Author Topic: Off Topic - Had to plug my car in last night (Read 32634 times)

CVX Fever · « **on:** November 04, 2011, 12:58:57 PM »

The wife's vehicle was in the shop getting some work done on it so I demo'd a Chevy Volt for her to drive for a couple of days. The Volt will run on batteries for about 40 miles and then has a gas generator that kicks in to keep you moving if you run out of juice.

This car drives so smooth and quiet, it's simply amazing. In sport mode it really takes off, the 100% torque at zero RPM at work I guess. I'm totally blown away with it. And trust me, I don't really get all that excited about any car, new or old. Unfortunately, the wife doesn't share my enthusiasm and it would be her daily driver. I'm bummed, I love this car.

dorelse · « **Reply #1 on:** November 04, 2011, 01:19:19 PM »

I'm a big fan of the technology of the Volt. In my particular case, I live 1.5 miles from work and could easily get by on battery power for 99% of my driving. I honestly think I'd have to worry about gas 'aging' to the point of needing to drive it on the generator to use it.

I'm only averaging about 4,500/5K miles a year...I could easily get one of these. I am curious to hear about cold weather performance of the batteries.

They need to lose the gigantic 'VOLT' on the door though...

(I'm sure that's b/c its a Demo car...)

Jerry · « **Reply #2 on:** November 04, 2011, 02:10:28 PM »

Optional towing package?

CVX Fever · « **Reply #3 on:** November 04, 2011, 02:23:42 PM »

Doran - I agree the big Volt decal is silly and your right that the demo's they built have it. The battery range takes a pretty good hit when the temp falls, more than I would have expected. This is a great website for real world information on the Volt.

http://gm-volt.com/

V153 · « **Reply #4 on:** November 04, 2011, 05:32:24 PM »

Quote from: Jerry on November 04, 2011, 02:10:28 PM

Optional towing package?

Ya but it's only designed to tow the mechanic/spare parts ...

CVX Fever · « **Reply #5 on:** November 04, 2011, 05:46:40 PM »

She left Woodbury this morning with the heat and lights on, drove to a hospital in downtown St.Paul. I'm sure she was running it 75-80 MPH on 94. It will go 100 MPH BTW before the governor kicks in. Then drove to her clinic in Maplewood for the day and finally back home. 3 miles of EV range left. I figure she did somewhere around 30-35 miles for about a $1.50 in electricity. Sweet!

V153 · « **Reply #6 on:** November 04, 2011, 09:11:32 PM »

Got nothing against battery powered cars. When I was a kid Dad brought home an 'electric' 1/4 scale Merc convertable. With a pair of fresh 12V batteries that thing'd lay rubber from one end of the street to the other. I 'member it was initially steered via a pair of vice grips clamped onto the steering shaft, 'til the old man found a wheel. But I digress.

After all the hoopla the Volt just seems a lil lackluster to me. 30-40 mi before it goes dead ain't all that impressive. Sure it's quiet & well appointed but golf cart's 'round here have better range. Oh wait the Volt has it's own fossil fuel burning hydrocarbon emitting backup generator on board to keep it going after the batteries discharge. Kinda defeats the purpose dontcha think?

Important also to ask where the energy to charge the thing in the first place comes from. I'd bet coal or oil or, gasp, nuke.

Oh well. You can call the Volt 'green' if'n ya like. 'Round here we call it BS ...

Jerry · « **Reply #7 on:** November 04, 2011, 09:30:35 PM »

Hydrogen. We gotta get there. It's tomorrow's fuel.

dorelse · « **Reply #8 on:** November 04, 2011, 10:16:14 PM »

Quote from: V153 on November 04, 2011, 09:11:32 PM

Oh well. You can call the Volt 'green' if'n ya like. 'Round here we call it BS ...

Sorry Doug...but you just haven't done you're homework on this one. They are not the ultimate solution, that's true, they are considered a 'bridge' technology designed to get us to hydrogen fuel cells 20-30 years on...

Fuel cells are a ways off...the infrastructure just isn't built out yet.

Studies have shown that the vast majority of driving is done locally, which would mean the Volt would very rarely use the gas engine. (Which btw is an extremely small & clean engine emission-wise.) However, its nice to know you can drive cross country in one if need be.

