@BobbleHeadGuru

Chevy Volt Stats: 5000 Miles, 100MPG, $125/month saved

2012-01-17T12:18:00.000-05:00

I recently hit 5000 miles in my Chevy Volt.

I got almost exactly 100MPG. I used almost exactly 50 gallons. These round numbers allow me to provide some easy to understand analytics. I have provided a simple chart with some commentary underneath.

Please provide any feedback that you may have.


Net Savings (includes gasoline and parking savings, and also electricity costs).

1. How much fuel did I save in Fuel?
I got approximately 23MPG in mixed driving with my previous car, a Chevy Impala. Though the Volt is smaller, I consider it a clear upgrade over an Impala. It is a lot more fun to drive and a surprisingly more versatile car. For example, it can hold skis in the trunk and a children's kitchen playset, both of which would have been impossible in the Impala.

Making the assumption that I upgraded my car is sound, from my perspective.

By getting 100MPG v. 23MPG, I used 50 gallons, v. 217. To be completely accurate, I got a full tank of gas when I got the car, so I only purchased 41 gallons (9 gallon tank). Of course, that would have been the case if I got an Impala, so I will subtract off one tank from that figure (about 13 gallons).

50 - 9 = 41 gallons
217 - 13 = 204 gallons.

Assuming that gas averaged $3.50 for regular gas and $3.80 for premium:

$3.50 * 204 gallons = $714.00
$3.80 * 41 gallons = $155.80

The difference?
$558 saved in gasoline.

I will also consider the following:
Parking: at least $21... 12 occurrences * $1.75 in parking saved (on average) = $21

Gasoline and Parking Saved: $579 or $154/month (3.5 months).

2. But want about the Cost of Electricity?
I am on a separate meter electricity plan with DTE Energy where I am paying $40/month fixed price per month in electricity. I will assume that I had this plan from the start (I got the plan was in Oct. I got my car in Sept, so the actual amount is probably slightly higher for me, but a new Volt driver could have gotten the plan sooner or charged only at night at a lower rate, so I will not artificially increase this amount).

3.5 months * $40 = $140 (3.5 months to get to the 5000 miles).

Net Saved: $439 in 3.5 months.. or $125.43/month.

Also there is a Time factor: at least 4 hours (2 hours at the pump, 2 hours with favorable parking spots).

2. Did Premium gas make any difference to my costs?
I paid for 41 gallons in my first 5000 miles. I paid about $0.30/gallon for premium v. regular fuel.

$0.30 * 41 gallons = $12.30 so far.

By comparison, that first full tank of gas that the car came with was worth $3.80 * 9 gallons = $34.20.

So far, the "premium" for 92 Octane fuel is just barely over 1/3rd the cost of original tank of gas that came with the car. In other words, it was neglible.

$12.30/3.5 months = $3.51/month.

If I did not have to get premium fuel, my monthly savings would be $128.51 v. $125.00, in increase of 2.8%.

3. How am I doing relative to other Volt drivers?
According to the actual Volt driving data collected via Onstar on the Voltstats.net website, I am well below average. The average is 115.18 MPG or 15.18% higher. (NOTE: I checked the site last week... I notice the average has dipped a little since my first check... however, I am using the original numbers for the calculation).

If I achieved this mileage, I would have used 5000/115.18 = 43.41 gallons or 34.41 gallons paid for.

$3.80 * 34.41 = $130.58 (v. $714 MPG for my previous Impala)

I would have saved $583.24 + $21 for parking = $604.24

Minu...

$40/month * 3.5 months = $140

Net savings: $464.24 or $132.64 per month saved. I would have been $13.15/month more saved per month (about 10% more).

4. Would I be able to squeeze out another 15MPG to up my money saved savings by 10%?
Maybe, I would actually need to use it more on the weekends instead of my other car. Also, I would not hurt if I stopped a few times in downtown Ann Arbor in the mornings for coffee before I go into work and charged the car to get 10 miles of range each time.

Also, I think warmer months will naturually increase my mileage by about 10% in Spring and Summer (v. Winter).

5. How much more would I have saved if I was able to charge at work?
If I could charge using a wall outlet at work, I think I could up my mileage to about 150MPG. Doing all of the math above...

My savings would be $183.58/month a difference of $58.58 or 47% more savings.

3 Graphs that Show that the Chevy Volt was a Success in 2011

2012-01-04T12:00:00.001-05:00

You may think that the headline is crazy... compared to the Dismal-Failure-On-Par-With-New-Coke-and-Edsel headlines that I project will be out there soon.

However, I have some facts to back this headline up. Please let me know what you think of this analysis.

Updates: Jan. 5th and Jan. 8th 2012. Some additions based on feedback.

1. GM Beat their 2011 Number by 45%
Chevy estimated they would produce 10,000 Volt back in March. They produced 14,510. They produced 45.1% more than their estimate. Here is the graph:

The estimate is clearly articulated in March 2011 press release (see last paragraph):
http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/news/news_detail.brand_GM.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2011/Mar/0304_VoltPricing

Note that the press release states PRODUCED not SALES. Many in the media are using Sales and then stating that GM did not meet their goal. I could not find any press release in which GM stated they would SELL 10,000 Volts in 2011. If someone has such a press release, please let me know.

