Illinois Volt Owner, you should take it one step further. Your eMPG is 98.07 mpg. That is what the equivalent mileage would be if you used the money paid for electricity and bought 60 gallons of Texas $3.69/gal premium.
I just read all of the comments and the one thing they have in common is all the naysayers DO NOT OWN A VOLT.
I DO OWN A VOLT.
I bought it because I wanted the latest technology and to play with it. Cars are fun and exciting to own. I didn't buy it to save gas, just as I didn't buy my Lexus 430 to save money. I bought it because it was the BEST. The VOLT is the best eCar.
I find the VOLT to be equal to the LS430, leather, electronics, performance and only slightly smaller.
The Lexus hardly ever moves and I can't keep my wife out of the VOLT. That's GOOD.
We save the miles on the 430 and save 1000 mi./ 20 mpg = 50 gallons x 3.69 = $184.50 per month
My eMPG is currently 125 mpg. Still on the first tank of gas after two months,
I AM STUNNED.

Larry Wesrfall (Apr 24) is missing the point. Since most charging takes place at nigh,t this allows Utilities to run plants that would otherwise be shut down, reducing their costs per kWH from that plant. This allows the Utility to make more profit or to REDUCE the price of electricity. By leveling the utility costs we are helping to optimize the efficiency of the whole system.

I'm a very happy Volt owner. After a lot of research, I decided to purchase a used Volt to reduce my risk. What I found was the car exceeded my expectations. I now see the future and it's plug-ins. I haven't been to a gas station in months. Think about it. Your car is sitting in your driveway or garage doing nothing. Why not have it charging for less than gas? Its also more convenient to me to plug in a cord than drive to a gas station and freeze while filling up. I can't say enough. The car is awesome. Very Very Very satisfied Volt owner.

Actual experience means a whole lot more than theorectical calculations and assumptions. Our Volt was purchased on 6/26/12. We started with the 110 charger that came with the car. On average a full charge used 12.7 kwh of electricity and took between 9 and 10 hours to charge. We went to a 220 charger in November and charge times are at about 3 hours 45 minutes for a full charge using 12.3 to 12.4 kwh of electricity. Both electricity amounts account for power used in charging. Our range on a full charge has been as much as 54 miles, and as low as 29 miles (winter driving). Electric costs started at .0911 cents/kwh under fixed pricing, and we switched to residential real time pricing in September. With the 220 charge we do the bulk of our charging at night between 1 and 5 a.m. when prices are lowest, but we also charge during the day on weekends to get more electric miles use from the vehilce and the 220 charger does make more electric mile use possible (and cheaper). Under RRTP a full charge has been as little as 43 cents, and as high as 76 cents, compared to $1.15 a full charge under fixed pricing.

As of 1/10/13 we have driven 7175 miles on battery power for a cost of $148 and used 2112 kwh used @ .0699 average kwh cost, and 2096 miles on the gas generator using 56.5 gallons of gas at a cost of $221.85, using premium fuel and getting an average of 37.1 miles per gallon. That breaks down to energy costs of 2 cents per electric mile driven, 10.6 cents per gas mile, and 3.96 cents/mile overall. The car is very economical to operate as a cummuter car and has served us very well. When we go on longer cross country trips the car used is our Camry Hybrid, which averaged 38.5 mpg on a recent trip to Florida and back, at highway speeds which often were at 80 to 85 mph (just keeping up with traffic).

I own a 2013 Volt, and to me it's the best car I have owned. It's not because I barely use gas or the fact that it only costs me roughly $1.40 a day to drive it. The reason I love my Volt is because it is fun to drive and people are constantly asking about it. Like one writer stated earlier on here " this is just the beginning of what is to come tomorrow" so unless you own a Volt or have actually driven one your comments are worthless. Like I tell all the people who ask me about my Volt, " Drive a Volt for a hour or so and you will love it, drive one for a few days and you will never want to give it back!"

mr. lynch, you do not know what you are talking about. I own a volt you do not!
my income is 40K, I bought my volt last January. I have now 6363 mile on my volt for a lift time mpg of 134.
the last 2198 mile i drove, the car used 5.5 gallons of gas. I put $10 of gas in the volt 2 week ago, I have used 1/2 gallon! Before that, I had not bought gas since last july! It cost me 47 cents to charge my volt from my solar panel system. During that first winter I got 35 to 40 mile per charge, this spring, summer and fall I got no less than 49 miles per charge. Now that winter is here I am back to 38 miles per charge. I live in northern Utah, a COLD climate in the winter and a HOT climate in the summer.
You are entitled to your politically biased opinion, but you are not entitled to make up your own facts!

Lots of information to digest !
My daughter Hillary is on a Volt Demo campaign. Tweet her @HillarysVolt if you would like. While on her way to Dallas she has stopped by to see us. ( Mom and Dad).
So I took a drive. I really like the car and am in the position to get a new vehicle. So I am doing some research into this new technology. One thing I noticed on the instrument panel was "oil life" remaining. It was at 85% remaining. The vehicle has about 3,000 miles on the odometer if I remember correctly. I haven't seen anyone figure in oil changes to their cost analysis.
So now how does that item change the "cost to operate"?
All being fair that should be figured into the cost.
I have two cars and oil and filters aren't cheap! Lets throw in air cleaners while we're at it.
Now I'm going to find out about recommended oil changes on the Volt and see where that leads.
P.S. Hillary just handed me the 2013 Volt owners manual. " The engine oil and filter must be changed at least every two years..".

