battery packs are just "assembled" here by a Korean subsidiary. The cells come from Korea - LG Chem. It would be ungodly expensive to truly be Made in America.

Somehow Chevrolet Motor Division got elected "stalking horse" for GM and the auto industry in general. The Volt is the answer to people afraid to buy an electric vehicle for fear of running out of battery somewhere on the freeway. It's a great proof-of-concept vehicle and putting a number of these into regular customer service will lead to the next generation of electric vehicles.

Now, as to cost . . . It appears GM was looking for a way to sweeten the bailout plea by marketing the Volt (Vote?) to the general public. They may have expected a bit more in terms of government rebate, but as currently sold, the Volt is at least $10K over the market price for a vehicle of this size and class. Most buyers won't look at that $10K being paid off in gas savings over the next six years or so, and sales are expected to be pretty puny.

That's not altogether bad news, because as Chevy brings other small cars in its fleet into this motor-electric regime, prices can be expected to fall. There's a learning curve here, and it is largely financed by early adopters who will pay anything just to have the latest technology sitting in their garage as that charger hums its 60-Hz monotone song. They will probably leave their garage doors up to display their technical superiority to their neighbors. ;)

One other thing to keep in mind is that these numbers are all self-reported.

For some reason, I seriously doubt you're going to here anecdotes like...

"Man, I spend 40 grand on a 20 grand car...because I was promised great gas mileage. Turns out, it's not so great after all. I'm a real tool, huh? Yeah, I'm pretty stupid. Hey, be sure to spell my name right in the article. When do you think it'll be published?"

The concerns are the plug-in & high price tage......
-Not everyone have a garage!!
-Most people drive on freeway = unefficient for the purpose of this car
-Those don't use freeway live in city and garage is a issue,
-Not everyone have a outlet in the work parking lot
-Doesn't help much when goin on road-trip
-$40k price tag blow away the Food delivery business (12 hour/day = no time to charge

Then the Chevy Volt is not for you.

However, for a few that seem to savor its benefits, it good for them.

main problem of this car is not the price but poor engineering that made it inefficient in hybrid mode as well as lack of PZEV certification, which makes it pointless as ECO vehicle.

only GM can fail so spectacularly.

If by "good use" you mean "taxpayer money funding a unilateral government agenda", then yeah, I guess.

Agreed - it's just a brainless marketing ploy designed to generate press. To actually sell this car to the masses they need to concentrate on energy usage, or better yet skip the environmental blather and move to financials - especially since the electric alternatives to gas may not offer any meaningful benefit, whether with regard to the environment or national public policy.

So if the Prius is the "Geek Mobile", the Volt is the American Bailout "Geek Mobile"?

I'd just like to know the cost/mile or maybe cost per 1,000 miles driven. I have no idea how much it costs to charge this vehicle on a daily basis (assuming you're plugging it in at home.) Is it $50/week in added power bills? Or more like $10?

No..shhhhh, don't say that. The Volt is uber awesome, has soul, style, you name it. The Prius is just another ugly, bland, accelerates on its own, appliance, Toyota doesn't build sports cars, boring, beige Toyota lame-mobile hippie car that has no merits and relies on evil Consumer Reports and brainwashed sheep buyers thanks to the biased media who doesn't give GM a chance and praises Toyota. DUH. Oh yeah, it wasn't a bailout, it was a loan to a company that didn't need help anyway. Get with the program. :rolleyes::egads:

;)

I think I did this calculation in a previous thread about EVs. It's difficult to be precise because of varying energy prices (usually ranges from 8-18 cents per Kwh in the continental US) as well as the inefficiencies in electrical infrastructure and the Volt's power system. I do recall C+D writing in their review that a full charge took 14 Kwh on their 120V supply, so that translates to a cost of roughly $1.10-$2.50. Assuming the rather generous claimed 35 mile electric-only range, per 1000 miles the cost would be ~$31-$71. This is the best case absolute minimum operation cost (i.e., no gas usage).

Compared to a Prius in the mid-40s (average regular gas price on 6/27 of $3.50/gal => ~$80 per 1000 miles), this represents a big savings in areas with the cheapest electricity, but not so much in states with higher electricity cost. Of course, any gas usage on the Volt and that comparison starts swinging back heavily in favor of the Prius.

I drove the Volt this weekend....overall it was positive, but kind of a mixed experience.

The first Volt I got into had a depleted battery from a day of test drives. I pushed the on button and the engine fired up as did a strong and very pleasing blast of A/C. I adjusted the seats and steering wheel to my liking. However, the handle on the steering wheel would not go back into place. Many Chevy people tried, but the car was rendered disabled due to this. My bad. Of all the things to go wrong in this car, its the steering wheel.

Another Volt was on hand. It had 15 miles of range left and I really wanted to try this car as it was intended to be driven anyway. This time I did not adjust the steering wheel. The Volt drives like any other car. The power delievery was smooth and quiet. A gentle whirring sound was all that I could hear. On the straight strech of road I jammed on the gas and found that the Volt is relitively spirited for what it is. I was pleased. I manauevered the Volt through some twists and turns. In one instance I floored it through a hard right and found that not only can the Volt handle, but it can also spin those wheels. I chuckled and returned the car to its space.

The interior was well done. Far superior to the Prius. Quality was evident, though it wasn't as nice as the Malibu I had driven earlier. With my very large friend in the driver seat I sat in the rear. This was tight. Very tight. However, if the driver were 6 foot tall or shorter, I might have had some leg room.

In short, would I buy a Volt after this test drive? You betcha I would.

for $44k of your own money?

I would. However, the Volt starts at $40,200 without exageration and a price drop is in the very near future. However, I believe that GM is capitalizing on early adopters. Wouldn't be surprised to see a $30k price tag in a few years.

GM is just taking out equipment.

so you are buying it for 40k?