UPDATE: January 8, 2012
A reader (@tboult on the GM-Volt.com forum) pointed out that there was a November 2010 press release that did mention 10,000 sales:
http://media.gm.com/content/product/public/us/en/volt/home.detail.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2010/Nov/1124_volt_unplugged

My interpretation is that GM revised their estimate from "sold" to "produced" in the March press release.

UPDATE: January 8, 2012:
GM will NOT be providing estimates for 2012. They do not do that for other vehicles, and likely is acknowledging that it was a mistake in this case. Still find it interesting that they met the number, yet are being criticized.

2. GM is now the #1 EV car in sales in the US. It has held the title for the past three months.

Here are the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt Stats for the trailing 6 months:

Notice a trend? Looks to me like the Volt is really on the upswing. Nice upward slope from July to Oct. Flat for Oct to Nov. Then a spike in December (back to same upward slope).

UPDATE: January 8, 2012:
There is some talk as well about how the Chevy Volt outsold the Toyota Prius in year 1.

3. Even with Record Sales, Chevy Volt Production is Very Close To Sales (Supply = Demand... or maybe Supply < Demand):

Of course many of the sales in December were built in November or other months.

However, this is a very good indicator that supply and demand are at least aligned for this vehicle. It may even be an indicator of pent up, unmet demand. Typical vehicles are on the showrooms for a minimum of several weeks. Are sales lagging production?

Keep in mind they launched nationally on 11/1/2011 (only 65 days ago). Perhaps GM has finally ramped up enough to have a national supply of the vehicle? There seems to be enough of a cushion now to account for foreign sales, fleet sales, demo sales etc.and still have a reasonable national stock.

Did I miss anything?
Do you have any other thoughts?

Please comment.

Should I Trade the Volt for a Cruze... or a Corvette?

2011-12-01T09:46:00.000-05:00


My Volt is on the right. A Chevy Cruze is on the left. Chevy is offering me a free loaner for any Chevy vehicle. Should I take them up on the offer?

Summary: Volt owner satisfaction is tops in the industry. However, "fire anxiety" has prompted GM to offer free loaner cars to drivers. As a Volt driver, should I get one?

The Chevy Volt made the headlines in two ways over the past few days:

1. Consumer Reports Owner Satisfaction puts the Chevy Volt as the most satisfied car owners in the U.S. [Link to Detroit Free Press Story]

2. There was a fire several weeks after a NHTSA crash test which as prompted a letter that offered me a free loaner car:
[The Free Press posted the text of the the letter that I received]

I drive a Volt. I am not surprised by the satisfaction ratings (survey was taken before the NHTSA story), though I am not personally "absolutely completely satisfied".

There some annoying aspects to the car. I cannot seem to get rid of a rattle that I hear in in the trunk area that happens occasionally. The rear visibility is poor (I do not have the optional rear camera). Driving in heavy rain at night is not as comfortable (visibility wise) as my previous car (2008 Chevy Impala). The leather finish is not perfect in the car. I wish the range a bit higher in the colder months (I used to get over 40 miles, now I am down to about 26 as the temp has dipped in Michigan).

However, even with all of these issues, I love the car. The way the car drives with its instant torque in sport mode is much more fun than I thought it would be. The analytics the car provides makes the commute almost like a video game. I find myself trying to "keep the green ball in the middle" which I find just as fun as 0-60 acceleration I used to enjoy in my old Pontiac Firebird Formula 350. Of course it is a different kind of fun, but I the same level of enjoyment.

I have a lease. The net effect for me is $150/month fuel savings (even including electricity), which just about covers the higher lease payment. My breakeven on this car is 0 months. I am paying the same per month. It is just that more goes into my monthly payment and less to Mobil, Shell and BP.

I received the letter with the offer to get a loaner car. I have done extensive research on the topic (http://bobbleheadguru.com) and am comfortable that I the Volt is as safe or safer than a typical internal combustion engine car, as long I do not store the car in my garage after it is totaled in a major accident. There is 0 chance of that happening.

I have not decided on whether to take Chevy up in the offer.
The idea of getting any Chevy car, including a Corvette, as a loaner is appealing. However, I will lose out on that $150/month fuel savings and I am not sure another Chevy car will be as fun to drive as the Volt, especially as we get to Winter. Also, I am compelled to support GM.

UPDATE: December 2. For now, I have decided to NOT ask for a loaner. However, I did ask GM if I could speak with their CEO for a 1/2 hour one-on-one about this issue. I will post a response when I get one.

I would appreciate your advice. Should I ask for a new car? Or keep driving the Volt? What would you do?

GM Handles Chevy Volt Situation in Best Possible Way

2011-11-28T11:28:00.001-05:00

My Volt being delivered to dealer (Bill Crispin, Saline Michigan) on August 31.
In response to recent NHTSA tests, they will offer me a free loaner car.

Even though I believe Chevy Volts are no more dangerous than traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, GM has a public relations issue on their hands. Based on their actions so far, I believe they are handling the situation in the best possible way.

There have been a rash of (lack of a better term) "car-b-ques" with this vehicle. However, unknown to most is the fact that there were approximately 215,000 fires with regular Internal Combustion Engine vehicles per year (source: National Fire Protection Association). A by-product of the media frenzied society we live in is that the fear of "the new" may already be eclipsed by the greater risks we already live with.

