your policy with regards to energy and transportation fuels. Would you just drill and drill (BTW I'm completely in favor of maximum drilling) or use synthetics or just what? I'm also interested to hear what alternatives those who oppose the Volt (or any electric) would suggest.

I'm really not interested in your opinions as regards to GM bashing over the bailout. I've heard enough about that. BTW, I was not in favor of the bailout as it was implemented.