I don't own a volt but I am doubting any claim that says less than half the cost to go the same distance as gas if you consider the REAL argument. Let's use logic and see if that makes sense and tell me if I am wrong. Forget the cost of electricity and gas......both cost money to make (generate). Energy is energy and if you use the laws of transfer and efficiency it seems to me that gas exploding directly in an engine would only suffer the loss of one stage....transmission and drive resistance. An electric car suffers 2 stages of loss, charging then transmission and drive resistance. It also uses 2 stages to burn gas, 15% to crank a generator and the loss to power the transmission and move. Say the gas engine loss is 15% by the time you start moving. Charging is 20% and give the same loss to transmission would be a total of 35% loss. On the face of energy alone gas is more efficient. Of course if gas is average 3.60 per gallon then it seems that electric would be cheaper but this is economics, not actual energy. If we continue to drive the cost of electricity up then it won't be very long when that is no longer the case. You see what I am saying? It has nothing to do with the cost, only how efficiently it uses energy. It would be far better if we could just come up with a better and cleaner way to use our more efficient sources of fuel such as natural gas, gas, diesle etc.

Happy Volt owner since 6-2-12. On 10-1-12 - 3775 miles so far and not bought any gas. Used 5.3gallons and $121.elect. Great fast, fun car and I don't mind not filling up every 4 days as I use to. Best car Ive ever owned.

I just love reading about the Volt from you self appointed experts. You dont own one so you know NOTHING about the vehicle. And yes, I own one. Havent put gas in it since May. I take the grandkids to school, and waiting to pick them up (i live in florida) other drivers are running their gas engines to use the AC to keep cool. I am only using a electric AC compressor to keep cool. My lifetime (11months) usage is 212 mpg. Cost to charge here is $.010--10cents per kwh. Same cost day or night. Thiis is my city car. That is what it was intended to be used for. If I want to go on a trip, we would take the Equinox and get 35mpg.
I dont buy a car cuz I need one, I buy a car cuz I want to. And to compare a japanese crackerbox to a Volt would be like comparing a firecracker to a rocket booster. The Volt is comfortable, quiet, has everything as standard equipment, unlike the imports where the advertised price doesnt include the features found on the Volt. I will be waving to you as I pass up the gas stations. bye bye

You guys are all forgetting conversion efficiency. If you have a 12.9 kwh charge to a battery you aren't pulling just 12.9kwh from the wall, because the battery only charges with something like an 80% efficiency.

Using EPA numbers the Volt on electric mode gets 38mpg equ. To figure energy equ. There are about 115K btu in a gallon of gas, and a kwh is exactly 3.412 btu so you get 33.7kwh = 1 gallon of gasoline. So per the EPA it should take 33.7kwh from you plug to get the Volt moving 38 miles.

I know rates are different all over the country, but where I live in California, it is 16 cents per kwh .16 @33.7 = $5.39 to go 38 miles on the Volt. My car gets 28 miles to the gallon on average so it would take 1.357 gallons to go the same distance. @$4 per gallon I pay $5.43 to go the same 38 miles.

It comes out to a wash - and you need gas prices at their peek to do that.

From an eco point of view though, since you typically charge the Volt at night when power utilities are dumping unused power* - there is actually no additional pollution costs to run the Volt.

*Utilities can't shut down their base-load generators, they always must run at a constant rate so they can provide for the high use daytime period.

do not understand some peoples math. mike simpson states it costs $35 a month for elec. using the 14 kwh to recharge, that means @ 12 cents a kwh a recharge would cost about 1.70. so that would be about 21 charges a month. according to gm 1 trip in a volt using ONLY elec = 32/35 miles. that would = about 700 miles a month. pre volt he was spending $200 a month on gas. at $3.50 a gallon, 200 dollars will buy 57 gallons. driving the SAME amount of miles, you had a car that got 12.2 mpg. i can see why he got a different auto. if i spend $35a month on gas I CAN GO 550 MILES non stop . but untill gas goes to 3.50 i can still go nearly as far non stop and do not have to recharge every day. that must be a real pain the rear. i have prius (2nd one) and it gets a little better than my first one that ONLY got 46 mpg. mie cost 26k what did the volt cost.

$6.50-$3.17 is $3.33. Let's assume the car that does 30 mpg is a Chevy Cruze and it costs $20,000 less than the Volt and that all you do with it is commute for 50 miles every day. To breakeven with the Cruze you'd need to drive the Volt more than 6000 days or 16.4 years. I don't know you but I've never owned a car that lasted that long. Let's face it - this is not a commercially viable proposition to the average consumer. If you buy this you buy it for reasons other than saving money.

I purchased a 2012 volt. I love the ride and as for gas mileage, our electric cost in Spokane are low, being 6.9 cents per Kwh. It takes 12.9Kwh to fully charge my volt (it's currently 90 to 100degree weather). I'm getting 47 to 49 miles per charge. Now, gas in our area is currently 3.72 cents per gallon. A charge is 12.9Kwh * 6.9cents = 89cents per charge. so, 3.72per gal divided by 0.89 cents per charge is 4.1797 charges per cost of 1gal of gas. At my 48 miles per charge times 4.1797 charges to equate to 1gal of gas = I'm getting 200.6mpg in the summer.

There are some good points here, but the most noteworthy ones are those from people that have and drive a Volt. I look at the Volt as I looked at the first generation PC: In an ideal sense, the initial IBM PC was far less than perfect (as was the initial Apple II), but they were the beginning of a change, and that's what the Volt, Leaf and Prius (among others) represent. Anyone that thinks hybrid, extended range and EV technologies are not a big part of our future is really not paying attention. BTW - I don't own any of the above, but I know a trend when I see one.