My understanding of Volt fires to date:
1. A garage fire in which the vehicle was not the cause.
2. A second garage fire in which the vehicle is not believed to be the cause.
3. A NHTSA crash test where the battery compartment was damaged and coolant line was ruptured. After the test, the gasoline tank was drained, but the battery pack was not drained of energy. The car caught fire while in storage many weeks later.
4. An additional set of NHTSA tests in which one car out of three did catch fire. The fire occurred after a couple of days. A second incident resulted in sparks (but no fire) occurred other "within hours" when the battery pack was rotated 180 degrees. I am assuming this means flipped over so the battery was upside down. The tests "intentionally damaged the battery compartment and ruptured the vehicle's coolant line." I am assuming that they did this to simulate the original severe crash test situation.

Excerpt from full press release:
[link to NHTSA Press Release]

In an effort to recreate the May test, NHTSA conducted three tests last week on the Volt's lithium-ion battery packs that intentionally damaged the battery compartment and ruptured the vehicle's coolant line. Following a test on November 16 that did not result in a fire, a temporary increase in temperature was recorded in a test on November 17. During the test conducted on November 18 using similar protocols, the battery pack was rotated within hours after it was impacted and began to smoke and emit sparks shortly after rotation to 180 degrees. NHTSA's forensic analysis of the November 18 fire incident is continuing this week. Yesterday, the battery pack that was tested on November 17 and that had been continually monitored since the test caught fire at the testing facility. The agency is currently working with DOE, DOD, and GM to assess the cause and implications of yesterday's fire. In each of the battery tests conducted in the past two weeks, the Volt's battery was impacted and rotated to simulate a real-world, side-impact collision into a narrow object such as a tree or a pole followed by a rollover.

There are no reported incidents of Volts that actually caught fire in an actual accident and in no test did a car immediately catch fire.

Based on these results, I am not worried that my car is any more dangerous than a car with a standard internal combustion engine.

What I really appreciate is that they will be offering every Volt driver a free loaner vehicle.

As a Volt driver, I would like to applaud GM for taking a very proactive approach to this issue.

If you are a Volt driver, please share what you think. If you are not a driver, would you consider a Volt in light of the tests and GM's response?

A #Measure Analyst's Road to 1000 Miles in a Chevy Volt

2011-11-15T08:14:00.001-05:00

It was a video game like challenge. My goal was to get to 1000 miles on one tank of gas with my commute which is not optimized for the Volt. My round trip circuit on weekday is about 55 miles every day. The range of a Chevy Volt is only 31-40MPG (depending on weather, driving speeds etc.). That means I had to use up to 24 miles/day in gasoline mode.


I averaged 132MPG for the tank of gas. I used 7.8 gallons and went 1039 miles.

I Made It! (Barely)
You can see in the picture above that I drove 1039.0 miles on this tank of gas. I used 7.8 gallons of gas and I averaged 132.0 MPG. This one tank of gas represented just under 1/3 of the total miles I have put on the car (3395 miles on the bottom right).

I had 9 miles of charge left in the battery. I got multiple warning indicators (just under the "9 mi" in the photo above as well as the "low" indicator on the bottom left) that I was low on gasoline. However, when I filled up, I only put in 7.73 gallons. The tank is over 9 gallons. I figure that had at least 50 miles more range left meaning that I probably could have gotten to 1090 miles without recharging. I did not want to be stranded, so I was happy to have met my goal.

The Actual Gas Pump Reading. I was able to travel 1039 miles using less than $30 in Gasoline.

Full Cost Analysis
It cost me just over $29 to drive 1039 miles. I put on these miles in less than a month. I estimate perhaps about 23 days. I am currently paying $40/month for unlimited electricity, a flat rate from DTE Energy. This is billed to a separate meter from my household usage. Some quick math:

Gasoline Cost: $29.09
Electricity Cost: (23 days/ 30 days in a month) * $40/month cost = $30.67

Total Cost: $59.75 or $0.0575/mile.

I figure that my previous car (Chevy Impala 2008) would have gotten 23 miles per gallon for this same circuit.

That would require 45.17 Gallons, almost 4 full fillups. At $3.50/gallon, that would be $158.10.

Total Cost: $158.10 or $0.1522/mile.


My last tank of gas was more efficient than lifetime average of 117MPG.

Can I Keep This Up?
The difference on a per mile basis for the last tank of gas was $0.0947/mile. Of the course of 15,000 miles per year (my yearly mileage), that would amount to $1420/year or $118/month.

Over the next 3 years, I think there are a few variables that may change that will likely impact this number.

I assumed that I was replacing my previous car mileage. However, in practice, part of my mileage is replacing usage of our SUV which gets about 17 MPG v. the 22 MPG of my previous car.
Gas prices were $3.50 (regular), $3.75 (premium). Over the course of the next 3 years, I think that number is going up.
I hope that there will be more charging stations in the future that will allow me to charge multiple times per day.
The colder weather has seemed to bring with it lower range. I used to be in the high 30s in range. Now I am in the low 30s. The blended average for a year is likely to be higher than this tank of gas.
The lifetime mileage is 117. My mileage for this tank was 132. I think I will be closer to the 132 over time. I had a couple of 90 mile circuits without a full recharge in previous driving (before this tank of gas) which in the future will likely be coupled with multiple charges during the day.

