The Chevrolet Volt is seen by General Motors as the car of the future with a target range of 40 miles on electricity alone. However, a study by Carnegie Mellon University suggests that smaller cars with plug-in batteries may offer better value – although this has now been refuted by various green car analysts.
Further to Faye Sunderland’s article “GM Volt to be too expensive?“, the study finds that while 40 miles is a “sweet spot” for drivers looking to use the vehicles to get to work, they would be doing so at a cost that would never be repayable in fuel savings.
It suggests that with lighter, cheaper batteries, a plug-in with seven- to 10 miles of electric range or a conventional hybrid may provide the best mix of price, faster charging times and efficiency. With the Toyota Prius to be revamped this year and be capable of at least 50mpg it may offer better value that the Volt – the Prius currently sells from $22,000-$24,270, whereas the Volt has yet to have its price established although GM has backed down from an initial target of below $30,000.
Nevertheless, some green analysts have refuted the study’s findings. They suggest that the assumptions made are counterproductive as petrol prices will almost certainly rise, and the desire for zero emission vehicles will grow. This means that the application of battery electric drive in plug-in hybrid vehicles, or range-extended vehicles such as the Volt, must be scalable from small vehicles to large.
The upswing in petrol prices that is likely to come over the next few months in particular means that the study’s findings are likely to change.
