2011 Chevrolet Volt Priced at $41,000

I'd go with the Fusion or the TDI.

"totally not worth it."

few, if any, hybirds really are. It's mostly about the image so if they can crack the 'gotta have it just so I can say I have it' market then they'll be set.

I remember a while back some exec said it would be "comfortably below $30000". There's been reports ever since then saying that the cost of the batteries R&D it could be priced in the 40s.

I'm sure it will still sell pretty well. Perhaps it will be the new prius in terms of the smugness sell factor.

I support the science behind the idea of plug in hybrids, but I dislike the fact they are focusing more on marketing than on letting the numbers speak for themselves.

I must admit, I am excited to hear whether or not this lives up to expectations.

ouch - $41k

it better live up to (or exceed) expectations

first blush, it's too small and plain to justify the price tag regardless of the technology and/or mileage

The car would have a better perceived value if it were a Cadillac Volt.
Why didn't they engineer a solar paneled roof into this car to power accessories and help charge the main cells.?

Volt < competition

What makes GM think that they can get a premium for the Volt over the Fusion, Camry, and Altima hybrids?

If it were a revolutionary technology like the Honda Clarity, that would be one thing, but it's just another permutation of the basic hybrid.

Save the money and get a nice Malibu that you will enjoy driving more and will spend less on overall during your ownership.

Whoever wants to be an early adopter of the technology will gladly pay it. Remember, CD players and camcorders cost $1,000 when they came out, too. I'm surprised they didn't offer it for lease only (perhaps with a buy option at the end).

"Save the money and get a nice Malibu that you will enjoy driving more and will spend less on overall during your ownership."

I'd enjoy a Camaro SS more but that's not the point.

Amazing how happy Americans are to see the failure of American innovation.

@xprojected

CD players and camcorders were such a huge step in technology that even the least informed consumer could tell the difference. They were obviously the future to replace older formats. The Volt is neither a huge leap, or an obvious replacement therefore it isn't necessarily worth that early adopter fee.

Tony J. DiSalle should have to the world that the Volt isn't comparable with anything else in the market and it's the one and only unique Volt (the one and only part is totally %100 true), since GM also uses "The Professional Grade" as a slogan for the not so professional grade GMC trucks. And I'm sure a lot of people will buy into it... (hahhahahaaha)
Perhaps Obama will make it into a law to require all government agencies in the USA to start using the Volt.

ARE YOU KIDDING ME GM??? $41 grand? And this is the car that is supposed to be your savior???
Please.

I'd rather walk everywhere than be seen in a hybrid.

@xprojected; I agree with you. I have to disagree with lostboyz. The Volt, while it SEEMS like it's not a huge step, is in fact a shift in the way cars are powered.

The automotive press has really been mislabeling this car as a plug-in hybrid. Sure, it has a gasoline engine in it, but unlike an actual hybrid, the gas engine never actually powers the car.

The Volt is basically like running the power in your house with a gas generator. It drives full-time on electric power, and only uses the gas engine to power the batteries when they are depleted.

As I see it, the Volt is basically like the Honda FCX Clarity, but is a more reasonably priced step (in terms of R&D) to the next generation of drivetrains. Plus it can run exclusively on its batteries for a time, can be plugged in to recharge its batteries, and uses gasoline instead of hydrogen to create the electricity when the batteries need it, which is a more convenient solution in today's infrastructure.

I applaud an American manufacturer for keeping an innovative spirit. This is a huge leap I believe. The next gen will have an even longer all-electricity range, and when the infrastructure is in place, can be converted to run on natural gas, hydrogen, or whatever other substance they find that can more cleanly power the "generator" for this car.

Wow, 41K!!! Not much pf a gas saving over the price of non-hybrid/electric cars if you work that price into it.

Buy a regular car and save around 18K for gas which would buy you a total mileage of 150K+.

I guess it's for the environmentally conscious consumers.

I hope it does well....

so this car would be perfect for those who runs solar in their houses?

For the 2% of the market buying a hybrid or electric the Volt will be an attractive option, for the other 98% of us it is irrelevant.

Shockingly the people who dont even understand the car isnt a hybrid are also saying its too expensive.

Comparing it to a stripped down Prius or Insight is pretty stupid because the car is loaded with equipment like NAV, BOSE, push button start, auto climate control, 17" wheels, etc. A loaded Prius is about $34k. The Insight isnt even close to being in the same league in terms of technology and features.