Though I feel like I won this round of the "video game", I am far from a high score. In fact, my performance is below average. I rank 133 out of 195 on VoltStats.net in terms of overall mileage (or a ranking of 128 if you count only the last tank of gas), a site that captures data from Onstar to provide accurate data on usage from actual drivers.

If you are a Volt driver, I would love to get your thoughts. If you are not a Volt driver, but have a question or comment, please chime it!

Peeling the Chevy Volt Onion

2011-11-13T20:53:00.001-05:00

A Chevy Cruze is parked next to my Chevy Volt in the ProQuest Headquarters parking lot in Ann Arbor Michigan.

The Chevy took a potential PR hit over the weekend, when it was revealed that a Volt that was put through a NHTSA crash test caught fire weeks after the test was completed.

As a Volt driver, I was concerned to see "Volt catches" fire headline come across my Twitter feed.

After reading several articles and learning more about the incident, it is clear that this story had a few layers to it. I have no reason to think that the car is any less safe than other cars.

Two comprehensive articles that helped me fully understand this issue:

http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/11/8761004-federal-testers-may-have-caused-chevy-volt-fire-gm-says

and

http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1068533_third-fire-consumes-a-chevy-volt-electric-car-perspective

Bottom Line:
When you peel the onion here, the evidence points to an issue with disposal of batteries after a crash.

Seems beyond common sense that the testers did not drain or better yet remove the battery after the crash.

I am sure if they did not drain gasoline out of fuel tanks in standard internal combustion engines, they would have an equally, perhaps more dangerous situation on their hands with slow, flammable gasoline spills all over their storage facilities.

Unfortunate for GM that the government did not follow the same safety procedures that GM did in their internal testing.

The result is that they will potentially take a big PR hit because of it. Contrast this incident with the estimate that there are 250,000 "car-b-ques" with Internal Combustion Engines every year. (Source: the Green Car Reports article cited above).

Insight: The reality of the known is often ignored in favor of fear of the unknown.

It must be really hard to push "the rock" uphill for GM in launching a vehicle that many hope will fail. However, as a happy Volt driver I hope they do NOT stop, but instead re-double their efforts in messaging facts to their dealers so they can competently answer questions about this incident.

Chevy Volt User Experience (3000 miles in)

2011-10-11T00:28:00.000-04:00

I have had my Chevy Volt for almost 2 months. I have already driven 3000 miles in the car. I thought I would post my impressions about my experience so far.... both positive and also my "wish list".

Volt Dashboard: Does it look like a video game to you?
First image shows that I have gotten 119 MPG overall and 191 for this particular charge.
Notice about 42 miles of battery power and 11.9 miles of gasoline assist.
I have 149 miles of gas range and 22 miles of electric as the car is charging.

Here are my top positive impressions:

1. It is really fun to drive. I would summarize by saying it is very quiet, feels more nimble that it perhaps statistically is. The "Sport" mode does not literally take it to another gear (because there are no gears), but it feels that way.

Speed and acceleration are not the root of the enjoyment of the drive. It more of a constant feeling that I am driving a completely different kind of car.

2. It is almost like a video game. The realtime data you can get from this vehicle is fantastic. For someone in the #measure industry, this is a dream car.

There is a bouncing ball that gives instant feedback on both acceleration and braking. There is a constant reminder of range.

There is a pie chart to show usage on electric only v. gas generator.

I have never forgotten to plug the car in. It seems like it does everything short of actually plugging it in to makes sure that you know your car's status.

3. I drive slower, but am happier. I smile as ICE (internal combustion engine) cars zip by me as a I am optimizing mileage.

I do perceive some frustrations with other cars that blow right by me. Keep in mind, that I tend to stay right at the speed limit in the right lane. I am not sure if others are frustrated by the car or my driving of the car.

4. I love driving past gas stations. It has been about 800 miles since I stopped at as station. My goal is to make it to 1000 miles.

5. It gets more than 100MPG as I expected.

6. I am finding preferred parking spots. The ones in Ann Arbor are particularly nice. I am able to save $1.40 per hour for parking, plus I am able to get about 3kW per hour (about 10 miles) for free.

These spots have actually drawn me to Ann Arbor downtown. I now visit downtown Ann Arbor about twice per week. It used to be months between trips. I have stopped there for breakfast, lunch and even spent an entire vacation morning there just walking through the shops. I can definitively say that the charging station was the main reason I now make Ann Arbor part of my routine.

7. I love to get and answer questions about it. The questions are not as humorous or "over the top" as in recent commercials, but I usually have about one conversation about my car every day with someone. It is fun to see it "click" when I explain something about the car that the person I am talking with just learned.

8. Leather heated seating makes it very comfortable. This will likely enable me to not have to use the heater as much in the car over the winter.

9. Bluetooth, XM and Onstar all work seamlessly. Talking on the phone safely is very nice with the Bluetooth.

10. It feels bigger because it is a hatchback. I just recently found the cargo cover as well. The largest item I was able to fit into the car was 180cm skis.

