2011 Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf: May Fuel Economy Update

Forgetting the Leaf, which is not suitable for most people, and looking only at cost per mile, here is my take:

The only real automobile above is the Fusion, and its 9.1 cents per mile is not far below the Volt's 8.3 cents per mile. Fusion hybrids can be had for under 30K, and that would be my choice if I HAD to buy an alternative fuel car.

Why isn't the leaf sustainable? For most americans with a round trip commute of less than 20 miles, the Leaf works.

What's wrong with the Prius? It's got a ton of interior space and a big trunk. Yes it drives horribly but Americans simply don't care about that. All things considered, the Prius is still the hybrid to beat.

Prius v. Fusion:

Trunk: 21/11
Max Cargo: 39:11
Interior Vol: 115:111

Prius is cheaper, has more space, a bigger boot and gets better mileage. What makes the Fusion a real automobile?

I don't think the Prius drives horribly. Sure it's not sporty or fun but IMHO it's no worse then the Camry or Corolla.

If you think of cars as just transportation (and millions do) then the Prius is the clear winner.

If the price comes down and the range goes up then the Leaf will move ahead.

The Fusion is a nice car but the mileage isn't good enough to justify the extra cost of the already decent regular Fusion.

"Some people don't like my persistent use of the word "fuel" with respect to electricity."

Dont worry Dan, it wouldn't be IL if we didn't have something to complain about.

I appreciate your effort in disecting these 2 cars. What is very obvious to me is the Leaf costs less per mile to operate. I would definitely consider a pure EV as a commuter, I just need more real world miles, as opposed to EPA miles. When the Leaf or Focus EV or some other affordable car can get a true 150 miles minimum in Winter, I will buy. Until then, early adopters, please keep buying.

Thank you.

My wife owns a Prius and it has been wonderful....reliable and thrifty. A Fusion or a MKZ hybrid is just simply a nicer car all the way around. It is not as practical for sure but it drives nicer and is a lot nicer inside. I also like the Lexus CT hybrid a lot.

"All things considered, the Prius is still the hybrid to beat. "

For the price. For an upscale hybrid the Ford or Lincon or CT make more sense than the Volt which has such a small back seat. (At least cost wise)

"The only real automobile above is the Fusion"

Really?

Seriously?

Is there a scientific definition for "real automobile" or it's based your CD (Colonoscopic Definition)?

they both are performing as advertised so it seems the EPA ratings were pretty accurate. The EPA's ratings of electric range seem better than their mileage ratings for normal cars.

I finally got a chance to see the Volt in real life. I think it looks pretty nice. It's wide, it's low and well proportioned. I must admit that I haven't driven any hybrid or electric car but so far, the Volt has my vote... just based on total perception. The Fusion is a cool option as well. I find most Toyota/Lexus products unattractive and the Prius is probably their most visually unappealing vehicle.

"Some people don't like my persistent use of the word "fuel" with respect to electricity."

Said people don't know what they're talking about. Fuel is an energy source. Nothing more; nothing less.

"We have heard Jekyll and Hyde stories of folks driving sedately to get a good electric range number to appear on the Volt's screen, after which they try to make up for lost time once the gas engine comes on."

While that may be true for some, the EPA EV numbers are simply pessimistic, at least in the case of the Volt. The EPA applies the exact same "fudge factor" to EV miles that they use for the gasoline tests and it's just not appropriate. My EV miles crush the EPA estimate but my gasoline MPG (when I take care to drive the same) merely matches it.

They've made a decent attempt but the EPA needs to do something to accomodate HVAC use, which they ignore. Heat is free in a gas-powered car but kills you in EV mode. AC isn't quite as bad, maybe 1/4-1/3 the impact of heat in my non-scientific observations.

@fushigi: "Said people don't know what they're talking about. Fuel is an energy source. Nothing more; nothing less. "

No. "Fuel" is, a *material* used to produce heat or power, which is not the same thing. Fuel powers the electric plants but electricity is not "fuel".

@throwback: "What is very obvious to me is the Leaf costs less per mile to operate."

Operated as an EV, the Volt is a few percent more expensive to operate per mile. The Edmunds numbers are skewed by a number of long trips using gasoline, which the Leaf could not do.

I've driven 2700 miles w/o buying gasoline for my Volt. In NJ (0.17/kWh), it works out to something like 6 cents/mile overall. At .11 (national average), I'd be under 4 cents/mile. (Cue: "it's still more expensive OVERALL, blah blah blah." Yeah, I get it. I just like the car and find the numbers interesting.)

@mfennell - From dictionary.com: "an energy source for engines, power plants, or reactors"

There's nothing in there that it must be material. Other sites do state material as part of the definition, though, so opinions vary.

We can agree to disagree, but my interpretation is that electricity is a fuel. It is a derived fuel that's created by consuming other fuel. Gas, though, is a (refined) derived fuel that's created by processing dead animals with heat & pressure for a few million years.

That's the 3rd definition. The 1st says "combustible matter". :)

Dan can obviously say "fuel" if he wants to. "Energy" would be more semantically correct IMHO.

In the picture, I recommend using the L2 charger since it's sittle there idle instead of plugging in your own L1 charger.

How about the June update?

I just bought a LEAF 4 weeks ago. I'm an average US family man with a wife and 2 kids. Our other cars are an 06 Ford Freestyle and a 97 Geo Prizm (got the Prizm a few years back with only 8,000 miles on it so it's still in great shape). We've always been a 2 car family. We're keeping the Prizm since my older daughter will be driving in about a year.
I commute 28 miles round trip to work, about 5 miles additional at lunch, and then about 17 miles after work running errands and delivering kids to all their sports. On average I go about 50 miles each day (and that's pretty consistent). Before the LEAF, we drove the Freestyle for most of our running around. Now we drive the LEAF exclusively. I top the battery off to 80% each night (80% is recommended for optimum battery life) and each day I get home with about 45 mile remaining. I average 4.4 miles per kWhr driving the LEAF. That's about a 106 mile range on a full charge. I live in Plano, TX, a suburb of Dallas. My driving is mostly suburban at 35-50mph with a little freeway driving on my commute back and forth to work.
We pay about 2 cents per mile in the LEAF and 18 cents per mile for the Freestyle (assuming 10cents/kwhr electric and $3.50/gal gas) for a savings of about $250 per month. We absolutely love the LEAF and would buy a second if we could afford it and they were available.