[RCB268]

From DOE: "How much does it cost to commute to work or drive across town? The price of gasoline is posted at every corner gas station, but what about the cost of driving on electricity? The Department of Energy’s eGallon provides a quick and simple answer to this question and allows electric vehicle (EV) drivers to see how much they can save on fuel by using electricity instead of gasoline."

Some background words found over at The Freep:

http://www.freep.com/article/20130611/BUSINESS01/306110061/electric-car-fuel-savings

And the eGallon calculator is here:

http://www.doe.gov/articles/egallon-how-much-cheaper-it-drive-electricity

Of course, "we" knew this 'stuff' already...

 

[bonaire]

Bummer it is only by state and not by zip code. In my area, if I went 5 miles west of where we live, electricity drops by .05 per kWh.

That is PECO versus PP&L (roughly Philly .16 vs. Lancaster .11) However, incomes and wealth is higher in the Philly area. Another interesting thing is that the larger solar arrays in the state are in the cheaper PP&L region and not PECO due to the land availability.

We are on the edge of suburban sprawl. Many people drive 40+ miles to work. Once the 120 mile EVs are on the market, things will pick up incrementally. Volts are still somewhat rare around here.

 

[vdiv]

It is hard to understand why people's thinking is that EVs have to be all or nothing. If the commute is 40+ miles the Volt offsets the 40 miles to electric use and leaves the + miles to a relatively efficient gasoline use.

 

[Loboc]

It's using data from September 2012. Plus, it's using the average MPG and average kWh/mi in the calculation. It should have a selector for your specific vehicle.

Cute concept though.

 

[bonaire]

I think they're waiting on price along with value. Many uneducated consumers still believe the Volt is a 40-mile BEV. Many Chevy dealers would rather sell a Sonic or Cruze than a Volt for someone wanting to cut their gasoline costs. Wife and I went to a Chevy shop when CUV lease-shopping a few weeks ago and the sales guy had nothing good to say about the Volt (2 on the lot). We kept it quiet that I owned one. We leased a Honda CR-V.

 

[vdiv]

It is all a perception. If the Volt was originally listed at $60k and was now discounted down to $30k there would be a wait list, similar to the Fit EV. Trying to be positive about this, GM could be doing a much, much better job at improving the perception.