This is great info and a good breakout of costs under common scenarios, I have heard however that some folks would benefit from just understanding the basics, like what is a KwH, I wrote up an article to address the basics so you can see how much it costs to charge a chevy volt. Check it out here: http://www.mychevroletvolt.com...chevy-volt

I'm watching for a while, to see how the math really pans out. So far, I believe two important points are missing from the discussion. 1) emotionally, I get irritated with daily tv ads which sell on minimal gas use and nothing else. It's obviously much more complex.
2) technically, it seems that many or all ice vehicles have an engine far larger than is required for the average power required. This seems necessary for safe passing, normal safe traffic acceleration and just plain desirable driving feel. Surely the key to the hybrid technology is to allow the lower average output of a a very small, cheap and ultra-efficient ice, to be supported at times of power need or want, by the electric motor and battery accumulated energy? Future refinements will make more use of this fact, perhaps when all the crazy emotional arguments and vested interests calm down.

$7500 tax credit on a Volt : paid by taxpayer
$25000 credit on Sport Utility vehicles to business owners, real estate agents, mortgage brokers or any business owner that wants to claim it on their taxes : paid by all taxpayer
$137,000 credit max on large heavy vehicles...big trucks, dump trucks, semi trucks, haulers etc. : paid by taxpayer

25k and 137k credits to business owners from government are the Section 179 Deduction

Here is why you sould buy a Chevrolet Cruze.
2012 Chevrolet Cuze 1LT MSRP: $18,650
Invoice: $17,900
Rebate: $500
Cost: $17,400

70,000 miles or 7 years at 32MPG, average gas prices are around $3.31 per gallon
$1,034 per year @ 7 years: $7,240 plus the Cruze: $24,640. The car will be worth $9,511 after 7 years. True cost of the Chevrolet Cruze after 7 years will be around $15,129

To all the "Taxpayer Subsidy" posts - You apparently are incredibly ignorant of the Billions of dollars spent every year subsidizing Oil reduce the cost per gallon in the US

I have no problems with the government rebates. I've had to pay for your kids (standard deduction, tax credits, school tax, etc) for all of my working life. Maybe its time I got to benefit from the tax system.

I'm picking up my Volt tomorrow. After paying $4.419/gal for 93 octane, I look forward to not filling up. I'm leasing it for $349/mo for 39 months. The way I see it, the Volt will pay for itself. Oil companies are greedy and posting record profits on our backs. Time for a wake up call America.

Assume used price on Volt in 7 years, $27,000.”

Do you really think it’s going to be worth $27,000 in 7 years ...................condition and you think a Volt, with its battery almost out of warranty is going to be $11,000 over that. And you think a Cruze is only going to be worth $2,500.....
Your number a off.

You are forgotting that a Chev Volt has 2 power sources. When its 10 years old and been run mostly on electricy you still have an almost brand new ICE with very littte milage on it. Even if battery is worn out it will still run just fine on the ICE thats almost new and with just the almost new ICE it will get better milage in city than your 10 yr old Cruze, (25 city EPA Cruze vs 35 EPA Volt), which will need a new engine by now.
Sorry but the VOLT will be woth lots more than a Cruze that need a new engine.

The Wright brothers flew a very short distance in their first flight. I'm sure many were telling them they should have ridden the bicycle; it would have been much much more cost effective. Thank the brothers the next time you want to go south for a winter vacation and take, for God's sake, a jet liner.

Fox News loves the Chevy Volt (this minute). I think I am going to look out my window and see if there are pigs flying outside.
http://nation.foxnews.com/chevy-volt/2012/03/26/can-chevy-volt-help-win-war-terror

Yesterday (Saturday, March 24, 2012) marked three weeks for me and my new Volt. I just absolutely love this car. I traded in my 2006 Acura TL and am totally satisfied with the level of technology in the car. This past Friday, I was able to travel 48 miles on a single charge. Now the weather here in Houston has been very mild this year. We are getting some 80 and 90 degree days and its only March, so I don't know what will happen when we get really hot this summer. However, since I park the car in the garage and also park in a parking garage at work, it will not be in the sun except while I am driving.

My electricity rate is only 9.6 cents (.096) per kWh and it will drop to 9.2 cents next month when my new contract kicks in, so I am very satisfied with the cost involved while charging the battery. I also do not have my 240 station in service yet at my home. It is due to be installed in the next couple of weeks. My roundtrip to work and back is 33 miles and is well within the range of the Volt.

When I rolled off the dealer lot on March 3, 2012, it had a full tank. I have used 1.3 gallons since that time and my odometer is showing almost 868 miles traveled. I'll take that kind of mileage ANY DAY OF THE YEAR.

All of these comparisons to other fuel efficient cars is missing the mark it seems to me. From my perspective, it is much more relative to compare to a car that you would consider purchasing. I would have never considered purchasing a Chevy Cruze. It does not have all of the things that I WANT in a car. Therefore, I compared my Volt to an Acura TL 2012 model. Price-wise, I came out ahead and very much ahead on fuel economy.

Now I did pass along some ideas for upgrades: 1) upgrade the cruise control to like the adaptive cruise control in the new Acura's and 2) use the sensors embedded in the bumpers to alert you when there is another car in the lane next to you: blind spot notification. These two items and you would be on-par with the Acura. Everything else is there already.

I live in West Los Angeles, where gas currently sells for $4.59/gal. all over town. I just looked at my electric bill's "time of use" information, which explains how much it would cost to use electricity during off peak hours. If I got a Volt I would of course charge the car overnight, during these off peak hours. I wanted to give a real world example of how much it would cost to "fill" the tank overnight in a city where driving is absolutely essential and expensive.

Mr. Peterson's blog gave a national average for cost of a kWh:
"The average cost of electricity in the U.S. is $.12/kWh, so, take $.12 x 12.9 to get a cost to charge of $1.55."

Here's my data from LA DWP:

Energy Charge - per kWh during High season(June-September)

High Peak Period $0.16061
Low Peak Period $0.08144
Base Period $0.04655

Electric Vehicle Discount - per kWh ($0.02500)

According to LA DWP: The "Base" hours are 8:00 p.m. – 10:00 a.m. weekdays, and all day Saturday and Sunday. In other words, nighttime electricity use costs $.04655/kWh. Subtract the EV discount of $.02500 from the base period and you get $.02155/kWh. Multiply that by 12.9kWh to charge the Volt and you get .277995, or approx. 28 pennies to charge the Volt overnight in LA during the peak season.

