Here is Nissan's retort. http://www.dailytech.com/Nissan Sco...out 367 MPG Rating for LEAF/article15941c.htm Also just an FYI, the Nissan Leaf is going to be built in the USA after the first year. Another vehicle where the lines are blurry as to where it is built, but it will be american jobs bringing it to market.
At current prices, the batteries probably will cost you 10k. However, how can anyone really know what the price of those batteries will be in 10 years? I would think that by then manufacturing would have ramped up to provide some economies of scale. 10 years ago you had to pay $10,000 for a 52 inch flat screen tv. Now you can get a much better one for a thousand bucks. How much do you spend on oil changes and regular service over 10 years for a gas engine? How long do current cars last? 15 years? I own a 1991 car, but it's pretty shot. I'm looking at putting in a new transmission on a 1999 Honda minivan--that's going to run me $3500-$4000 if I go through with it. (I'm tempted to just scrap it, or use it in the cars for clunkers program in the ultimate act of personal hypocrisy.) I understand the gas engine included in the Volt will be a very efficient, reliable engine. As a generator, it's optimized to run at a particular speed under a particular load. (The gas engine in a typical car has to be a do-it-all, powering the vehicle from a stop to up to 90 mph, going up steep hills or pulling a trailer. It can't be nearly as fine-tuned.) That consistent operation should lead to a pretty trouble-free life. The electric motors, of course, should also hold up nicely since they have so few moving parts. The Tesla, although really sweet, is a $100k car. Plus I believe there's a big waiting list....
The Tesla is a cute idea - but the current implementation is pretty much a joke. The battery pack is basically tons of cell-phone batteries. I suspect it costs as much as it does because you have to have so many Verizon contracts
Regular service you will have to get on the Volt as well...in addition to oil changes (it does have a gas motor as well, you know). For me oil changes/service aren't that expensive. I'm not trying to bad mouth the Volt, I'd probably look into one if I had $40K sitting around burning a hole in my pocket. I just think there are some expenses, like the batteries, that aren't properly disclosed. For $40K I would hope to not have to put another $10K into it in ADDITION to all of the service costs after 10 years. I suspect when all of the other manufacturers start coming out with models the price of everything will drop. And our electric bills will rise. Perhaps I should buy stock in PGE? Yes and yes. But if I have $40K burning a hole in my pocket I must have $100K burning a hole...
I looked into buying a Tesla, but two things stopped me. One, they had problems with the transmission which I don't know if they ever really resolved. Two, you can't get it serviced in Oregon, you have to truck it to CA. Wee bit inconvenient. barfo
Good thing it isn't a fucking Apple car. It would cost 3 times as much for the same car. I don't know if you have looked at the new 6 person sedan, but it actually starts out at 48k unlike the roadster. They are supposed to have an even lower priced SUV by later this year. To me that would be the best. Have your SUV but none of the fuel issues.
My understanding is that Mercedes bought a part of the company - so I suspect that the SUV/Sedan will have a very different technical architecture than the roadster... Again, the Tesla is cute - but the implementation is just absurd.
[video=youtube;csJ_Yk4QiDs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csJ_Yk4QiDs&feature=player_embedded[/video] This has some footage of the MOdel S
My understanding of the Volt, is that it gets 50mpg when running on gas. The estimate cnn gave for electricity consumption is 88cents per 40 miles. I think it uses 8kwh if anyone knows their exact rates. Also here in the NW we use mostly water, so it would still be very clean for us. Another issue to consider is how you get that gas to the fuel stations. You have a big diesel truck drop it off. If you were able to get everyone to use these Volts, then you would cut back unnecessary costs in fuel transportation. They said the price of manufacturing is 40k$ that was not the price they were going to sell it for... expect 50k or 60k. BUT there is a 7.5k government kick back for purchasing one. Knowing the car companies they'll probably include that discount in their advertised price.
The makers of the S-Cargo fight back: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/08/11/nissan-pokes-fun-at-the-volt-claims-367-mpg-equivalent-for-leaf/
$.88 x 365 / 12 = $27/month. I pay less than that for gas in my Prius each month for a ~10 mile commute. Add in $7500/5 years (fair depreciation?) and you get $1500 / 12 = $125/month more. Figure the Prius costs $25K. For a $50K car, you need to save $25K in gasoline over, say, those 5 years, too. That $5K/year turns out to be $417 in gas you could have bought. At $4/gallon, that $417 buys about 100 gallons of gasoline, enough to get you 4000 miles in the Prius. Feel free to work out the numbers for a Toyota Corolla and it exposes how much of a waste of taxpayer dollars that $7500 is.
I don't think the main point is that it's cheaper than a prius. The point is that if you were only driving your 10miles a day, you would never produce any emissions from your car. Also that 88cents is for 40 miles, so you should recalculate that.
Again, that $7500 of taxpayers' money is really expensive and a waste. I actually take the bus home from work, and I like it just fine. I'd rather see the $7500 spent on making public transportation better, if the money is to be spent. I don't advocate it being spent, FWIW.
I understand your point, but in some places public transportation isn't a fully viable option. Although I would like to see some maglev trains in the US!
My wife drops me at the office on the way to work, she drives home when her day is done there, and I take the bus.
It's not about the person in the car. It's about the batteries rupturing and spewing acid all over the place. It's about very hazardous materials leaking into streams. It's about toxic fumes from car fires billowing into the air.