This car isnt a hybrid, it doesn't use an engine to propel the car. They only plan to sell 10k a year once they get ramped up- this is a technological statement not a volume seller or GM's "savior" as someone said. If you think that low pricing guarantees high sales figures for a "green" car the Insight's track record will show you otherwise. Many thought the Insight would hurt the Prius because its cheaper but that hasnt been the case because the Prius is far more advanced and efficient.

@coolb944

the whole point of an electric vehicle is instead of every car on the road making their own power they can charge batteries from power generated at plants that are exponentially more efficient. By taking an electric motor and powering it with a gas engine you aren't changing anything. Frankly its just testing for the motor while the battery technology catches up.

what technological statement is that? We can power a car with an electric motor? Though our batteries aren't good enough so we through a gas engine in there anyway? This car is no more green than a camaro SS.

Just because it isn't a hybrid, its still completely missing the point of an electric vehicle. Tap off the grid where the power production is made at an exponentially more efficient rate. I'm disappointed to see $7,500 tax credit on these. If they sell all 10k of them, thats $750mil per year!

"I'd rather walk everywhere than be seen in a hybrid."

Are there really people who think like this? I find that kind of attitude frankly childish. Do you throw a tantrum when you dont get your way? Why would you care what other people think of you and what you drive? If you self image is based on your car, you indeed need help.

@bodyblue

This is a site that is populated by a lot of car enthusiasts, of course part of our self image is on what car we drive. Why is that so crazy?

Completely totally not worth it. For 41k you could almost get a 6.2L Raptor.

1487 you are talking symantics. The Volt is not an electric car like the Leaf and Tesla are. And it is not a conventional hybrid in that the engine has no mechanical connection to the wheels, but it IS a hybrid, simply one that capitalizes on GM's extensive experience with diesel-electric locomotives to marry the two sources of power in a unique (from an automotive perspective) way.

The question is: is GM's way superior to the other manufacturers? Personally I look forward to reading a full test of an actual production Volt and a comparison with its key competitors.

@lostboyz:

Being powered by electric motors allows the engine to run like a generator rather than a traditional vehicle. In this way, the engine runs more efficiently, burning less fossil fuels. Since the engine isn't taxed by the vehicle's weight or the terrain it's being driven on, you can count on it producing less pollutants.

Electric vehicles don't have the infrastructure to be wildly popular, and the infrastructure is not likely to be widespread for quite some time. The Volt doesn't need the infrastructure and is likely to become cheaper to buy before the infrastructure catches up. When the infrastructure finally catches up, the Volt might become extinct, but I think there will be a market for that kind of technology for quite some time.

There's no single piece of technology that is revolutionary about the Volt. What is revolutionary is the entire package being for sale in the mainstream market. Also, $7,500 multiplied by 10,000 is $75 million, not $750 million.

"This is a site that is populated by a lot of car enthusiasts, of course part of our self image is on what car we drive. Why is that so crazy?"

Do you really have to ask?....OK here is my take. A well balanced person with a positive self image and healthy ego does not need any exterior props to enhance their own self image. If somebody thinks the car they drive in some way make them superior to someone else, that is quite sick. Now you said "part of our self image"...now I can see maybe just a bit of self image but not much. But if you make the stupid statement "'d rather walk everywhere than be seen in a hybrid." then you have a problem. I love cars...I have had 17 of them over the years....as long as I liked them I cared nothing about what others thought of them. I loved my 2005 Mustang GT but I also loved my 1973 Comet with 302 V8....it was primer gray but I pumped up the 302 and just had a blast with it going back and forth to work for the 2 years I had it. I also really liked my 77 LTD station wagon I bought for $200 from a friend when I was first married and had no money for a family car (I had my Capri RS Turbo)....it was a slow pig but with some time I got it running nice....put some duel pipes on it to help it breathe and ended up really liking it. It just does not matter what anybody else thinks of what you drive as long as you like it.

I also agree with @xprojected.

We just bought a $75,000 Escalade Hybrid this weekend. I'm sure several of you will blast us for paying extra for a hybrid that barely gets 20mpg. However, you need to consider that the car only costs 3k more than the regular Escalade. When you're spending 70k, that really is no big deal. Heck, the added city range and running on regular fuel will pay for itself. Plus, we're being semi-responsible since I drive a CTS-V. Who would think that an Escalade would get better mileage than a sport sedan?