Let's say you get 35 miles to a charge. The cost of 1 mile in this scenario is $.00794, or 8/10ths of a penny.

During off season the base period is actually a little more money, but to charge the Volt overnight is still approx. 33 pennies. A mile in this scenario is still under a penny.

If you drive using only electric, you're going to spend about $10/month to power your vehicle in LA and virtually nothing on gas. I average 20 miles of driving a day, well under the Volt's range. This car is certainly a good deal in terms of cost of fuel, particularly when gas prices are so high.

My advice to prospective buyers is to take a close look at how you use your current vehicle. How far do you drive every day? How often do you take long trips? The Volt dramatically loses its value if you use the gas component for more than half of your driving. Take a look at http://www.voltstats.net for actual unadulterated numbers downloaded from the Volt owner's Onstar systems.

Are you in the market for a car in that price range? There are plenty of cheaper options that offer great mileage, so the Volt may not make financial sense for you to purchase at this time(3/25/12). It may, however, make sense to look into their lease program, which is reasonably priced.

Good luck, and I hope this helps!

"written by Volt3939

I can always recharge to go more than 35 miles in a day.

A lot of businesses are installing 240V charge stations for their employees to use at work. 240V charging takes about 4 hours, so if I need to go 35 miles to work I can then charge 4 hours, drive 35 miles going to lunch, charge another 4 hours and drive 35 miles home. 105 miles in a day gas free.

The current record on VoltStats.net is 254.45 Miles in one 24 hour period, all on electricity, no gas. That was a stunt of course, to prove it can be done. "

You are the exception not the rule. Most business don't have a 240 recharging station.

254.45 miles in ONE day. Let's see I did over 250 miles in less then 4 hours went to a Dr. appointment ate lunch and drove back back all in less then 9 hours. I have to do this every threes months so it's not a stunt. I can do that every day, day in day out. And my recharge time was less than 10 minuets.

I have also noticed most of the comparisons are to cars that are much bigger than the Volt.

"written by feerbmeh,

Assume used price on Volt in 7 years, $27,000.”

Do you really think it’s going to be worth $27,000 in 7 years heck a 2005 Cadillac STS had a sticker price from $40,000 to 47,000 and a used car price today of $16,000 in excellent condition and you think a Volt, with its battery almost out of warranty is going to be $11,000 over that. And you think a Cruze is only going to be worth $2,500 when a 2005 Toyota Corolla CE Sedan 4D Mileage: 75,000 is over $10,000?

Your number a off.

Where I live, electricity is .22/KWH. With this rediculous rate, I'm only saving $1600/yr over my wife's current vehicle for direct operating costs of fuel vs. electricity...and that is using 100% electricity for the Volt. I'm sorry to say, the Volt PURCHASE won't fly for me... :-( Maybe a lease?!?

I received a chain email including info from Fox news Chevy Volt article. Here's the reply I sent back to the sender of the chain email.

Eric Bolling with Fox News doesn’t understand electric cars, batteries, and electricity fundamentals. He also doesn’t know how to fact check his articles or apply basic math. One of the biggest challenges with electric vehicles is that most of us are still learning about them. Inaccurate information does not help anyone make an accurate judgement about any technology. I like FOX news and appreciate how they balance out other news channel reporting, but they hurt their own credibility when they do grossly inaccurate reporting.

Here’s a few corrections to the below article.

1) The Volt has a 16 kwh (thousand watt hours) battery NOT “16 Khz”. Here’s an example of what 16 kwh represents: 16 kilowatt hours would be equal to 160 each 100 watt bulbs burning for 1 hour (160 bulbs X 100 watts X 1 hr = 16,000 watt hours = 16 kwhs) or 80 each 100 watt bulbs burning for 2 hours (80 bulbs X 100 watt bulbs X 2 hours). The typical home’s electric usage averages 600-1000 kwhs per month. The battery pack stores 16 kWh of energy, but, says GM, not all 16 kWh are used. A full charge adds 9.6 kWh that can be used to move the Volt and another 3-4 kWh are used in charging on a 120-volt system, less with a more efficient 220-volt charger. So a full charge on 120V power consumes 13.4 kWh

2) Kansas City Power and Light charges (http://www.kcpl.com/About/ratesOverview_KS.html) $.09469/kwh during the summer and $.07312/kwh in the winter NOT “$1.16 per kHz”.

3) Using the KCP&L rates it costs $1.27 (13.4 kwhs * .09469) to fully charge the battery in the summer and a $0.97 in the winter NOT ”$18.56”. Conservatively you’ll be able to drive 30 miles on the charge, unless your FOX news. It would cost $4.50 in gas to drive the average mid size vehicle 30 miles (the average regular unleaded gas cost in KC today is $3.60/gal and a mid size gasoline engine will have a combined fuel mileage of 24 mpg).

4) Most drivers will get 25-40 miles with a fully charged battery dependent of driving patterns, driving habits, highway/city driving, or if you’re a news reporter that needs to sensationalize the results to get a listening audience NOT 25 miles.

5) The Volt plug-in hybrid electric design is more suited for folks who want to use it as a commuter vehicle NOT for folks who take frequent “14.5 hour” “road trips” or longer daily commutes over 60 miles. The average driver drives 13,500 miles/year or an average of 37 miles per day. The average daily roundtrip commute to work is 32 miles. Age 65+ average miles driven per year is 7700. What Chevy is doing is designing a vehicle whose battery will support the average driver. They are doing this because larger capacity batteries would not be worth the extra cost and an engine could extend the driving range.

