Posted on 07/08/2013 4:16:35 AM PDT by Kaslin
The good news for GM these days is that no one has been consumed in a fiery death due to engine compartment fires since the Chevy Volt was discovered to spontaneous combust after accidents shortly after production began.
The bad news for the company is that while Chevy Volt sales in June set a record, prior to June their sales for 2013 sucked despite general auto sales setting post-crash records.
“With signs that sales of its Chevrolet Volt battery car could be coming unplugged,” reported NBC News in June, “General Motors is offering potential buyers as much as $5,000 in incentives – making it the latest maker to try to cut prices in a bid to boost lagging demand for electric vehicles.”
In June the company reported 2,698 Volts sold thanks to those drastic discounts by GM. In fact, all battery-powered cars have seen deep price cuts due to disappointing sales.
“For the first five months of this year,” said NBC News, “GM has sold only 7,157 of what it prefers to call an extended-range electric vehicle, or E-REV. May sales, in particular, fell 4.3 percent, to 1,607. By comparison, the overall U.S. automotive market was up 8.2 percent for the month. According to a report by Inside EVs, Chevy dealers have more than 9,000 Volts clogging inventories, vehicles they need to clear out before the 2014 models start rolling in.”
That makes 6,302 excess Volts just weeks before the 2014 models are supposed to come off the assembly line. Or, to calculate another way, that’s 2 1/3 months of inventory assuming all the suckers haven’t already purchased Volts in the new and reduced “free” lunch program run by General Motors.
The ridiculous list price for the Volt started out at $46,000. Since then it’s been lowered to $39,995. The price is still ridiculous because the Volt is basically the Chevy Cruze with a big battery.
The Cruze by contrast has an MSRP of between $17,000-$23,000.
To lull consumers, the federal government gives a credit to Volt buyers of $7,500, plus GM, starting in June, discounted the price by another $4,000-$5,000 depending on the model year.
That means a buyer can pay around $28,000 for the privilege of buying a car that goes 38 miles on a full battery charge and has all the amenities of car that costs $5k less even after Volt discounts, subsidies, giveaways.
Boosters of the car will bombard me with email bragging about the cost savings with the Chevy Volt because they never have to buy gasoline, but they too often overlook the true cost of an electric vehicle.
First, electricity is not a free power source, despite what liberals believe. Electricity doesn’t just magically come from a wall plug.
Volt owners are SHOCKED…SHOCKED… when employers, HOAs and others third parties object to being asked to pay $1.50 per day to fully charge the car’s battery at public electrical outlets. It’s a phenomenon that’s becoming more common.
‘‘This isn’t some evil electric car that consumes a ton of electricity. It’s just a drop in the pond compared to what the whole building pays,’’ Mike Nemat told CBC News when trying justify using his condo’s public power source to fuel his vehicle.
It maybe a drop in the pond, but the pond isn’t Nemat’s to take from.
$1.50 per day to charge a Volt battery times 365 days is $547.50 per year. If “everyone” did it at a 50 unit condo, that would be $27,375 per year for “free” electricity.
And despite what liberals think, someone still has to pay the bill.
“This is ridiculous. It's approximately $1.50 per day (based on the average electricity price in the U.S.) to fully charge a Volt,” wrote reader Corey on the article about Nemat’s condo subsidies. “That's less than the price of a cup of coffee. When taken into consideration that it's split between several tenants... they should be proud that they're not only helping to save the environment but also lowering the nation's dependence on foreign oil for pennies out of their pockets.”
I’m sure they are proud. But they just aren’t $27,375 proud. Or $7,500 worth of federal tax subsidies proud.
Nor am I. I’m “I’d rather you not take my tax money or HOA dues” proud. Do what you like, buy what you want, but don’t ask me to pay for it.
If Volt owners were really proud they’d pay for the “drop in the pond” themselves.
In finding out the true cost of ownership, the Volt’s battery should be depreciated across the life of the battery as well.
The battery costs about $8,000 to replace and lasts- in principle- about eight years. According to snopes.com the Volt costs a 7 cents a mile to operate on all-electric (EV) versus all-gasoline power of about 11 cents per mile. But those calculations ignore the battery costs, which add another 10 cents per mile to the electric option for a total of 17 cents per mile.
And that’s what’s really driving the poor sales of the Volt. Battery costs jack up the price of the Volt- and EV’s- versus gasoline vehicles. Chevy made a strategic mistake when it attempted to put the Volt’s costly powertrain into Chevy’s discount model- the Cruze. Instead GM should have followed competitor Tesla’s strategy of making an EV that appeals to rich, privileged, metro-sexual types plagued by White Guilt, which often also comes out sideways as Carbon Envy.
There’s money to be made on folks like that.
Just don’t use my money in doing it.
Because the scheme will likely end in a fiery crash, which, for the Volt, would be fitting since that’s how it started.