Cruze and Volt
Do they look alike to you?

I wish...

1. It had about 10 miles more electric only range. When I first got the Volt, my range was between 36 and 42 miles per charge. It has now slipped to the between 28 and 31 miles. I know that some of this may be due to the colder weather, but that is a pretty big difference.

2. I did not hear some rattles sometimes from the area under the . Not sure where it is coming from. However, it is annoying.

3. It was slightly more upscale. It is sort of 3/4 upscale and 1/4 economy car. The leather seats are very nice, but I noticed flaws in the drivers seat finish and it seems that the fit is a little loose with a few ripples in the seats.

4. The front air dam did not scrape the pavement so often. It seems that at least once per day, I scrape the air dam. It is very low to the ground, presumably to optimize aerodynamics. However, it seems like this also causes the car to be very difficult to drive on real Michigan roads, which are uneven.

I also wonder what will happen in the snow?

5. I was about $30/month less expensive. This is the amount that would make the car more "break even" with a typical economy car (as a lease). As is stands, it is break even with the new version of my old car, a 2008 Chevy Impala.

6. It was not treated as a political pawn by some. I did not buy the car for political reasons. I am tired of hearing

7. It was a little less tricky to fill up with gasoline. ["Service Engine Soon" light comes on if you not perfect with getting the gas cap on... ironic].

8. The rear visibility was better. Very hard to see out the back. Perhaps the back up camera should be standard on all Volts. There is a very bright back up light that may act to alert pedestrians that the car is backing. I suppose that is a partial answer to the problem.

Perhaps my favorite window sticker of all time!
The car costs $40K (including delivery), with the Government $7500 incentive, that number is $32,500.
Subtract off the fuel cost savings of $7600 over 5 years and we are down to about $25,000.

Did I miss anything? If you are Volt owner, what do you like and wish for in a Volt?

2012 Volt Order Is In! What's Next?

2011-08-31T14:09:00.001-04:00

I just learned that my new Volt order is in! Here is the proof:

Volt being delivered to dealer on August 31. I was expecting it in early October.

I understand that there were 2 Volt orders in this batch for this particular dealer, plus another Volt order delivered earlier (more than a week ago). Looks like the flow from the factory is coming in nicely.

August sales numbers will likely not be very strong. However, starting in September, Volt sales will likely experience a sharp spike. Since the car has only been available in 6 of 50 states until now, we are only now beginning to see what the demand potential is of this vehicle. It will still be a few more months before it is available nationally. It is very likely that the car will easily hit the projected 10,000 units sold for the year.

Checklist of things I have to do to upgrade from my 2008 Impala to this 2012 Volt.

1. Do the Math for the Lease Rate:
I need to wait until after Labor Day to get the final lease rate. It is likely to be in the low in the upper $400s to the low $500s per month with $0 down and 15,000 miles per year. As soon as I have that information, I will post it here.

2. Prep My Impala
After 38 months and 46K+ miles, I am returning my 2008 Impala to the dealer. When I started the lease, the leasing company was GMAC. It is now known as Ally. My Volt lease is likely to be from US Bank. Because there is no continuity of business, I need to be very careful to not give the leasing company any reason to charge be for anything. Here is my plan:

- I just replaced all 4 tires at a cost of about $370. I figure doing that allowed me to reduce the risk that I would have to pay MSRP for new tires after returning the lease. Possibly $600+.

- I have a couple of scratches that I need to take care of with touch up paint.

- Being the value oriented person that I am, I will need to return the vehicle to the dealer with no gas (that would be about $55 savings v. a full tank).

The effort to get the car ready to return should hopefully pay off in no additional costs when I return the car.

3. Get Ready to Contact SPX for Home Charger
I do not necessarily need to do this until after I get the vehicle. However the sooner I get the charger, the better for conveniently being able to charge. SPX is the company I am working with to do this. It looks like there is funding from the Department of Energy and DTE Energy (power company) to get a charger installed at no cost to me. I hope that I am also able to get a separate meter for for the charger.

4. Take a Test Drive
I do not expect to see any problems but I do need to conduct "due diligence" and make sure that the one I got is as good (or better) than the demo car.

Did I miss anything on the checklist? Can you think of anything else you would suggest?

2012 Volt Order is "En Route"

2011-08-27T11:59:00.004-04:00

A few thoughts on my upcoming lease of the 2012 Volt.

Demand Exceeds Supply... Still

I took a quick look at autotrader.com to see if any Volt's were discounts. I found exactly one vehicle at $39K. Everything else is over $40K. So far, it is pretty clear that demand for this car exceeds supply.

Of course the car has only been available in 6 of 50 states (plus DC) so far. No doubt that there is demand in other states that will soon be met. Longer term demand... into 2012, will be more telling.

I am excited to be one of the first to get a Volt.... but the bottom line for me is the payment. Of course, having a high residual value is very important for someone getting a lease.

Check Status Like an Amazon Order
I was able to check my Volt order on the Chevy .com website. Sort of like an Amazon order. It is "en route". I wonder how much time it will take to go the ~40miles between Detroit and Ann Arbor where I will pick the vehicle up.