6) An average North American mid-size gasoline only engine car travels 21 mpg (US) (11 L/100 km) city,
27 mpg NOT “35 mpg”.

7) Based on several impartial driver tests the Volt averaged 30-33 mpg on a depleted battery NOT 30 mpg including the fully charged battery. The engine is just there to allow drivers to occasionally take longer trips (see bullet 5).

8) The average Volt costs closer to $38,696 (google) (excluding the $7,500 federal incentive) NOT $47,000. A quick google search indicates the average mid size vehicle cost ranges from $20,466 - $28,615 NOT $15,000. Just like a Corvette or $40K SUV, the Volt currently does not make financial sense for most folks. These early adopters choose to pay more for a Volt because, just like the Corvette and $40K SUV driver, they have their own reasons and its their choice. The costs for electric vehicles will decline as markets develop (due to the early adopters and incentives) and battery technology and hybrid electric technology continue to improve. As demand increases there will continue to be supply system challenges that will occasionally put upward price pressures on electric vehicles. Just like the silicon shortage for solar panels, steel costs for wind turbines, and concerns about lithium availability for batteries, suppliers and technology developers will figure out how to respond to the demand with new or alternative supply sources. Similar to solar companies, solar technologies or any technology, some EV related companies and some EVs will fail while other will eventually excel.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/chevyvolt.asp - snopes says the below claim is FALSE too.
A response on a GM blog was right on target when it started by quoting mathematician and ex-Dartmouth College president John Kemeny: “The man ignorant of mathematics will be increasingly limited in his grasp of the main forces of civilization.”

VOLT:
10,000 miles per year /19 mpg (avg v6/V8 engine) = 526 gallons times $4.25 (assume for next 7 years, probably will
be much higher in reality) = $2,236 per year times 7 years = $15,765 SAVED on gas.
Volt price $42,000 - $15,765 gas = $26,235. $26,235 - 7,500 rebate= $18,735
Minus $1,500 rebate= $17,235.
Assume used price on Volt in 7 years, $27,000.
You just made $10,000 profit by owning a Volt.

CRUZE:
10,000 miles per year /25 mpg (Cruse EPA City rated driving) = 400 gallons times $4.25 (assume for next 7 years,
probably will be much higher in reality) = $1,700 per year times 7 years = $11,900 SPENT on gas.
Cruze price $22,000 + $11,900 gas = $33,900. $33,000 - 0,000 rebate= $33,900
Minus $0,000 rebate= $33,900.
Assume Used price on Cruze in 7 years, $2,500.
You just lost $31,400 by owning a Cruze.

Every thing that I read makes it appear that the only thing that makes the Volt practical, is to assume that the price of gas must be high and going higher, but never takes into account the fact that as the demand for electricity increases, the utilities will be forced to raise the per kw rate. The increased use of air conditioning has already pushed the demand for electricity up.

I have a Volt and am extraordinarily pleased with it. I am tracking and crunching numbers regularly on it. For my usage right now, I figure payback over 5 years will be acheived if gas hits/stays at $3.90/gallon or so when compared to a Buick Regal or similar car. Maybe gas prices won't hit that, but like one other said, some people are willing to pay more for muscle cars with unnecessary horsepower, etc. I am willing to pay more to have the innovation, which will hopefully bring down future prices of many other electric/hybrid cars.

One thing I've noticed is that I get about 35 mpg when I am on the generator on the freeway doing about 75 mph. I do better on surface streets getting almost 45 mpg on the generator in stop and go due to the regenerative braking, etc. However, I almost am never on generator. I am able to use the battery 90% of the time, and the other 10% is usually for extended business trips. We got it in November in Michigan, and got as much as 45 miles on a charge. Temps below 25 deg. F. brings it down to just under 30 miles.

I absolutely love how the car drives! My husband bought it for himself because he could go back and forth to work on battery. I work farther away, but my company got a charging station and with gas so high, I get to drive it now. He is not getting it back!!!

A lot of the comments in favor of the volt refuse to acknowledge the life of the battery. The Prius battery replacements are currently around $4000 (the price of a new engine in most gasoline only compact cars) and they have a life of around 150,000 miles. If you want to keep the car until it dies, you would do much better in an all gasoline vehicle which can last more than 200,000 miles with regular preventive maintenance.

I love how it cost $45,000 for a electric car that's only $20,000 for its gas counterpart. So let's see, if I can do some math here... lets say you drive 10,000 miles a year, you save only $800 over that year in savings from driving the 2 cars! So it would take you only 31 years to break out even! If you add in the $7,500 tax break... (which taxpayers are paying for, which is a joke!) Then it would still take you 21 years to break even! The math doesn't look so great anymore!!! Oh, and that isn't adding in the cost of the battery replacements over those 30 years... which might make it 40-50 years to actually break even! But hey, everyone has a car that last that long!

What about the cost to replace all the batteries on the vehicle? They don't last forever and I'm sure they are not the same type of battery found in standard cars so I don't know what the life expectancy is on them.

Thanks Rob,

My Volt does well above average due to the great conditions in my region. I can get at least 40-45 EV miles in warm CA weather, and I pay only 80-90 cents to fully charge with SMUD Tier 1 Greenergy rates :)

"Now at 35 mile a day and if you drive that every day it would take 6 to 7 YEARS to break even assuming you pay 0 to recharge the Volt. Any miles driven over 35 miles during a day don't count because you are on a gasoline engine. And yes I know there is a tax rebate, but all that really does if force your neighbors to pay for your car."

I can always recharge to go more than 35 miles in a day.

A lot of businesses are installing 240V charge stations for their employees to use at work. 240V charging takes about 4 hours, so if I need to go 35 miles to work I can then charge 4 hours, drive 35 miles going to lunch, charge another 4 hours and drive 35 miles home. 105 miles in a day gas free.