Now, onto those questioning whether the Volt is a leap forward in auto-technology. It is! There is not another car on sale nor has there every been (mass market) that uses this technology. It is an electric car with a built-in range extender. You can drive this everyday and go on cross country trips with it. It will not burn any gasoline for the average commute, yet it can still drive much farther if necessary....you know....like a regular car.

The other thing being missed by those questioning the technology is the fact that GM can put whatever type of range extending engine they want back there. That extender could be gasoline, diesel, hydrogen or whatever else they want. The only requirement is the amount of juice that this extender needs to produce.

Now, onto price. This is brand new technology (others disagree) which requires tremendous research and development. The software programming alone on this car probably runs in the 100-200 million dollar range right now. If you don't work in the software world you just wouldn't understand how much work this involves. The amount of testing is HUGE!!!!

A lease for $350 is very reasonable and I think most people will take this option. The 41k price tag is not that outrageous when you consider that this car has every option imaginable, or when you consider how much a minivan or Mustang convertible costs. The actual transaction price will be closer to the 34k mark when you add in the Federal rebate, which slots-in very close to that of a loaded Prius, this cars direct competition.

As for 'smug' factor. I know a few people with Hybrids (Prius owners) and they are far from smug. They are just regular people that wanted to buy a car with good gas mileage. I think this entire 'smug' thing is just another case of labeling drivers (think Corvette or Camaro or BMW or Porsche). I remember I used to call guys who drove Bimmers, Porsches and Vettes rich douchebags or dicks. Now that I'm in my mid-30's and I can afford these vehicles, I realize that I was just being a jealous hater at the time. I think the same goes for Hybrids....lots of hate out there.

10-15 years from now I think there will be dozens of cars using this same type of technology and the infrastructure will rapidly change. It will be the 'internet' of the automobile.

@arumage

is it more efficient than traditional hybrid? Maybe. But its still no more efficient than a clean diesel. The diesel is also a lot simpler so it will be guaranteed to be more reliable, easier to build, easier to repair, and doesn't need a $7500 rebate to be successful. It just needs the U.S. government to drop ridiculous diesel regulatory standards from the 1970s.

I'm perfectly fine with people driving generally whatever they want, and that means I'm fine with cars that our state and local governments often won't allow.

That said, I have a serious issue with a $7500 tax credit going to anyone who purchases the government's car of choice and I don't care who makes it. Its the same issue I had with the cash for clunkers program, or any other government purchase incentives.

If this car is so great, and I make no claims about whether or not it is, let it stand on its own merits. One wonders if GM might not have priced it cheaper (say, $35k?) if the Feds weren't offering a tax credit. Are we essentially giving GM a bonus here?

Finally, the claims of technological ingenuity are, IMO, a bit over the top. This is a generator, a battery and an electric motor. Nothing particularly unique or innovative there. I would argue, in fact, that the power distribution technology in the Prius is far more complex and innovative (and apparently patent infringing :).

The debate on the technology is interesting but what I want to know is the EPA confirmed mileage. Rememebr 230 MPG?

What church123 said....X1000

It doesn't matter whether it's more technological advanced than regular hybrids... the question is, what is the BENEFIT of this new technology? At best this car serves to reduce emission, but is it more efficient?

It still uses gasoline/coal/natural gas to generate electricity, and until they can convert the net energy usage, boasting 230mpg is a gimmick if not plain deception.

If you want to save the environment, drive less, car-pool, buy more EFFICIENT cars, not one powered by an electric motor and "loaded with equipment like NAV, BOSE, push button start, auto climate control, 17" CHROME wheels, etc."

This car's only purpose is to take up millions of GM R&D resource.

agree with church123

AHAHAH SWEET!!!!! NOW RICH PEOPLE CAN SAVE MONEY!!!!!!......oh wait....wow

lmbvette: Well said.

First of all it is a hybrid. Toyota and Ford choose to make their hybrids drive by gas or electric. Honda went for gas only with an electric boost. GM went for electric only with gas for charging. Doesn't matter the exact layout, they all use gas and electric motor and thus are hybrids.

I have never met a hybrid owner that was "smug" but there sure are a lot of non hybrid owners with giant chips on their shoulders about anyone choosing something other then what they like.

$41K is too much but they will sell everyone of them (for the 1st year anyhow) so I guess that doesn't matter. Toyota went after both the weathy eco market and the practical market, GM seem happy with just the weathly eco market.

