Quote:
Originally Posted by krnboy817
got a good point, driving a volt compared to a H3 would definitely be a cost saving option... no doubt. a that rate of comparison, it would make sense that the volt would in turn make up for cost of the car from the fuel saving(s). i agree.
but what i do not agree is at volt's price range which is, in $30k ~ $40k it does not justify when compared to its competitors like when its compared to H3. for me i wouldn't mind buying an old civic and even replace the engine if miles are too high... but thats not for everyone so i understand. but i hope you got the idea of what i am trying to say, which is there are alternatives out there if milage is one's pure concern.
i agree EPA ratings sometimes seems like "hope it gets" and other times "underrated" varying from models and manufacturers... but gives a relative idea of what to expect. i do not expect f30 to get 38mpg but i do expect 34 - 36mpg and with those kind of numbers, volt make less of sense. to me i think volt would make sense if it ran on water and electric or get 10 - 15 miles better than 40 mpg'ers. on a side note, i think volt's cabin/interior is very subjective when it comes to being nice and not generalized opinion that some of its competitors might have attained already.
far as batteries go, 14% green house gas is from transportation, and 27% are from manufacturing, adding additional battery production certainly will not decrease the 27%. and even if battery lasts 100,000+ miles you will have to factor in breakdowns, wrecks, lemons, etc. america alone is pouring 2 billion lithium ion battery per year into wastelands... and i think volt will just add to that since there is no profitable gain in recycling lithium ion batteries. im not an environmentalist, but i am interested in commodity production and its pro and cons.
fwiw, i do not even consider nissan leaf as a car nor in any of my comparison factors. so with that in mind, since i am here bored at work did some math. correct me if i am wrong btw.
variables: fuel price= $3.55(regular) fuel capacity= 14 gallon charging= 3.00
H3(9mpg) - volt(37mpg) = 28mpg x $3.55= $99.4 in savings - 3.00 = $96.4
so if volt and h3 travels same amount of distance with 14g then you would be saving $96.4 per tank.
elantra(33mpg) - volt(37mpg) = 4mpg x 3.55 = $14.2 in savings - 3.00= $11.2
so if we use hyundai elantra then the savings are only $11.2 per tank
cost difference of the volt from elantra $14k est. and it would take 1,273 fill ups to make up the difference plus you'll have to factor in depreciation and interest of the 14k for the length of the loan.
i appreciate what the volt is trying to do but just like so many brilliant ideas, i just dont see it working/applying in real world.
plus there are diesels out there too that are great milage per gallon as well for less or equal amount of money.
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Not sure why you've brought my H3T into the discussion as part of your mathematical comparison. My consideration of the Volt has nothing to do with my onership of the H3T, which averages 15.8 MPG by the way, not 9. The Volt will replace my E90 (at 27 MPG average) as my 160 mile per day daily driver. The H3T is used for running the fire roads in West Virginia and western Virginia (and getting out of our property when the river floods). So my quick calculations show a savings in fuel of $2,500 per year for my commute as compared to my E90. So when I'll have time I'll go do the math for comparing a Volt vs. new F30 328i (which is what I'd replace my E90 with). The Volt will be less expensive (purchase price) than the F30 and get 92 MPGe vs. the 328i at maybe 30 MPG.