Based on some other social media reports, it looks like many others will finally get their Volt. In my case it looks like it will be about a 3 month wait.

Coordination with Charger Company
Chevy seems to be very well coordinated with SPX, the "preferred" company to install the 220 Volt charger. I was told that it would cost me nothing as I am part of the DTE (the energy company) program. Looks like this will be about a $1500 value.

I was a bit concerned about potential overheating of the 120V option as well as the fact that my circuit in the garage may trip with the power load. Having a 220V charger makes a lot of sense for something I will use every day.

UPDATE August 28th. I was able to talk with a rep at SPX. Interesting that there are two programs. The DOE is providing chargers for free. All you have to do is agree to be part of their pilot where they will monitor usage. DTE, the power company, is providing $2500 credit towards installation and/or the charger. I can use both offers together. In particular, it may make sense for me to set up a separate meter for the Volt from our other electrical use.

There are three chargers that are available for SPX to install. One of them is made specifically for the Volt. However it may be obsolete when the next generation of EVs are launched. The second is made by SPX. The third is from a company called Coulomb. It is called Chargepoint. It appears to be the most forward compatible of the three and also offers a tie in with public chargers. If I get a Chargepoint, I may be able to use a special card they give me to charge at designated public charging stations.

I hope to research all three and post which one I decided on. I was told that the process should take about 3 weeks total and would include any permits required by the local inspectors.

One additional benefit is the fact that I will have the charger permanently installed which will presumably be a benefit to the property value.

Charger at Work?
I have asked the "green team" at my employer if they would look into a way of being able to charge my vehicle at work. All I really need is a parking spot near a plug. However, ideally, I hope they look at installing a 220 charger is a good business decision for the landlord of the property who may see it as a plus for their business. This may be a good experience in negotiation for me.

Lease Payment
Finally, I am still waiting on the lease payment. I think it will dip under $490/month (15,000 miles per year, $0 down, with Leather Option). I expect to save about $145/month in fuel, so my effective payment will likely be under $345/month.

I do have a bit of optimism that it will be even lower than that. I originally figured the payment would be $460 without the leather, but with a higher MSRP (2011 price was higher than 2012). I think with leather (which would add to the payment) and with a lower price (which would reduce the payment), there is a decent chance that the payment could be under $475.

It appears that I am one of the first to get a 2012 lease, so they are still figuring this out. As soon as I learn more, I will share.

If you have any questions or would like to share your Volt order story, please let me know by leaving a comment below. Thank you.

What Chevy Volt Sales Mean

2011-08-05T11:26:00.009-04:00

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For those of you looking for the "Volt Math" post, it is here:

(@BobbleHeadGuru: Forget $40K, The Chevy Volt will Cost about the Same as My Current Car).

_____________________________________________

Fact: In July 2011, Chevy sold 125 Volts

Volt Charging Station at Volt Plant (Picture by: Farris Khan)

A Twitter search on August 5, 2011 yielded these excerpts from actual tweets.

Chevy Volt Sales Plummet as the Electric Car Market Slumps
Chevy Volt Sales Still Embarrassingly Bad
A big month for the Chevy Volt: Sales skyrocket to a mind-boggling 4 per day
The Cadillac Escalade XLT @ $65k outsold the Chevy Volt that retails @ $40. C'mon folks??
Chevy Volt to get new name: Chevy Edsel.

Lost in all of this are 7 factors that I would you to take into consideration:

1. The Volt plant has been closed for 5 weeks to retool and ramp up for 2012 model year production. Keep in mind that the same plant makes multiple vehicles. The plant was shut down to retool for other GM vehicles as well. The plan for the Volt was to ramp up to eventually get to 5000 units per month, starting in January 2012.

2. GM made a business decision to focus on giving dealers vehicles first to use as demos, before selling to the public. This maximizes the chance that people will be able to test drive Volts. It also helps GM leverage the Volt as a “halo vehicle”.

3. Chevy did not substantially change the price from 2011 to 2012. They reduced it $1000, but took some content out of the vehicle (GPS and Bose speakers). If the vehicle was not selling, wouldn’t they reduce the MSRP more?

4. GM has publicly stated that they are “Virtually Sold Out” for 2011 model year, meaning that there are less than 100 unallocated vehicles. While there are Volt vehicles for sale on the Internet sites (such as cars.com), I have not seen any site in which a new Volt has been discounted to be priced in the mid $30k range. Typical discounts for new vehicles approaching the end of model year is 10-15% ($4000 to $6000 discount). If the Volt was so hard to sell why aren’t there some new Volts on the Internet that are discounted like other vehicles are? It is very likely that many of these vehicles are demo vehicles as GM has planned.

5. With the beginning of the 2012 Model Year, the Volt is only now is available in all 50 states (v. just 6 states, plus Washington DC for the 2011 model year). Comments about sales failures a kin to critics calling a new movie blockbuster a sales failure when it only has premiered in a few large cities.

6. GM has publicly stated on track to meet its stated goal of selling 10,000 by year’s end. Their 2012 goal is 45,000 to 60,000. So far, so good. If anything, the dip in July may be an indicator that the demand is higher than they expected since they are near “sold out” and can fully concentrate on 2012 Model Year.

7. There is approximately a 4 month wait to get a Volt (if you order). I ordered my vehicle in early June and do not expect to get it until early October.