So...I'm all for driving around a car that has zero emissons 95% of the time, and keeps a sheikh's hand (in some country that doesn't like us very much), out of my pocket.

You're forgetting about wind, solar & hydroelectric...the fields up here are completely covered with wind turbines now. Besides coal fired electric plants (pound for pound) are much cleaner than all the trucks required to move & produce fuel, and all the emissions reduced by owning these types of cars...its win win.

Personally, as a 2nd vehicle I think they're a great option. True, I wouldn't buy one if I only had 1 car. I could literally drive one for weeks, and never use a drop of gas.

But it is a bridge...not an ultimate solution...but that ultimate solution is a long way off.

CVX Fever · « **Reply #9 on:** November 04, 2011, 10:20:17 PM »

"Important also to ask where the energy to charge the thing in the first place comes from. I'd bet coal or oil or, gasp, nuke."

The reality is that powerplants run at a steady state. So for a while, electric cars charging into the wee hours of the night are simply using power that would have gone to waste. Perhaps you've heard of the term "off peak" and the reduced rates that go along with it. Even so, an electric car powered off the grid is still cleaner than any ICE powered car, even if that power comes from coal. It takes 7-8 kilowatts just to refine a gallon of gas once you've managed to pull it out of the ground. I can drive a car like the Volt 15 miles with that much power. Nukes, I got 2 less than a 100 miles from home, doesn't bother me. I'd like to see more built.

Green? I suppose there's that. Did you know that there's a gentlemen by the name of George Parrot that generates enough power off the solar cells on the roof of his house to run both his Leaf(Nissan's electric car) and his Volt. He lives out west where they get lots of sun. Just shows what can be done when you put your mind to something.

How about energy independence? I don't think we are fighting any wars to protect the energy needed to run our power plants. Electric cars won't get us there alone. But maybe electric cars, along with natural gas powered vehicles, hydrogen(need electricity to make that), bio fuels, mass transit and who knows what else. I suspect it will be a number of solutions that replace oil and reduce what we use. I doubt any of us will live long enough to see eliminated altogether.

Doran - I like your thinking!

V153 · « **Reply #10 on:** November 04, 2011, 11:42:33 PM »

If'n I could afford it I'd have a car wrapped in photovoltaic cells. The best batteries known to man. And a flip up wind generator for when I was parked. And an extention cord just in case ... Kidding!

For what it's worth I'll bet ya a nickel compressed air powered vehicles are gonna be the next big thing. Already are in other countries.

If this proves to be true I'm gonna tune my exhaust to sound like a leaky balloon. Or whoopie cushion ... ?

Rosscoe · « **Reply #11 on:** November 05, 2011, 08:01:17 AM »

True as others have said they are not the Do all car but a bridge is a good term. Get more of these on the road and whats left of the oil will last longer for the other things. They will improve over time if people buy them (create demand) as well as the infrastructure. They will also become more affordable.
I'd like to have one myself. I could get one way to work but then have to charge there or use the gas motor to get home. It would be great for errand running. I think my next car will be a something like this or at least a hybrid. Gas/oil isnt ever going back to .25 cents a gallon. It will only go up. We are way over due moving towards more of this. Other countries are ahead of us and it would create jobs, unlike "reaffirming one nation under God" What a waste of time that was.

Eric_Michael · « **Reply #12 on:** November 05, 2011, 11:21:49 AM »

Quote from: V153 on November 04, 2011, 09:11:32 PM

...Important also to ask where the energy to charge the thing in the first place comes from. I'd bet coal or oil or, gasp, nuke.
Oh well. You can call the Volt 'green' if'n ya like. 'Round here we call it BS ...

Electric cars just mean a longer tail pipe which is not in the owner's back yard. Some other schmuck gets to look at the coal plant, hydro dam, wind farm, or nuke plant.

