What it really costs to fill up a plug-in car ( barf )

CNNMoney ^ | December 2, 2010 | Peter Valdes-Dapena

[TwelveOfTwenty]

The first quote was snipped from your post, but I didn’t italicize it, sorry.

[Amerigomag]

A great idea whose time has not come.

Energy densities. Energy densities.

Until storage technologies, that's the on-board battery, produce densities even approaching that of fossil fuels, electric motivation will remain a subsidized niche for either government employees or the masses.

[Gondring]

600 pounds of toxic rare earth elements.

Wow! I want rights on the salvage.

[Erik Latranyi]

I can’t wait to trade big oil for big electric!

/sarc

[george76]

GE, GM, and...our new best friends

/s

[TomasUSMC]

the fuel to run them isn’t purchased from people who want to kill us.

YOU MEAN ODUMBI AND HIS ADMINISTRATION?

We can’t continue the mindset of running away from anything to do with people who want to kill US.

Kill THEM. That solves the problem....and they get lots of beautiful virgins as a bonus. Win Win.

[Yet_Again]

the fuel to run them isn’t purchased from people who want to kill us. YOU MEAN ODUMBI AND HIS ADMINISTRATION?

I mean the middle eastern mohammedans who we are funding to the tune of 1.3 billion dollars a day given our existing energy policy. We can’t continue the mindset of running away from anything to do with people who want to kill US. Kill THEM. That solves the problem....and they get lots of beautiful virgins as a bonus. Win Win.

Even if we were to declare total war with the intent of wiping them all out, it wouldn't make much sense to wage a war like this while funding the enemy to the tune of 1.3 billion dollars a day don't you think?

[WOSG]

You forgot the 1,000 billion barrels of oil shale that is available resource, *if* we develop it. Extract from shale and we are swimming in domestic oil.

[CharlesWayneCT]

You can charge with a standard 120 volt outlet, but it takes twice as long. The charger will allow fast charging using 240 volts.

I can do my own wiring, so if I were to buy a Volt, I’d have no problem getting 240-volt service in my garage.

But since you can always charge the car with the gas engine, I don’t think I’d buy the 240-volt charger.

But I’m not interested in the Volt at all. If I were to buy another hybrid, I’d probably buy the Ford Focus. The Leaf does interest me.

[equaviator]

‘nuff said. It be what it be.

[george76]

We understand that there are many new issues with a new technology; many homeowners may not realize the length of that list.

If an older house with only a 100 amp service is already maxed out, then there are expensive choices for many [ less experienced ] homeowners : how much of the equipment from the old 100 amp service can be reused ? A new 200 amp electrical service panel is likely needed.

It can be a complicated job for an inexperienced homeowner in knowing wire sizes, ampacity of wires, proper grounding to the water system and if 2-8ft ground rods driven into the earth on the home exterior are needed, proper electrical workmanship, and more.

Assuming the service (from transformer to your meter) is adequately sized and the drop from your meter to the panel location is short , then there still may be expensive surprises like : are new GFCI breakers now required ?

Knowing about the national electrical code and the local town codes plus calling for proper inspections, so that the insurance company is happy in a future unlikely event...add to the list.

[Domandred]

Road tax is easy. A lot of areas are looking at odometer readings when it’s time to register your car, and pay taxes per mile.

[rmlew]

Our electrical grid and power producing capability is insufficient for these cars.

[Yet_Again]

You forgot the 1,000 billion barrels of oil shale that is available resource, *if* we develop it. Extract from shale and we are swimming in domestic oil.

You mean if we *can* develop and extract it in any sort of an efficient manner. For instance, the Stuart Oil Shale project in Australia, at maximal production, was supposed to produce 200,000 barrels a day. It only managed to extract 1.5 million barrels from 2000-2005 and is now shut down. I support efforts to attempt shale oil extraction. However I doubt that shale extraction can support a significant percentage of demand. I also support all efforts to maximize domestic drilling in the interim, so long as we realize that this is a decade or so stopgap and that at the end of this, we need the infrastructure for future power (be it coal/nuke power -> electric cars or natural gas -> NG powered cars) ready to go.

[WOSG]

“You mean if we *can* develop and extract it in any sort of an efficient manner.”

Yes we can. Shell Oil developed an in situ oil shale thermal extraction method that would cost about $30/barrel.

http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/002981.html

It could provide 1.5 million barrels / oil per day, or centuries:
http://coloradoindependent.com/24758/shell-official-confirms-thirsty-nature-of-oil-shale-denies-push-to-corner-water-market

The US Govt under Obama has SHUT DOWN all research leases for oil shale areas, so the companies cannot even study these methods and try them out.

[X-FID]

I guess I’ll just have to state it here, as many of you don’t understand how the Volt works. It’s an “Extended Range Electric Vehicle” (EREV) and yes, its *electric only* range is around 40 miles, but it has a gas engine to run a generator when it needs it. Here is the total range figure: total range (electricity and gasoline) is 379 miles

If the volt can get 339 mpg, why does it need an electric motor to go a piddly 40 more miles?

[X-FID]

Not mpg, sorry.

[Zarro]

The piddly 40 miles come FIRST, not “more” miles. There are studies that show that over 80% of Americans commute (round trip) less than 40 miles each day. If that is true for you, then that piddly 40 miles would cover your commute every single day.

Now, you can do your own research, but the studies I’ve looked at showed the cost of the electric miles to be one half to one third what the cost with gas are. Now, is that going to pay you back? Not likely unless you do it for a lot of years. But those are the numbers.

And, to those who are sure to flame me for all the coal I’m burning to charge a car I don’t even own, in my part of the country most of our electricity comes from hydro.