Comments on: Going electric: Adding the 2013 Chevy Volt to a solar-powered home

By: Allen

Allen — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 22:39:33 +0000

Can you actually reach freeway speeds 75/80 on pure electric. I have a 30mi commute to work but half is freeway.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 22:25:24 +0000

Oh…and to add to my comment above, let me correct the total cost of ownership….I need to include my equity trade it…so actual cost of ownership over 5 years is $11,500…..However, the cars residual value with 60K miles on it would likely be in the $15K range so thats a prophet of $3500 in the end.

Not to bad for driving a $45K car around if you ask me.

By: Jerry

Jerry — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 22:06:55 +0000

Great article….I also had solar installed in my home this past year (June 2012) and am also way over producing because I upgraded all the bulbs in our home to LED. I also upgraded our pool filter to a variable speed filter. I have 52 panels on my home and generate 14.4K Kwh of annual electric.

I also test drove a Volt this weekend and was very impressed. Right now, I have a Ford F150 that averages about 14 miles/gal. This is what I would be trading in. However, I want a top of the line Volt – all leather etc…The lease deal this particular dealership came up with was quite high…$550/mon for 39 mon with $3900 at signing.

In my situation, it makes much more sense to purchase. I would receive employee pricing (my father worked for GM for 42 years) so a $45K Volt I can get for $40K. My trade in is worth $10K so final sticker is $30K…..subtract the $7500 tax credit and you are left with $22.5K.

Further, the F150 at 12000 miles per year with avg gas price of $3.50/gal would save $3K a year and over 5 years thats $15,000 bringing total cost of ownership down to $7500. In addition, at current electric rates, the same 12,000 miles/year on electric charge would save me an additional $1200/year and over 5 years that an additional $6000 bringing final cost of the vehicle to $1500 – the electric savings is because I have excess solar power.

I think this is a great deal if my math is right….I’m buying one outright in March when I get my bonus.

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:01:38 +0000

Steve, to recharge it fully, the Volt needs about 10 kWh of juice. My array has peaked around 9 kW of product for more than an hour a time, but of course, not all that power can be put into a Volt battery at one time.

By: steve

steve — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:48:07 +0000

How many solar panels would you think It would take to power the Volt?

By: rdunbar2011

rdunbar2011 — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:18:18 +0000

More right wing Republican horse manure.

By: rdunbar2011

rdunbar2011 — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 00:16:34 +0000

Idiot.

By: Kevin C. Tofel

Kevin C. Tofel — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 14:08:32 +0000

Susan, our state deregulated energy prices a few years back, so there’s been some competition of late.

By: Zombo

Zombo — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 04:22:48 +0000

Thank you for all this information. The Volt is a great choice for many reasons. The price is high but the subsidy and gas savings offset some of the additional cost. I agree that the car is fun to drive, especially in Sport mode. Who knew? i really hope that GM does well with this car. Takeoff is slower than the company expected, but comparable to the Prius, which also started off slowly in the United States. If you’re in the market for a car and considering a Prius, you owe it to yourself to give the Volt a test drive before deciding..

By: Zombo

Zombo — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 03:53:57 +0000

I don’t know if this matters, but the tank is pressurized to keep the gasoline “fresh”. I am not sure how this works with ethanol, but if your commute is 38 mpg or less, you do have to keep the same gas in the tank for along time. I went about 2 months before having to fill my tank for the first time.