| Author | Message | ||
     Sifo |
Anyone remember the bet Froggy made on Chevy volt sales? http://badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/4062/64 5873.html?1312416529
Looks like Chevy missed that mark by... Well, a lot! http://money.cnn.com/2013/01/03/autos/chevrolet-vo lt-sales/index.html | ||
| Froggy |
Nope, I PMed him January 10th looking for his address so I can send a check, no response. (Message edited by froggy on May 02, 2013) | ||
| Tankhead |
 | ||
| Sifo |
Maybe he should offer you double or nothing.  | ||
| Froggy |
GM scaled back production after I placed the bet so I knew it was pretty much a loss at that point short of a massive surge in demand due to gas prices, but gas didn't inflate that much so there wasn't a huge demand. The odd thing is, they are still hard to get, when I was car shopping in January, I was strongly considering a Volt and then getting a used beater truck, but I couldn't even find the Volt I wanted in a 500 mile radius. I did find very few, but none with the color or option packages I wanted. Another odd thing was that there were none in NYC. One of the largest cities on earth with over 8 million people, and one of the main targeted audiences for the car (city drivers), yet not one Volt available to even look at. I just checked the dealer inventory search, there is just only one in Manhattan right now. Someone at GM has their head up their ass, and it cost me $100. | ||
| Sifo |
It cost us all much more than $100. | ||
| Froggy |
lol | ||
| Hootowl |
How high would gas have to get to make a $40K car that gets 37 MPG off battery make economic sense when standard cars in its class be had for $25K, some of which get better mileage? A Volt, or similar plug in hybrid, might make sense for me. I have a three mile round trip commute to work. I'd hardly ever use the gas engine. On the other hand, I hardly use any gas (diesel, actually) driving back and forth to work. I might spend $40 a month on fuel. Oh, and...my car is paid for  | ||
| Froggy |
Hoot, the break even point for me was 3 years last time I looked, which made the car very attractive for me, plus then I have a new car not some old jalopy like I previously had. For you, the Spark EV would be a better fit, rumored $25k MSRP, but honestly even that is overkill if all you would use it for is a 3 mile each way commute. I'd honestly be looking at an electric scooter or a street legal Limited Use Vehicle (glorified golf cart). | ||
| Hootowl |
I've only got room in my garage for my truck, car, and three motorcycles. There is a Jetta shaped hole in there that I drive into every day. I need to get rid of some stuff. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
I kinda dig the Elios for those short hop jaunts that 'require' a car. - the pickup don't do well in congested idle zones | ||
| Strokizator |
That guy you had the bet with was me. I didn't see the PM and didn't feel the need to contact you to gloat. Plus I felt uneasy rooting against an American company even though its been tainted by the govt bail-out of the UAW. You're a stand-up guy Froggy. I admire your conviction. The bet was just a measure of your resolve. | ||
| Oldog |
You're a stand-up guy Froggy. + 2} | ||
| Iamike |
You never used to see many Buells and funny now, I see them all the time. We even had a 'May is Motorcycle Safety Month' article in the local paper and the picture is an XB9. Maybe someday we'll see Volts all the time. | ||
| Slaughter |
Our SC1 still gets 35 city and 42 hwy... with 340K miles. Don't think well be looking for an e-vehicle anytime soon. | ||
| Ulyranger |
See volts everywhere? Not going to hold my breath. The concept volt was appealing, the re-badged cruze with a bunch of batteries at almost twice the price point is a fail..... | ||
| Froggy |
Well John, I am a man of my word, if you want my money, drop me a note with your address if you want a check, or email for a paypal.
That some day is coming, I see them roughly as often as the newest style Mustang.