The current record on VoltStats.net is 254.45 Miles in one 24 hour period, all on electricity, no gas. That was a stunt of course, to prove it can be done.

"9.6 kWh is used to propel the car and accessories and 3.3kWh is used in the charging process"

This is for 120V charging right? The one that takes around 10 hours to fill a battery from "empty"? Sure, that's what most people understand, and will most likely use.

I think it would be good to add that 240V charging only takes 4 hours and is more efficient since the losses occur for a shorter time.

To me the cost of the Volt is the same as investing in any new technology. Just like flat screen TV’s the price will come down as technology advances. We can debate all day how much you save or don’t, but here are some facts to consider.

1. Not one muscle car on the rode was purchased because the owner needed the extra power. Why not enjoy the “extra technology” in the Volt, to justify the difference in costs.

2. The performance is great.

3. Most drivers can literally get to work and back without ever having to buy gas. Even if you drive farther than the battery charge, the extra gas needed is very small. This is very empowering, in the effort to reduce our dependency on oil (and the countries we are forced to buy it from ).

4. No matter what the planet ends up going to in the future, wether it be hydrogen, solar, wind or even if we continue with hybrids, we will have to keep improving the batteries, electric motors and control systems. Buying the Volt encourages these technologies which will bring the price down for everyone.

5. In the end, the price of hybrids will be affordable to everyone. This is the future, and if the US doesn’t do this, other countries will. And don’t forget, the day gas prices sky rocket people will be fighting each to get their hands on a hybrid.

Thanks for setting Eric Bolling at Fox News straight. They ought to strip him from his Duke degree.

My Volt hit 11,000 miles just the other day - used 61 gallons of gas. That math is pretty easy to do too . . .

I have a Volt on order that is due in ANY DAY NOW. Before ordering I created an exhaustive spreadsheet comparing the car my wife currently drives (2009 Malibu) and vehicles in her "consider to LEASE" set, not somebody else's idea of what fuel efficient model best compared (she'd never own or lease a Prius). We factored in her driving habits...32 miles per day average, more on weekends, less on weekdays, the sticker FE for the vehicles she considered (2012 Malibu, 2012 Equinox / Terrain) and the total operating cost of each option over the 3 year lease period (down payment + 36 lease payments + gasoline req'd assuming $3.75/gal + electricity used assuming $37/mo on DTE plan). When the smoke cleared, our analysis showed that the lease price on the Volt would have to be @ $440 a month or less to break even to our 2nd choice in total out of pocket cost over the 36 month lease, including down payment. The vehicle we ordered will be just a touch over $400. My wife also commented that she could not place an accurate dollar amount on the stress relief of not having to plan gas station stops, but that the utility factor would be EXTREMEMLY HIGH. As I stated earlier, we're waiting for the dealer to call.

The issue is the hoax email which is inaccurate not the comments of the FoxNews report. FoxNews' complaint is about the high cost of the taxpayer subsidized volt ($46K), short range on battery only, GM bailouts that have not been payed back (another $50B to go), and tax credits ($7.5K and $10K for 2012) given to the Volt buyers whose average income is $170K.

I agree with all of the statements in this article, but still have trouble grasping the cost of buying a volt. You can buy lots of gas for the extra $20000 it will cost to purchase this car vs. a conventional gas car that gets 35 mpg.

I am Volt owner in Dallas area for nearly 6 months now. The car has exceeded my expectation on my gas cost savings. For my driving style I am getting about 2500-3000 miles per tank. Since my annual miles is around 8000 miles I am expecting to fill gas 2.5 times per year. With my previous car I was filling every 2-3 weeks. My savings has worked out to be about $1000 per year. Obviously depends on gas price.

If you are a prospective buyer looking at volt here is a simple way to find out if Volt is your car financially. If you drive less than 30 miles a day 80% of the days then it is a good car for you. One caveats to this - if you live in a colder area you might get only 25 miles on some days. Lowest I have gotten is 28 EV miles to date but this year our winter day time temperature has not dropped below 0 either. Another thing that made a big difference for me is 240V charger. This pretty much reduced my gas consumption on the weekends to zero because I can now charge couple times in a day if I have to.

Hope you guys find this useful. Either way once you drive an electric car you will not go back to gasoline car. Feels very 20th century....

The math works out even better when you're regularly getting > 50 miles per charge. I'm assuming my commute (13 miles, lots of stopping-and-starting, and rarely getting above 35 mph) is ideal for the Volt. One factor that is not considered in the cost is that I'm much less stressed driving to and from work each day. I want to keep the ball in the middle and the leaves rotating as much as possible. [Volt owners will understand].

Cost of my Volt: $40,000, Increase in monthly utility bill: about $10, Loving the commute to work and being a much less-stressed driver: PRICELESS.

I think one thing that is way under stated is the 35 mpg that the Volt gets in city driving when the battery is depleted.
I can't think of any other cars that can get 35 mpg in city driving. Sure they get it in hightway driving, but not city.
Even if you never charged the battery this is excellent mpg. Can the Cruze get 35 in city driving??

@allen - Good questions!
With the Volt, electric and gasoline fuel sources are a logical OR. You don't need to ever plug in the car and you can fill it at gas stations like a conventional car if you like. Similarly, if your travels are such that you drive less than 30 miles between charges, you can use just electricity and never buy gas. The battery management system is very intelligent. The Volt always maintains sufficient charge to spin up the gas engine even if the battery shows "empty". There's also a small 12-volt battery for the lights and electronics separate and apart from the battery used to move the car. If you have a dead 12-volt battery from leaving accessories on, you can jump-start the Volt like a regular car. It's actually a lot easier than a conventional car because you don't need to directly crank the gas engine, just boot up the car and then the motive battery will spin up the gas engine if needed.