Most of all I still want an extended road test/ long term test to see how this car does once the main battery is discharged. Yes I've heard all the hype about how the generator will supply the power so will won't know the difference. However I know enough about engineering to know that the only source of power on board will be a 1.4 gas engine putting out somewhere around 70 hp (before losses) so that is the maximum power the car will have. And to get that power the engine will need to be turning at it's power peak, something most people would not be happy with on a regular basis.

$41,000-$44,000 would be easier to swallow had it been branded as a Buick. The Volt even could have been an entry level Cadillac at that price point. But 44k for a car from the land of Vegas, Luminas, and Celebrities....ouch.

I think the car is worth it. Hopefully people will buy it so the technology becomes less expensive to produce. 41k - 7.5k isn't that bad for what you get. Its like any new tech it will be expensive as long as its new. The price will go down as long as it sells. And I think it will sell to mid- upper class people. I do like the fusion hybrid but all others are ridiculously ugly even if they are cheaper.

Swing and a miss.

At $33K (after incentives), it's LESS than most of the vehicles IL buys for their LT vehicles.

IL, I hope you're first in line.

To those comparing this to hybrids and the Leaf, you shouldn't.

More power to Nissan for getting the price point on the battery to where they did. That's impressive. However, that's all they did. Otherwise, it's an electric motor. Nissan doesn't even have the Volt's level of battery management, much less the ability to charge while driving down the road. Apples and oranges.

Hybrids easily reach $33K. Even a decked out Prius will beat $33K. The Volt is the first mass production series hybrid. It offers a new world of possibilities and it's price competitive.

Those claiming a diesel beats it in mpg are living in an alternate reality. I'm not even going down that road.

get a fully loaded Ford Explorer like a real man who drives a crossover.

church 123:

yes yes and yes

First of all, I wouldn't buy it based on principle. Not because its an 'electric vehicle' its because its made by a company that 60% of is still owned by the government, the R&D on it was subsidized by the government, the battery plant is subsidized by the government, and each one gets a $7,500 tax credit. Nothing about it is new tech, the only thing new is that they've thrown all of it into a car. There have been DC electric motors, small gas generators, more complex DC/DC converters, and battery management systems that have cost a lot less. Electric vehicles might have a future, but thats only when there is battery technology to give you a few hundred miles per charge. Until then, we shouldn't be mandating that it be made. If this doesn't go well it just means people who might have bought an actual EV down the road will be more hesitant to.

@church123: I could not have said it better myself. I agree completely! Thanks for the post!

"what technological statement is that? We can power a car with an electric motor? Though our batteries aren't good enough so we through a gas engine in there anyway? This car is no more green than a camaro SS."

That is one of the dumbest things I've ever read on here. There is no other car with this type of powertrain and currently there are no mass produced electrics on the road. The Leaf will be electric but it has a 100mi range under ideal conditions which means road trips are all but impossible. Would you really go somewhere 80-100 miles away in a Leaf on a hot day? The Volt can allow commuters to use the car on electric power daily but gives you the flexibility to take a 300mile trip. It is not a hybrid and it definitely uses less gas and pollutes less than any gas engine powered vehicle.

"1487 you are talking symantics. The Volt is not an electric car like the Leaf and Tesla are. "

Totally incorrect. A hybrid (in terms of cars) is a vehicle that uses an electric motor and engine to propel the car. The two systems alternate based on speed and load conditions. The Volt is an electric car, period. This is not open for debate, its a fact. The Volt is an electric car that has an engine to extend range well beyond any other electic car. If you drive less than 40 miles the Volt behaves exactly like a Leaf so I'd love to know how you can say its not an electric car. It's simply the first electric car of this kind. It baffles me (though I'm not surprised since its American) that people are actually criticizing the car for offering more capability than the Leaf.

"But its still no more efficient than a clean diesel. The diesel is also a lot simpler so it will be guaranteed to be more reliable, easier to build, easier to repair, and doesn't need a $7500 rebate to be successful. It just needs the U.S. government to drop ridiculous diesel regulatory standards from the 1970s."

A clean diesel can run for 40 miles without burning any fuel? News to me. BTW, in Europe diesel is taxed less as a subsidy to encourage use. The tax policy in Europe makes diesel fuel more attractive than gas which leads to diesels being quite popular over there. Hybrids have been subsidized for years so I'm not sure why you would expect electrics to be any different. To encourage automakers to invest billions in this new technology the government has to lure buyers with rebates. I'd guess that the average Volt buyer has paid far more than $7500 in taxes in their lifetime so you can stop pretending they are getting something for nothing.