Withe 340k miles you will be looking at one sooner rather than later, but hopefully you cans squeeze another 340k out of it first. | ||
| Svh |
If Chevy had made it look like the Vauxhall Ampera I would be more interested. Quite a few Volts seen around here plus plenty on new and used car lots in the area too. | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
My SL1 has averaged just a tad over 40mpg in the time I've owned it, logging every gallon. Cost me a whopping $1800. I want to love EVs/hybrids, but even the efficient ones can't match the economy of a few (much cheaper) 4 bangers. Hell, my 2.5L Fusion matched the Volt for fuel efficiency and cost half as much off the lot. (Message edited by pkforbes87 on May 04, 2013) | ||
| Sifo |
I have to admit that I wonder what figures Froggy used to calculate a three year break even. The MPGe numbers that are used are based on politics, not physics. Calculations according to methods used by the Department of Energy have shown the Volt to be far less than stellar. I know when this was in the news, Froggy was a non-believer that the numbers were bogus. I say if you want a Volt, go for it, just don't ask me to help pay for it. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
is it wrong that I love the looks of the Fisker Carma .... but want to cram a Buick GNX turbo 6 in it ? (it is the only way I would own or drive it) just not on board with electric can't get there yet. | ||
| Sifo |
I see a Carma a couple or more times a week. Nice styling. Great toy for the rich. Crazy expensive for those who need economical transportation. Again, why do I have to help some rich guy pay for his toys? | ||
| Pwnzor |
My '88 Honda CRX Si still gets 43 mpg with the a/c on full blast. I paid $500 for it. | ||
| Aesquire |
The Fisker is the first car I know that commits suicide if you don't worship it's battery properly. The politics of me paying for it, are a bit bogus as well. The Volt's issues are nearly all political. A 32-36mpg car that can drive 15? miles on it's battery? Nice, but not stellar. I can get a used Prius, send it for less than $20k to have a newer, bigger battery and reprogram the system management computer and get nearly that electric only performance, and still get 40+mpg. Pwnzor, I love the CRX, but it'd never pass todays crash tests. They could easily build higher MPG cars today built to 80's crash standards. The EPA calls for one thing, and the NHTSA calls for another. The competing demands may give us safer cars, which is nice, but that hurts mileage. The simply arbitrary CAFE standard changes are going to be tough. The car makers have to make some pretty high efficiency cars, beyond what is available today, to make them. It may be impossible without "selling" near useless electric golf carts to the Government to bring the average numbers up. That MAY be the real reason for the CAFE numbers. If you don't play political ball, the govt. cancels your uber-mileage crap car dump, and you get mega-fined for not selling enough 60mpg cars. At some point it makes sense to make a fleet of solar go-carts, sell them to a shell corporation, which donates them back to be re-purchased, just to get the CAFE numbers in line. A process that will help no one, cost the consumer, ( gotta pay for the scam somehow, so your truck will cost another $2k ) and lead to lots of speech making. About how inspired the Great Leader is and how many jobs are createdorsaved and how Green we all are here In DC. (Message edited by aesquire on May 05, 2013) | ||
| Aesquire |
Full disclosure, I'm a TDI driver, love it, and am mildly evangelical. But not blinded by love. ( Turbo lag/Turbo thrust, is an acquired taste. ) Diesels probably will always have an advantage over gasoline engines, based on fuel-energy-density. The new crop of direct injection and variable valve timing cars, ( like the Dodge Dart ) will narrow the current gap in mileage between gas and diesel. I suspect that the gas engine ultimately will be a better price/benefit choice, in part because US refineries make more gas than diesel. ( Proportionate, compared to European refineries, which use a different process ) I'm not against Hybrids, am somewhat impressed with the Prius, and find a lot about the Volt's drivetrain to like. I'm very curious if a software upgrade on a Volt would make it a better "performing" car? | ||
| Sifo |
The simply arbitrary CAFE standard changes are going to be tough. The car makers have to make some pretty high efficiency cars, beyond what is available today, to make them. It may be impossible without "selling" near useless electric golf carts to the Government to bring the average numbers up. That MAY be the real reason for the CAFE numbers. If you don't play political ball, the govt. cancels your uber-mileage crap car dump, and you get mega-fined for not selling enough 60mpg cars. The problem is that politics is trumping physics. The government has provided the auto makes a way forward though. It's the MPGe (MPG equivalence) that they use to rate electric cars. Of course MPGe is also politics trumping physics, only in the opposite direction. It's simply the government forcing the people into the cars that they want us to drive instead of allowing the free market make the choice. Not unlike pushing CFL light bulbs when better technology is available. No doubt in five years there will be a good health care analogy to make too. | ||
| Aesquire |
http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ri2BG2qOvCg?feature=p layer_detailpage Oh, Canada! | ||
| Chauly |
Patrick, "am somewhat impressed with the Prius," I'm way beyond impressed with mine by any measure: just blew past 246K,still getting over 40 mpg in the mountains of Virginia...  | ||
| Aesquire |
http://www.bbcamerica.com/top-gear/videos/thirsty- prius/ My favorite Prius commentary. Dad has one, on his second, loves it. | ||
| Kenm123t |
LOL MY Tool Box in my E350 weighs more and costs more than a prius. Calculate mileage per therm and my E350 7.3 liter gets better Mptherm than a Camry Hybrid Hybrids are a limited market vehicle take away the tax credit and only ALGORE will have one. If the tech was ready it would sell like a I pad The tax payer shouldn't be indulging liberal fantasies. If they want to invest in Thorium reactors great idea. But may be too late the Chinese are buying all the Thorium Try Finding a Thoriated tungsten tig electrode! |