Most of the public charging stations are free to use. A small percentage are located in paid parking garages where you pay the regular parking rates but nothing extra for the electricity. Often just the opposite, cars park for free while charging. Another advantage is that the EV charging stations are usually very close to the business, typically next to the handicapped spots so the parking is often more convenient. It's a win-win for the business and/or the business district. EV owners, especially those without the Volt's range extender, will stay a while and spend money at the business. A mall, restaurant or movie theater with an EV charger is likely to attract customers who will pay to shop, eat or see a movie while charging (for free).

There are a very few public charging stations that require payment for use, and it typically is per hour or per use as opposed to metered electricity. Most states require those selling electricity to be regulated utility companies so that's another reason so many of them are free.

Price comparison to the Cruze needs to be like-for-like, with NAV, bluetooth, and all of the other accessories to equip it similarly to the Volt.

In addition, the Volt is just plain an awesome car to drive.

As far as the math, one thing that people haven't mentioned is that maintenance costs on a Volt are far less than a conventional gasoline car. You'll likely not need a brake job for well over 100k miles due to regenerative braking. I've got 12K miles on my Volt after over a year and haven't needed an oil change, nor will I for quite a while. Display says 46% oil life remaining. The same applies for everything else associated with gasoline engines. Mufflers, water pump, valves, etc. just don't get used nearly as much and will last many more miles. In my case over 80% of my mileage is electric so the gas engine and all of its related parts will last about 5 times as long, probably more as the RPMs are held at the sweet spot, no idling, etc.

If your electric utility offers time-sensitive metering and you charge at night, you'll pay about five cents per kWh, so figure about 1.25 cents per mile.

Keep in mind that the cost of gasoline is going nowhere but up over the long run. Electricity of course is generated. If any of the solar cell advances that are in the laboratory stage at present make it to the street, charging a Volt will be the smallest expense of your budget.

Refering to the Fox News segment, it is just another example of Fox never being able to reliably separate political fiction from scientific fact. Even basic math and a rudimentary understanding the process of a hybrid design eludes them. It also shows how seriously out of touch the crew was of their own home budget costs: Imagine Eric getting a $3,000.00 electric bill for a typical single family home based on his absurd $1.16 pkh statement. Way to go Fox News...very educational.

Ok if you compare the Volt to another 5 door hatch back say the Ford Focus or a Chevrolet Cruze Eco, you pay (base prices) 12,000 to 14,000 more for the Volt. Say gasoline is $5 a gallon and you NEVER drive on the gas engine you would have to drive between 75,000 to 89,000 miles to break even (assuming 30 mpg for the Focus and Cruze Eco). Now at 35 mile a day and if you drive that every day it would take 6 to 7 YEARS to break even assuming you pay 0 to recharge the Volt. Any miles driven over 35 miles during a day don't count because you are on a gasoline engine. And yes I know there is a tax rebate, but all that really does if force your neighbors to pay for your car. So with the Volt I have to drive the car every day for over five years just to break even. After 35 miles I'm really not getting any better fuel mileage than a Focus or Cruze I'm spending a ton more money, I forcing others to pay for my car. Yep sounds like a good deal to me.

I did a careful comparison of the cruse vs the volt, in Toronto the volt is about 14k more when you include tax, freight etc, althought I should point out that the volt I spec,d out has the Nav system , heated leather seats etc, so it's a much nicer car, and has a nicer ride. But if you take into account the volts equal insurance cost ( don't ask me why a higher costing car cost the same to insure but it does ) , assuming 75% electric driving, lower service cost at only 1/4 the number of oil changes, and gas here being $4.50 a gallon vs electrons of .06kwh, 0.11 kwh including all cost, then I came in with a break even of 5 years. Althought it's not really a break even as the volt will be worth considerable more in five years than the cruse, but I just took that as a bonus and ordered the volt... Been driving it now for five months and I couldn't be happier with a running total of 5500 km so far at 1.9 liters per 100 km, or 120 mpg. Expectations exceeded!

How can I get a .jpg of the graphic showing the mileage/costs with the Volt? It's at the bottom of the article but not worth 'right clicking' on because it's super low resolution. I'd like to post it on FB.

I think some of the misinformation out there is based on the assumption that you can't start a car with a dead battery..... therefore after exhausting the battery and then running down the fuel level you would have to pull ijto a gas station and turn off the engine. Then when you finish gassing up you would have to recharge the battery prior before the starter would operate. I am reasomably sure this is NOT the case with the volt, but I would like to know for sure.

Second.... there is much misinformation out there about electric rates. How much do they charge at these 450 charging stations around the country? Is this where someone is getting this figure of well over $1.00 per KWh? I assume it will be considerably more than the 10 to 12 cents I pay at home..... before all the delivery charges and such are added in.

Robert,

Good point - we updated the post with some information. 12.9 kWh is used for charging and driving - 9.6 kWh is used to propel the car and accessories and 3.3kWh is used in the charging process. With $.12 per kWh, that would be about $1.55 to fully charge - I see your own rates are a little above that. Thanks!

- Doug Wernert
Chevrolet VoltAge community manager

Nice job Rob!

Thanks for the breakdown of Volt expenses. One error I see is in your estimate of how much power is used to charge the 10.4 kWhrs in the battery. I have been measuring the power used to charge my Volt (9954). It takes approximately 13 kWhrs. I have discussed this with the Volt team and they say that is normal, because while charging the battery needs to be maintained at temperature which means fans, and pumps and such need to operate.

Go to the Volt web site, check out the Volt FAQ and take a look at note #6 which states:

(6) Based on national average of 12 cents per kWh and 12.9 kwH for a full charge ($1.55).