The tax payer will pay the lawyers.
I heard a local dealer advertising the Volt sale on radio. They still had 2011 models in addition to 2012 and 2013 models.
Even in very liberal Ann Arbor there are complaints that the primary buyers are 6 figure earners who not only get a $5000 break, the city (taxpayers) provides them with free charging that they can easily afford themselves.
“That means a buyer can pay around $28,000 for the privilege of buying a car that goes 38 miles on a full battery charge and has all the amenities of car that costs $5k less even after Volt discounts, subsidies, giveaways.”
At 38 miles, that wouldn’t get me to my job much less a round trip. I also assume that 38 miles is without AC and a sound system running. It’s hot in east Texas.
That will go until the see the other areas taxing them for not paying gas tax. They will then turn on the electric owners and raise large tax bills on them. It will not last long.
Nemat... a true lefty's lefty. Make somebody else pay for it.
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20130409/carnews/130409837
$6,800, 84mpg, fun handling. Heck, I just bought a Scion FRS for my 124 mile round trip commute a month ago and I would STILL buy this today if I could get it.
The electric car is for true believers. People who refuse to see facts and carry on their unfounded beliefs that have been proven wrong.
With Obama fulfilling his promise to make electric rates skyrocket, the suckers paying for the “free” electric recharges will be forking out even more. Another example of the government giving then taking away.
“‘‘This isn’t some evil electric car that consumes a ton of electricity. It’s just a drop in the pond compared to what the whole building pays,’’ Mike Nemat told CBC News when trying justify using his condo’s public power source to fuel his vehicle.”
Several points. One of my car magazines reported that if GM were to amortize the cost of their extensive plant re-tooling, which ramped it up, per Obama’s order, to make 100,000 cars per year, then their actual loss per vehicle sold would be $50,000. They have never sold more than 3,000 Volts in one month. They have several times shut down the entire plant to let the excess inventory deplete. That in itself is an added, unplanned cost.
As for a liberal telling me I should pay an additional apportion so he can save the environment...where to start...these cars are more costly to the environment than gas if you take in the entire cradle to grave picture, water-jet strip mining for lithium, coal burned for electricity, battery disposal and the added fire potential. Also, I do not buy coffee or food out unless circumstances dictate I must. That’s because a few bucks here and a few bucks there add up to hundreds or thousands per year. I brown bag food and plastic bottle my own coffee. If I deprive myself of that $1.50 per day, why should I volunteer to pay for your liberal save-the-Earth fantasy? (Especially since I didn’t volunteer. You’re just sticking your hand in my pocket.)
Several new libraries in Tampa have “free” charging stations. Well, they aren’t “free.” My taxes are paying for this fantasy.
Wait until these cars are 10 years old and you have to sell them. They’ll need new batteries, which will be cost prohibitive as the battery will cost more than the car is worth. They’ll simply be underpowered gas cars then. You won’t be able to give them away.
Nice to see the battery costs included in the article. This is a problem for all hybrids as well and the battery degeneration occurs even if they're not used. It's a great obsolescence scheme for the car companies.
Electric or hybrid, does not matter, the vast majority are owned by rich libs trying to make a statement.
We recently took a trip to the east coast, on a long grade the big trucks were in the slow lane as they should be. Blocking traffic for miles was a lefty jerk in a Honda Civic hybrid trying to pass the semi’s. All sorts of lefty stickers on the car. I think this guy was either just stupid and inconsiderate of others, or enjoying pissing off the world while trying to save it at the same time.
There are three types of auto engines, external combustion, internal combustion and spontaneous combustion like the Volt.
@ Obama and the “Save the Planet” crowd:
“I reject your reality and substitute my own!”
I'm not some evil Republican, bent on world domination. I'm just a little peckish, so I'm sure that this liberal clown won't mind if I take 10 bucks out of his bank account for my lunch. After all, it's just a drop in the bucket, compared to his credit limit.
Oh, and I'll see him tomorrow, too.
GM, the “new” GM, is such a phenomenally corrupt company that I always celebrate bad now for GM. There is no situation in which I would buy a GM product - ever. The GM bankruptcy was shockingly corrupt, in clear violation of contract law, bankruptcy law, and common law, and I was disgusted that Obama and his people gave GM assets to the UAW and other connected organizations instead of following the law. That company is dead to me, and I am disgusted with anyone who would deal with them. Fortunately, most GM cars are marginal at best, and the Volt is both dangerous and worthless, so those who boycott GM are not losing out on anything.
Actually, the city provides them with taxpayer-funded charging, not free charging. Unless, of course, the city is somehow getting its electricity for free.
So he acknowledges it's not theft from some faceless organization but rather from all the neighbors in the development. Usually linerals refuse to confront the truth that their confiscation schemes fall on the shoulders of real people.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.