

The government is a big fan of GM's new electric vehicle








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RE: What that statement really said
By Keeir on 4/2/2010 11:39:27 AM , Rating: 1
Alright, the Ford Fusion we can all agree is a fantastic car. But its also fairly expensive.

if the price premium over a base C/D-segment 25 MPG car is $10,000 for the Fusion and $20,000 for the Volt (remember no government subsidy)

And your Goal is to reduce -gasoline- usage as much as possible, over 100,000 miles, the Fusion reduces gasoline usage at a cost ~6.67 dollars per gallon. The Volt reduces gasoline usage at a cost of ~5.75 dollars per gallon. (Note this is if we -ignore- the increase in electricity)

As expected service life of car increases, the Volt becomes a better and better bargin

If the End goal is to reduce gasoline consumption as much as possible per dollar, the Government should buy Prii, Leafs, Volts, and Fusions in that order.

If the end goal is a compromise between buying American and effectively reducing total gasoline usage, Volts would be the best.

Assumed Numbers over 100,000 miles

Car      Premium    Gas Savings    Dollars/Gal
Volt     20,000     3,500 gal      5.75
Leaf     15,000     4,000 gal      3.75
Fusion 10,000     1,500 gal      6.67
Prius    7,000      2,000 gal      3.50
Leaf^   16,700     4,000 gal    4.18
Volt^    21,700     3,500 gal      6.20
Leaf*    8,500      4,000 gal      2.12
Volt*    13,500     3,500 gal      3.87

^ Includes approximate electricity required valued at Industrial Average Rate per DOE of 6.8 cents per kWh
* Includes Government 7,500 Credit and 1,000 charge for installation of 220V charger

RE: What that statement really said
By JediJeb on 4/2/2010 3:46:16 PM , Rating: 2
What about the new Hyundai Sonata hybrid?

RE: What that statement really said
By Keeir on 4/2/2010 5:19:29 PM , Rating: 2
As far as I understand, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid starts at ~28,000 dollars (Hyundai Site does not yet have offical MSRP). This puts it at a 9,000-10,000 premium over a comparable Sonata/25 MPG car.

Since its fuel economy is roughly the same as the Fusion and the premium is rouhgly the same, it falls in the 6.50-7.00 dollar a gallon range.

(Now, I am assuming that for the most part the Government will want to purchase base model cars without alot of the frills a personal car might have. Heated seats for example, do not provide significant more utility to the government, but might be a feature you value...)