Jerry · « **Reply #13 on:** November 05, 2011, 11:54:56 AM »

Like my pal Kermit said "It's not easy being Green" but we have to start some place or we will all be like China where you can't go outside without a mask. As long as the Koch Brothers (if ya don't know them google them) and Big Oil are running this country we won't get where we should be. If we all do a little, it adds up. All we get is "Drill baby drill" and dig up North Dakota for oil sand. We don't need it. Dubya in his first State-of-the-union speech said we were going to do Hydrogen research. Guess how much we spent. The oil co's didn't want that. Them poor rich folk couldn't afford it. Sorry I hate politics here (but I love politics) it comes from 30 years of being involved.

dorelse · « **Reply #14 on:** November 05, 2011, 02:07:04 PM »

Quote from: Eric_Michael on November 05, 2011, 11:21:49 AM

Electric cars just mean a longer tail pipe which is not in the owner's back yard. Some other schmuck gets to look at the coal plant, hydro dam, wind farm, or nuke plant.

It is true, the argument that more electric demand means more coal pollution, but that doesn't take into account 'off peak' power that goes unused. Even so it is still far more 'clean' pound for pound than all the infrastructure required to transport, refine and move a petroleum based fuel around. There's an economy of scale that occurs in coal fired plants both in energy production & pollution reduction plus, its a resource we have here in the USA.

There are a ton of wind farms between IA & MN...all I see are 'middle fingers' pointed at middle east regime's and another soldier on his way home to his family alive...plus more American's employed building them.

I love 'em.

The only thing that scares me is 'Fracking'...I think that's gonna be a bad deal eventually.

Good discussion though...there's a thousand different views on this stuff and probably all right...

V153 · « **Reply #15 on:** November 05, 2011, 10:06:09 PM »

Reckon our problem lies in the powers that be require us to burn and fight wars over oil, now mixed with corn ...

Hydrogen would be a great alternative but too easy to refine.

Why not natural gas. I've witnessed it bubbling up from creek beds. Captured some in a plastic bag years ago. Lit it with a lighter & blew my little brothers eye brows off. Deafened both of us for several hours. But again that would be too easy to refine.

For better or worse many subdivisions 'round here now allow golf carts on their roads. Guess I'm okay with that but when it comes down to it what's the difference 'tween firing up the Lincoln vs charging up the golf cart?

Hyperacme · « **Reply #16 on:** November 06, 2011, 05:33:25 AM »

I could live with an electric car sence I'm only 8 miles from work(16 round trip) ...
By the time I need a new car I'll be retired.
Any idea on the price of a Volt ?

Heck I could ride a bicycle ... It down hill with bike paths.
Trouble is it would be up hill all the way home ... LOL

EDIT ...

Volt MSRP ... $ 31, 645
Price as shown ... $41,430
http://www.chevrolet.com/volt-electric-car/?seo=goo_|_2008_Chevy_Retention_|_IMG_Chevy_Volt_|_Exact_Match_Chevy_Volt_|_volt&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Retention-Chevy-IMG_Chevy_Volt&utm_content=Search&utm_term=volt

CVX Fever · « **Reply #17 on:** November 06, 2011, 08:30:05 AM »

I have to say that after having the Volt for a few days my other 2 cars feel like Model T's when your driving them. I actually don't like drivng either one of them right now to the point where I hate even turning the key. Hopefully that will wear off!.....LOL

The beauty of the Volt is it drives nicer soo much nicer and more comfortably than any ICE vehicle I've ever been in. No shifting, linear power, dead erie silence at a stoplight, effortless acceleration. I'd own one just for the way it drives forget all the other benefits. Comments by Volt owners that say they will never own another ICE vehicle and others that say the biggest problem with their Volt is no one wants to drive the other car - Yep I get that!

I highly recommend that anyone interested in this technology demo one of this things. Even if you don't plan to buy until the price of these comes down or you'd rather have a full on EV. We picked it the Volt up Thursday morning and gave it back Saturday morning. Put well over a hundred miles on it, burned zero gas. No pressure by the salesmen at Mauer Chev When I returned it to buy. Just be prepared to really hate your ICE vehicle afterwards!

Hyperacme · « **Reply #18 on:** November 06, 2011, 08:47:30 AM »

" The Mitsubishi i is the most affordable electric vehicle in the entire United States "

Mitsubishi MiEV

http://i.mitsubishicars.com/?ic=MN_vehicle-menu_100007_04012011

dorelse · « **Reply #19 on:** November 06, 2011, 11:05:29 AM »

Man that's not a pretty car...Top Gear didn't like that one over the Leaf. Don't think they've had a Volt on the show yet. But...the price is definitely there.