"That said, I have a serious issue with a $7500 tax credit going to anyone who purchases the government's car of choice and I don't care who makes it. Its the same issue I had with the cash for clunkers program, or any other government purchase incentives."

The owners is simply getting tax money back that they've paid in the past or will pay in the future. I don't think many low income people will be buying a $41k car so its safe to assume most Volt owners have paid well over $7500 in taxes to the Feds in their lifetimes.

"Finally, the claims of technological ingenuity are, IMO, a bit over the top. This is a generator, a battery and an electric motor. Nothing particularly unique or innovative there. "

That must explain why there are 10 models with this low tech powertrain on the road already- oh wait nevermind.

I'm glad you pointed out that GM invested $750M for also ran technology that is far from unique. Since this is all off the shelf stuff one has to wonder why they didnt just build off what the competition has already done. Can't wait to see the first comparo between the Volt and all the other extended range hybrids on the market. Should be a large comparo.

"What church123 said....X1000"

Nothing he said actually made sense.

"Doesn't matter the exact layout, they all use gas and electric motor and thus are hybrids."

No they are not. Even the Insight uses electric power to relieve the load on the engine and boost mileage. Here, the electric motors ONLY drive the car. Period. No matter how many times people say its a hybrid in order to minimize what GM has done it wont be true. A hybrid is driven by a gasoline engine all or most of the time with some assist from electric motors under ideal conditions.

I see a pattern here in the responses: morons who think the Volt is just another hybrid with a Chevy badge say it's too expensive and won't sell. Smart people who recognize the Volt as having revolutionary game changing technology with significant advantages over the Prius and the Leaf say it's worth the price. GM needs to market the Volt to the smart, highly educated buyers, and don't waste their time or money trying to educate morons who will never understand the technology behind the Volt. Unfortunately, there are many more morons than smart people out there, and the morons seem to be reproducing faster than the smart people. Normally, natural selection would take care of things and balance it all, but the government and lawyers keep stepping in to protect the morons from themselves and messing it all up. Sorry, is that too harsh? :p

so if you drive less than 40 miles a day you don't use gas, but you haul around a gas engine just in case. Or if you are out of juice you are going to run that 70hp motor to power a battery to power a motor, sounds efficient.

There aren't any other cars like this because the US government or any other government is paying the bill to make it. Toyota was messing around with one as an experiment, but there is no plans for production.

It may not be a hybrid drivetrain, but it is by no means a pure electric vehicle.

Not taxing something isn't a subsidy. Its popular in europe because the fuel its taxed comparable to gas and there is almost none of the regulation that the US puts on to OEMS. To have special electronics that are required make the diesel option as $6k over a gas version. No wonder they aren't popular.

At least the nissan leaf isn't pretending to be a car its not. Currently electric vehicles can't replace gas cars, but if you are mostly traveling in the city than I would take 100mile range over a 40 mile electric range to not have to pay for and lug around a gas engine you don't want to use.

@stingray454 please explain where I'm wrong in understanding the 'technology' being showcased here. I mean, I'm just a dumb engineer in the automotive industry, what do I know.

Power Plug
|
Battery<--DC/DC converter---AC/DC inversion----flywheel creating AC power-1.4L
|
|
DC/AC 3 phase conversion
|
|
Electric Motor
|
|
Torque conversion to wheels

Only things I'm leaving out is regenerative braking to charge the battery and the entire 12V system that powers interior electronics. Also when in generation mode, the motor sends its power straight to the electric motor depending on the batteries state of charge. This is the most complicated drivetrain ever proposed, every time you convert energy you have losses, and this car has the most of any built.

Also I found out that according to SAE terminology the volt is a plug in hybrid, because it has 2 seperate drivetrain energy storage devices.

lostboyz:

You arent well versed in much of anything as far as I can tell. The tax credit applies to ANY electric car so you are wrong in claiming the government developed a rebate just for the Volt. This is common knowledge to intelligent people.

There are compromises in an extended range car. Yes, the engine adds weight but its the only way to allow the car to have a 350 mile range and the ability to be driven cross country. You cannot do that with the Leaf or Tesla cars. I can't even imagine how large and heavy a battery would have to be to match the Volt's 350mile range. This is the best solution for added range at this time.

