“How does this compare with the mediocrity at GM?”
Well, I have a neighbor who has both a Prius and a Volt, and he says that the VOLT is clearly a better vehicle. I wouldn’t have either one of them, but at least the Volt isn’t a Clown Car insofar as size and comfort are concerned. He commutes 110 miles each way to work and back with the Volt, and says that he hasn’t noticed a change in his electric bill since buying the Volt. I guess what pisses me off is that he pays no road taxes on the electricity like the rest of us do when we fill up. And for “going green” he get’s to charge up at work for free too.
I thought the Volt only got about 30 miles on battery before the ICE kicked in.
That explains why his electric bill has not gone up
“I guess what pisses me off is that he pays no road taxes on the electricity like the rest of us do when we fill up.”
Not to worry.
Within 15 years, you (and he) will be paying a “mileage tax” along with the gas tax that you now pay. The miles you drive will be automatically tallied and reported via GPS by the new in-car transmitters that all new vehicles will come equipped with. You’ll be sent a monthly road use bill to pay, just as you are sent monthly utility bills today.
Oh, you’ve got an older vehicle without the GPS equipment? In that case you’ll be required to report to your local “mileage check station” bi-annually so your mileage can be reported. Failure to do so will result in your being billed for a (high) “fixed road usage rate”.
Guess you won’t be so “pissed off” then, eh? :)