Posted on 02/21/2012 7:18:55 AM PST by SoFloFreeper
Every once in a while I come across an article that sheds light on what a boondoggle the green initiatives of the Obama Administration are. The latest evidence comes as General Motors tries to prove high consumer demand for the Chevy Volt as it tries to meet its goalof 10,000 vehicles sold in 2011. The Orlando Sentinel reports that the town of DeLand, FL is buying five Chevy Volts. That is not the disturbing part of the story. The article reports that the town is using taxpayer money it has received from a $1.2 million federal grant that is earmarked partially to help with the purchase of alternative-fuel vehicles and other energy-efficient upgrades, including electrical chargingstations at City Hall. From the information I gathered on DeLand, it has a population of about 25,000 people.
(Excerpt) Read more at nlpc.org ...
Twice the price for half the performance and 5 times the operating cost.
Battery is good for only 25 miles and requires a 10 hour recharge.
Electricity cost is about $18.50 or 74 cents/mile.
But it fits the Liberal values = Symbolism over Substance
Cost to operate a Chevy Volt
Eric Bolling (Fox Business Channel’s Follow the Money) test drove the Chevy Volt at the invitation of General Motors.
For four days in a row, the fully charged battery lasted only 25 miles before the Volt switched to the reserve gasoline engine.
Eric calculated the car got 30 mpg including the 25 miles it ran on the battery. So, the range including the 9 gallon gas tank and the 16 kwh batery is approximately 270 miles. It will take you 4 1/2 hours to drive 270 miles at 60 mph. Then add 10 hours to charge the battery and you have a total trip time of 14.5 hours. In a typical road trip your average speed (including charging time) would be 20 mph.
According to General Motors, the Volt battery hold 16 kwh of electricity. It takes a full 10 hours to charge a drained battery.
The cost for the electricity to charge the Volt is never mentioned so I looked up what I pay for electricity.
I pay approximately (it varies with amount used and the seasons) $1.16 per kwh.
16 kwh x $1.16 per kwh = $18.56 to charge the battery.
$18.56 per charge divided by 25 miles = $0.74 per mile to operate the Volt using the battery.
Compare this to a similar size car with a gasoline engine only that gets 32 mpg.
$3.19 per gallon divided by 32 mpg = $0.10 per mile.
The gasoline powered car cost about $15,000 while the Volt costs $46,000.
So Obama wants us to pay 3 times as much for a car that costs more that 7 time as much to run and takes 3 times as long to drive across country.
“Electricity cost is about $18.50 or 74 cents/mile.”
Wooh!
That 74 cents a mile has got to be loaded with amortization and maintenance costs. No way that’s an electric only figure.
“I pay approximately (it varies with amount used and the seasons) $1.16 per kwh.”
Where in the world do you live?
In Florida electric is about .12 a kw. In CT its close to .20 a kw.
So even in CT the full charge cost is approx. $3
I'll only accept your answer if you show your work.
Is this in Antarctica?
http://www.electricchoice.com/electricity-prices-by-state.php
We pay .08 here in Indiana
In a related story the City of Manassas, Virginia has purchased a Chevy Volt for a Utilities Department meter technician. The Chevy Volt requires a nightly charge and fill-up of the 10-gallon gas tank once a month – if that. The City vehicle maintenance technician has completed installing emergency lighting and radio equipment. (I wonder how that will affect mileage.)
The Volt will run up to 40 miles on a charge and then switches to gasoline. The City is scheduled to install five charging stations throughout the city – part of a federal grant award from ChargePoint America, a US Department of Energy program through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
I have learned rhat the city paid $37,2377 for the Volt (no tax credit of $7500) and that the vehicle will run about 14,000 miles a year. Rhe electric charging stations were [provided free to the City of Manassas ($25,000 from somewhere) but cost $15,000 to install (taxpayer paid).
Seems obvious what’s going on - a stimulus by any other name is still theft.
Any other towns out there buying Volts?
DEFUND domestic socialist collectives. DEPOPULATE socialists from the body politic. Start with the elected representatives in DeLand, Florida. $top $pending.
Socialism is legal plunder. - Frederic Bastiat 1801-1850
See Post # 3.
so if the electricity was free, you’d pay $46K for a car whose electrical power components drove you 25 miles and required a 10 hour charge?
What’s the big deal? It’s just government money. It’s not like you work and then the government grabs some of your pay to buy votes.
I’m no fan of the Volt, but we have to use real numbers, to have a real discussion with people about it.
Average electricity costs are $0.12 per kwh...and the charge is allegedly 12 kwh (it keeps a reserve)...round it to $1.50 a day.
That $1.50 offsets around a gallon of gas (they say it goes 40 miles on a charge, and a comparable Cruze gets 40 mpg). Say that gallon of gas costs $3.50. Great, you’ve saved $2.00 a day. Heck, maybe your employer lets you charge up for free...presto, you’ve saved $5.50 per day.
Say you go to work 260 days a year, that means you save $1,430 per year....and the price difference between a loaded Cruze and subsidized Volt is $15k.
You’ve made your money back in 10.5 years!
Not including double personal property tax in some states.
Not including higher insurance costs for the higher valued car.
Not including charging station costs (and consider most Americans move every 7 years).
Not including higher repair costs due to complexity of the car.
Not including a new battery pack will surely be needed at this point.
So of course its a stupid idea, but for that first magical 40 miles, the operating costs are indeed slightly less than gasonline.
BTW, I’ve run the numbers on CO2, for those who worship at that altar. The breakover is 30 mpg. This means that the Volt in gas mode creates less CO2 than the Volt in electric mode...and any car getting more than 30 mpg wil create less CO2 than a Volt in electric mode.
Twice the price for half the performance and 5 times the operating cost. Battery is good for only 25 miles and requires a 10 hour recharge. Electricity cost is about $18.50 or 74 cents/mile. But it fits the Liberal values = Symbolism over SubstanceConsidering that the average driver travels 29 miles a day, that's not a bad battery at all.
The 10 hr charge gets the Volt about as far as a gallon of gas.
How much coal is that?
By my calculation, 9.75 lb of coal.
A gallon of gas weighs around 7.1 lb.
Sounds green to me.
“Considering that the average driver travels 29 miles a day, that’s not a bad battery at all.”
A 435 lb battery, storing the energy of 9.75 lb of coal....to do the job one gallon of gasoline will do? I wouldn’t call it a ‘good’ battery.
Recently GM revealed the production charging equipment that will come with the Volt when it can finally be bought. There will be a portable 120 V unit (R) that can be plugged into any standard receptacle. It will be able to recharge the car fully in 6 hours at 12 amps or 8 hours at 8 amps.
From the chevyvoltdotcom website:
“Choose a standard 120V charging kit that allows you to plug into a conventional electrical outlet and fully charge the battery in about 10 hours, depending on climate. Or opt for an available 240V charging station that reduces your charging time to approximately four hours. Professional installation required.”
That’s what they are saying today.
The press release you quoted is from Aug 20, 2009. That’s back when the ‘Volt’ looked like a Camaro, with an extension cord hooked to it. Somehow, it turned out a little differently...and GM seems to have under-delivered on their charging promises.
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