I wonder what giddy headlines would look like if GM had introduced a solar powered, flying, teleporting time machine… “GM Fails again, sells only 125 in July”.

Chevy Volt Questions

2011-07-16T15:09:00.008-04:00

A quick summary:

This post covers five statements and comments about the Chevy Volt that I have gotten since my original blog post about why I decided to order a Volt (@BobbleHeadGuru: Forget $40K, The Chevy Volt will Cost about the Same as My Current Car).

The Volt that I test drove. (source: Farris Khan)

1. The damage to the environment (including production and disposal) is the same or greater with a Volt (or Leaf) v. an Internal Combustion Engine vehicle.

Arguments that I have read are based on the premise that it is environmental damaging to produce batteries, that disposal of batteries is a environmentally damaging activity and that the emissions are simply transferred from tailpipes to smokestacks at coal burning plants that supply electricity. Here is my response to each of the premises:

- Battery production is likely to be on par with internal combustion engine production (of course a Volt has both). A comprehensive side-by-side comparison is something I would love to see. Until then, I am not completely confident of mineral environmental damage to create batteries.

- On the disposal front, I am a lot more confident that GM and Nissan have a well thought out plan. Batteries in both cases are expected to be recycled in an environmentally way. Even battery cases are being recycled as bird houses. Odd, but true.

- Emissions from plants are directly regulated, in one location, and is likely to be far away from where most people breathe air. Also, through my power company DTE, I already pay extra to have my energy come from greener sources (solar, wind, etc.)

2. This car is way too expensive.

I decided to lease a Volt. I figured that it would cost about the same as my 2008 Impala assuming gas prices remain at an average of $4/gallon for the next 3 years. As a LEASE, this car is a very good deal right now.

All of the math is in my previous blog post (@BobbleHeadGuru: Forget $40K, The Chevy Volt will Cost about the Same as My Current Car).

Even to buy, the Volt may not be a bad deal. Nissan just upped its price on the Leaf apparently to be more in line with the Volt and to match demand. After the tax incentive, the MSRP Volt is less than $4000 more than a Prius Five.

3. Is the Volt really an electric vehicle? It is more of a hybrid, right?

The Volt is a subset of the class called electric vehicles. It is an extended range electric vehicle (EREV). This is different from a hybrid, because the power always comes from an electric motor. There is a gasoline engine that acts as a generator and powers the ELECTRIC motor...as a backup. It is possible to never use gas with that vehicle... which means that it is really is an EV. The Extended Range comes from the gasoline engine, which powers the electric motor, only if needed. The term "serial plugin hybrid" implies that more than one energy source must be used... that is not the case.

4. Nissan Leaf is winning the sales battle with the Volt.

Supply, not demand has driven sales so far. It way too early to say one is winning. Neither is widely available. I ordered a Volt in June and have been told the earliest that it will come in October.

A few points about the Volt sales:

- The Volt plant just reopened after a month of being shutdown. It is expected that the output from the plant will now triple. Only when supply is large enough to meet demand (a volume of at least 5x current sales), will can we make any definitive statements on whether one vehicle is outselling the other.

- Many of the last batch of Volts made were not allocated to buyers/leasers, but instead to dealers as demo vehicles. Chevy's strategy is much more geared towards helping the brand v. purely selling this vehicle.

The car is being used as a halo vehicle for shoppers who would not otherwise come to Chevy dealerships. Monitoring sales of vehicles like the Cruze (which is now the #1 selling small car, a fact that seemed impossible for GM in the past) may be a good indicator of the "halo" success of the Volt. I guess that if you polled Chevy dealers right now, they would agree that the Volt is certainly bringing a new batch of car shoppers to the showroom, even if they do not buy a Volt.

The analysis of sales is way to premature because it has nothing to do with shopper sentiment, but the strategy and implementation success for rolling out each vehicle. I am surprised that the independent analyst quoted in the report did not bring that up.

Finally, I would even argue that Volt and Leaf are really 2 different things. Volt is suited for a longer commute and more as a first car. The Leaf is perfect if you will never drive more than 50 miles with it. A possible ideal "green" household would have one of each.

5. What did GM learn from the EV1?

The EV1 was ahead of its time. Here is what I think GM learned from that vehicle when they implemented in the Volt:

- Most potential EVs drivers have range anxiety. A smaller battery with the backup generator allows the Volt to function like a normal car "on demand", but mostly like an pure EV. This is supported by the fact that the Volt metrics so far show 2/3rd of miles pure electric, 1/3rd of miles supported by generator.

- Some like to buy, some like to lease. The EV1 was all lease. Buyers can get the Volt for $40K ($32,500 after tax incentive). Buyers are likely to have higher income, and be early adopters, car collectors etc. Those who want to lease can get one for $350/month with $2500 down, 12K miles per year. Leasees do not have to worry about the battery technology etc.

- 4 door is better than 2 door. Volt was designed to the FIRST vehicle for many people. 2 door cars are more often the second vehicle in a household. It is practical enough to use for commuting and take on a trip. The Volt's appeal is to a much greater audience than the EV1 because of its functionality.