Another error in your numbers (and the numbers in not 6) is the cost for electricity. While the electricity cost may say $0.12 per kilowatt hour (kWhr) there are delivery charges that are based on how many kWhrs are used. Example: Looking at my power bill it shows that I pay $0.109 for electricity, however my total bill (with delivery charges included) shows I pay $0.174. So it costs me 13 x 0.174 = $2.262 to fully charge my Volt.

I love my volt! Got it as a Christmas present December 2010. I rarely use gas unless i Have to travel a long distance. I had a guy in a masserrTti chase me down on 95 to stare at my car And ask me How I liked it. My girlfriends laugh.... I'm married but they crack up at EVERY stop light the first year i Had the car people put their windows down to talk to me about the car. I was even asked to join someone for a drink while they were asking me about my car... A little too much, of course I did not go! But you single girls out there a lot of guys want to know about this car lol... Back to the volt... I think I've had 7 tanks of gas since I've had the car. I LOVE IT!! I get about 41 miles per charge.

I love numbers and own a volt. Over 10 years which is the time I plan to own my Volt, the math is even simpler. Volt 40K, Camry 25K. In Illinois we get 7500 + 4000 in tax credits/rebates. That brings my Volt down to 28500. So a diffrence of 3000. I get a very nice car that drives like an Audi and I save $150 a month, and thats not fiction I have driven the volt for 6 months and 70% electric. So my Car which drives better than a Camry will in about 3 years cost less than a Camry. No brake replacements, 1 Oil Change. Over 10 Years my car will cost about the same as a cheby cruze in ownership but I with a few benefits.

1. High Tech Car
2. Very fun to drive
3. Better looking Car
4. The money I spend on the Car stay in the US and reduces demand of Gas/Oil for everybody

Thats my math.

It just make sense to get a volt if your looking for a new smaller sedan luxury or economic.

I have a Prius and a Volt, and have to respond to one major issue I have with all comparisons on cost over another vehicle - monthly payment. So many people focus on the cost to purchase the Volt... but I don't know anyone who doesn't lease the vehicle... the lease is $349/mo, and my guess is that the lease will be $269/mo by the end of this year due to plummeting battery prices and slightly increased down payments. If a Prius can lease for $169/mo and is quite a bit less expensive, I'm guessing the Volt will start to lease for less, and very soon. Most people need to only compare the monthly payment cost, plain and simple. Once you have your monthly payment, you find an outlet at work and charge your car while at work, then go home, park your car without charging it if you don't have to, then go back to work in the morning and charge your car. No matter where I go - a movie theater, shopping center, the gym, etc. I always find an outlet to plug into if there's no charging station. I can't even charge my car at home because I live in a high rise with an HOA that doesn't allow charging. I still save money over paying for gas, as well as time from having to go to gas stations.

For those who talk about the cost of the vehicle, and how many miles it takes to justify the expense... again, look at the monthly cost for the lease.... and again, compare to a car you used to drive a few years back. I used to drive a Jeep Wrangler Sahara V6 that got 9mpg due to modifications to the vehicle... it was a $35,000 Jeep - 15 years ago! I drove 2000 miles a month - let's say I was still driving that car and gas was $3.599 a gallon - that's $799.78 a MONTH on gasoline, plus I still had a car payment of $485/mo to pay!!! Now I drive a Volt at $349/mo and pay nothing for gas. Well, okay, I have used 0.5 gallons over the past 900 miles of driving... I hate to admit that... so that's $2 compared to $800.

This should be the Volt commercials... two columns.... Ben and his cars... Jeep vs Volt - holy crap I spent so much money on driving back then!!!!

THe math is correct and absolutely fantastic to see it broken down.

I don't deny that the Volt > Gas power cars on running costs. Where I struggle is the cost difference to purchasing the Volt over the gas power car. 41,000 is significantly higher than the 23-25k gas powered cars. Yes there's that 7,500 but it's a tax credit so you have to pay your taxes and fees off that 41k first then you get your 7,500 later. It helps, but doesn't help enough.

The only way I've gotten the volt to come ahead financially is to take a 10 life of both volt and a gas power car. Assume the batter doesn't need to be replace and doesn't reduce in capacity. Then if gas was 6.90 for the 10 year period - the Volt wins... barely.

Which is sad. I would love to buy a volt. I wan to drive a Volt. I just can't financially rationalize buying a volt.

The economics of the Volt are good, but I don't think it's the #1 thing to emphasize. There are so many puts and takes with respect to the initial purchase price (premium), the eventual (some time after 10 years) battery replacement, and so forth, that it can easily get a bit fuzzy overall. GM should instead emphasize that the car simply drives better than any other car on the market: It's silent, vibrates less, has a uniquely smooth power delivery that's better than a Rolls Royce Phantom, and is overall built like a tank and performs like a luxury/performance car. In many ways, it's a Porsche Panamera at half the price, but obviously with all sorts of advantages as well. Yes, some of the plastics are not nearly in luxury territory (inside of doors, etc), but overall it's a premium car and should not be compared with other basic cheap and lower-end hybrid cars priced between $15,000 and $35,000. A fully loaded Volt is $45,000 before tax rebates (could be over $7,500 in total), which is overall a fair price for what you get for the money. If the size of the Volt fits your needs, it will be performing better than you can imagine.

As the author mentioned, lots of Volt drivers like to analyze their costs. I went so far as to write an app for Windows Phone, Car Shopper, that takes into account everything I could think of. I've owned my Volt since October 2011, and so far I'm spending $35/month on electricity, where I was spending close to $200/month before on gas. My expectations have borne out remarkably well and the car is delivering as advertised. Great job Chevy!

I am a Chevy Volt owner and very satisfied with the car. It is handling the WI winter well, but the battery is affected by temp. I would recommend you compare the Volt to the Cruze ECO and take into account the cost of the initial purchase. Although the cost per trip is less very close to the scenario above, the cost to purchase the vehicle is more significant than the operating expense.