If a car is the first of its type it cant fit into existing categories. This isn't a plug in hybrid. A plug in hybrid is a car that allows depleted hybrid batteries to be recharged so the car can get back to peak efficiency faster. The electric motor always powers this car- its just a matter of the energy source.

"It may not be a hybrid drivetrain, but it is by no means a pure electric vehicle. "

If you're an engineer than you know that's a lie. An electric vehicle is one in which elecric motors drive the wheels. That's the case here. There is no mechanical connection between the on board gas generator and the front wheels. Again, you should have no trouble understanding this. Do you work for Toyota?

American and European regulators target different things with their air quality rules- that's why diesels fare better in the US. I believe one is targetting CO2 emissions while the other is targetting NOx or something like that. The bottom line is US emissions regulations are more strict on the particles spewed out by diesels which makes them less palatable here.

yes the nissan also qualifies for the tax credit, but this conversation wasn't about the leaf so I didn't mention it. I disagree with the credit regardless of the car it applies to.

I agree it is impractical to have enough batteries on hand to supply a 300+ mile range, thats because the battery technology required for a full electric vehicle just isn't here yet. Rather than waiting, they have decided to make a half-assed version. At least the tesla and leaf aren't lugging around an extra engine and are capable of much more full electrive ranges.

GM created its own category to avoid the term hybrid, it doesn't matter anyway its semantics.

Again for a pure EV, as defined by SAE it must have one source of electrical power, this is simply not the case here.

Of course this is all "common knowledge to intelligent people" as you so aptly put.

Oh, poor 1487. Do you really want to go there on the tax argument? Just getting back what they've already paid in? Really, that's the best you've got? Then let's give tax credits on all sorts of expensive stuff since they'll likely go to people who've already paid money in. Your argument is foolish ad infinitum. Taxes exist to pay for services provided. Now, I'll be the first to shout from the rooftops that our government collects and wastes far too many $$$, but the best way to resolve that is to reduce taxes (and spending) across the board, not give bonuses to someone who buys a car some government wonk thinks is good. That's called picking a winner, something the government is historically very bad at. Furthermore, offering a tax credit or subsidy on a product is a sure way to boost the price of the product. You are artificially increasing demand on an item with limited supply. As I said before, the $7500 credit is essentially a gift to automakers - and I don't care which automaker (but I know you do), it is still wrong. People who _don't_ buy an Volt are going to be subsidizing those who do. I don't want to help someone else buy a car, whether they buy a 6000+ lbs SUV (business tax loophole) or an electric car. They can buy their own damn car without my $$$.

Your attempt to respond to my criticism of technological ingenuity claims is, well, not a response - except in the most literal definition that _you_ typed something after _I_ typed something. Saying that there is not another car out there with the exact combination or configuration of parts does not imply uniqueness or innovation, hence logical argument fail. First, the components used in the Volt are not new. As stated before, an electric motor, a battery pack and a gas engine. These items are already present in a number of cars, not to mention numerous other sorts of vehicles. The system configuration used to drive the Volt is not remotely new. A variety of vehicles in a variety of application spaces have used electrical propulsion backed up by on board fossil fuel driven generators. These vehicles use batteries, capacitors, or sometimes just an inverter as a buffer between the generator and motor. Juggling capacities of generators or batteries is not particularly innovative, its just evolutionary and application specific tailoring. Putting that configuration in a car does not make it particularly innovative either. This is not say there is not _any_ innovation here (and I did not write that originally either). Just that those hyping how revolutionary the Volt is are just not familiar enough with propulstion systems to realize they've bought the hype and that the hype, as is usually the case, is not really true.

But of course I'm wasting my time responding, you were too dense to understand what I posted - I know this because you wrote, "nothing he said actually made sense". Sheds a little light on your tax credit argument. And I will once again remind that I make no claims about the goodness of the Volt - I haven't driven one. I only assert that I shouldn't have to pay for someone else's, and that the technology involved is not as complex, advanced or innovative as the PR materials would have you believe.

Church123, you nail it completely. Specifically, why the heck do I want to help someone else buy a car???

LOLOLOL

$41,000 for the Chevrolet Volt. What was GM THINKING?!

People are forgetting that you get a tax credit for a buying a hybrid, no matter what. With a Toyota Prius, you get a $3150 tax credit. That means a $22800 Prius will only cost you $19650 in the end. MUCH less expensive than the $33,500 you end up paying for the Volt.

You can buy a lot of gas with $14,000.