Forget $40K, The Chevy Volt will Cost about the Same as My Current Car

2011-06-09T23:05:00.007-04:00

NOTE: I made some changes to this blog post on June 11th based on the fact that the 2012 Volt MSRP has dropped by $1005 v. 2011. These changes are in blue bold italics. I also changed the title of the article (changed from "$41K" to "$40K")

Volt Charging Station at Volt Plant (Picture by: Farris Khan)

I placed an order for Volt last week. I do not consider myself particularly "green". I usually regard cars as depreciating expenses, not something you buy to show off or for the thrill of driving. In short, I am "value oriented" (just don't call me "cheap").

I am very surprised by literally a dozen facts that are misunderstood about this car. I hope this post and others that I hope to write will clarify some of these misperceptions.

For this post, I want to simply explain what the Volt is and why it is NOT overpriced, even for me (the "value oriented" car shopper).

What is the Volt?
It is what I would call a transition vehicle. It will save me money every day I plug it in... But I don't have to. It is a not a second or third vehicle which for me I would consider a Nissan Leaf to be.

It can be a first vehicle. I can travel with it for hundreds miles and not have any anxiety about fueling the vehicle. However, when I am commuting, I expect that I will save up to 75% of my fuel costs just using the car the way I drive today.

I call it a transition vehicle because it practically bridges the gap between gasoline and electric. I do not have to sacrifice anything with this car. I save money whenever I want, but I can put gas in it too and not worry about being stuck on the road.

The Volt that I Test Drove (Picture by Farris Khan)

Why is it so overpriced?
I did the math. It is NOT. Please review the math and tell me if I am missing anything.

First off, I completely agree that $41K is a big MSRP for the car. However, $7500 is a big government incentive. The bottom line is the car costs $33,500. However, unless you are car collector, I cannot see why you would not lease the car.

The lease starts at $350/Month, $2500 down. However, I drive 15K per year and I do not like to put money down. The quoted lease rate for the base model for me (for a 2011... 2012 lease rates are not yet available) is $460/month including tax. This includes the tax incentive baked in, which the dealer gets.

$460 is 48% higher than what I am paying for my 2008 Impala which is $310/month with the exact same terms. This does not seem like a good deal... until you factor in fuel costs.

I will assume that gasoline will be $4.00 per gallon for the next 3 years. I have every reason to think that the price will go higher than this amount as I think it will go lower.

At $4/gallon, my daily fuel costs in my Impala are $9 for each day I go to work (roundtrip of just under 50 miles). To recharge my new Volt I will pay $1.33. This is based on a fixed amount I will pay to DTE (utility company) of $40/month. They will install the charger for free (not the $6-8K number I have read elsewhere) and offer me this flat rate.

I will have to either recharge at or near work, or drive a little bit on gas each day. Assuming I cannot charge at work, I will have to drive about 10-12 miles or about a 1/2 gallon = $2.00. My total fuel costs will then be $3.33 per day v. $9.00.

My savings will be $5.67 per day * 22 working days/month = $124 per month. The remaining 8 days per month are weekends. I figure I will be driving on average, about 24 miles per day on each of those days at $1.33 per day v. spending about $4.00 in fuel per day. I expect to use gasoline very rarely on the weekends.

Savings: $2.67 per day * 8 days = $21.36. Add that to the $124 for weekdays and we get a total savings per month of $145.36 per month.

After factoring in fuel costs,the $41K Volt will cost me about $5 per month more than my current 2008 Impala (which had an original MSRP in the low $20Ks).

UPDATE (June 11): The $1005 drop 2012 pricing (Now $39,995) will likely mean that the Volt will now be more favorable than the Impala. It should cost me less to drive a Volt than an Impala!

$1005 is a 2.4% drop in price. However, it should be more significant % than that for the lease. I will contact the dealer early next week for an estimate on the lease rate.

A couple of notes:
I did add the leather option, which will bring my costs up a little more. However, I did not have leather in the Impala, so I consider that cost not part of a direct apples-to-apples comparison.

Also, I will have to pay about $17/month more in insurance. However, I get Onstar free for 3 years (a $15 value per month which I currently do not have in the Impala). In my mind, these two figures basically offset each other.

UPDATE (June 11): Now I will still have to pay a bit more in insurance, and the numbers turn in Impala's favor if the price of gas falls (I am using $4 per gallon as my estimated average price for the next 3 years). However, the point is that the Volt is likely now even more affordable for me than it was a couple of days ago.

The Bottom Line
Just trying to explain the appeal Volt requires effort, research, a test drive and some cost of ownership calculations. I have researched this vehicle to the point where I feel confident that leasing one is right for me and will cost me about the same as my very utilitarian 2008 Chevy Impala.

I hope that some major media outlets would simply run the numbers like I did. I did not expect the numbers to be that favorable. I am surprised that I have not found other calculations like this on other blogs or websites and I hope to soon.

UPDATE (June 11): I have reviewed at least 6 articles about the pricing change. The bias on supposed "fact based" news articles is apparent in some of them. In one, the title actually said "price increase". Certainly, the comments below the articles that I have read contain enough material worthy of response 5 blog posts. I am grateful for that I suppose. However, I am disappointed at the negative energy surrounding a vehicle that should (as I see it) be praised as a huge accomplishment.

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