I
EARLY ADOPTERS
swore I would never buy a new car… and yet, December 23, 2010, I took delivery of my brand new, cyber gray metallic Chevrolet Volt – number 186 off the assembly line – and I couldn’t be happier. The car is amazing. But don’t take my word for it – to date the Volt has won over half a dozen awards, including 2011 North American Car of the Year, 2011 Best World Green Car, 2011 Motor Trend Car of The Year, SAE’s Best Engineered Vehicle of 2011, and a 2011 Edison Gold Award. Not bad for a car that has barely been out for six months. But awards aren’t everything, and I’d like to focus on some of the reasons that I decided buying the Chevy Volt was right for me. Some of these reasons are altruistic, while others are more selfish in nature,but each of them has influenced my personal decision.
The Environment
Perhaps one of the most common reasons people purchase some form
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December 23, 2010, I took delivery of my brand new, cyber gray metallic Chevrolet Volt - number 186 off the asembly line - and I couldn’t be happier.
of electric vehicle is to reduce one’s impact on the environment. Whether the car is a Prius, a Volt, or a Leaf, electric vehicles enjoy the distinction of being environmentally friendly. The simple conclusion here is that, typically, less gasoline usage equates to less emissions. This statement deserves a more detailed analysis that includes carbon footprints of the full manufacturing cycle, gasoline emissions, and electric plant emissions in the case of vehicles with a plug, but for the sake of brevity let’s assume this statement to be generally true. In my particular situation, I am a one car household that travels roughly 20 - 40 miles a day, and has a 400 mile trip a few times a year. This type of driving pattern scores high for the Volt. Its EPA rated 35 miles of all-electric driving means that most days I don’t use a drop of gasoline,
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but its gas-powered electric generator means that I can take it on my long trips without stopping to recharge. Thus far, I have driven about 4000 miles and have averaged nearly 190 MPGG (miles per gallon gasoline – the explicit notation of gasoline is to stress that electricity usage is not being included in this calculation). Environmentally, my Volt has thus far been impressive. And since I purchase 100% renewable energy, the carbon footprint of using my Volt is even smaller.
The Economy
The whole of the national economy is a complex, multidimensional money machine that deals with everything: education, employment, energy, retail, agriculture, manufacturing, finance and on and on. If we focus on energy, however, the United States relies heavily on a single source: oil. Because of this, any fluctuation in the price of oil
Thus far, I have driven about 4000 “miles and have averaged 190 MPGG ”
66 CHARGED JAN/FEB 2012