When it comes to saving money, we’ve probably all heard the same tips. Stop going to the coffee shop! Don’t buy frivolous things like artwork and jewelry! Start cooking at home! And, it’s all good advice. But……

I’m not sure this list is comprehensive, but for a start: http://carsharing.net/where.html

Wow, thanks so much for that great information! I’m sure other readers are going to be wondering the same thing regarding the Volt.

That’s great to know about the electricity equivalent. I was thinking the Volt would actually use more electricity than that, so I was happy to be proven wrong about that. $2.75 in elec. for 100 miles is pretty darn good I think.

The cost re the electricity to power the car:

The “230 mpg” marketing suggests that the Chevrolet Volt will somehow have equivalent energy costs to a conventional, gasoline-fueled car rated at 230 mpg. The official GM press release quickly points out the low operating costs and quotes the national average electricity rate of $0.11/kWh. Further down it points out that $2.75 worth of electricity will get you 100 miles of driving. All the figures were based on city driving.

Here comes the grain(s) of salt:

$2.75 for 100 miles. $2.75 isn’t far off from what a gallon of gas costs these days. So 100 miles for what it costs for a gallon of gas? It would seem that something like “100 mpg gas equivalent” (at least in terms of cost to the consumer) might be more meaningful. While it may not make as many headlines, it would still be a rating to be proud of.

Still, I’d suggst taking a few minutes to determine if #1 – you can afford to pay the price for this car, and of course at that price, try putting as much of a down-payment as you can if you have to finance it. #2 – If the price of gasoline goes LOWER than $2.75, then you’re pretty much stuck with the $2.75 as the basic cost regardless. #3 – Since we just had a serious increase in our electric rates in Nevada, you can be assured as more go to electric cars, the power companies will want to cash in on that, so that will drive up the cost of electricity and of course if you have to power up away from your own 110 outlet, then there could easily be a cost to use a ‘power station’ that you’ll probably find installed all along the highways in conjunction with the gasoline stations that are currently in operation.

Overall, I don’t think this is a viable investment; I’m sticking with paying cash for our cars – buying used ones that are 2 or 3 years old, and if I live long enough, I’ll probably wind up getting a used hybrid. But for now, this is the best information to answer the question you sent me about what does it cost to operate re the electricity and what is the selling price. Diane

I know! I just saw that on Yahoo a few minutes ago.

I have to wonder how much electricity it uses to charge up the battery. I wish they would have said how many KwH it takes for a full charge; that way people could more accurately estimate exactly how much money it costs to go, say, 200 miles.

This might make a great blog post when more information becomes available!

I wonder what the sticker price is…did your article say?

Gas guzzlers, as the electric Chevy Volt is on track to be rated at 230 miles per gallon. Pegging down the gas milage on Chevrolet’s flagship electric car, due out next year, has been hard, since the Volt runs for about 40 miles before using any gas; after that, it gets about 50 mpg. The draft 230-mpg rating is based on city driving.

Also, unless you’ve got a rental car service who will pick you up (which we don’t have), then you’ve got to get transportation to the rental service to start with (and that requires living close to a bus or some type of public transportation).

Since I’ve been a ‘not for profit’ type of taxi service to so many people who are in their 80′s (and over), I know my little senior community would groan, if I should ever decide not to keep our car handy not only for us, but for them. Since there are so many rural areas where I live; the desert is terribly dangerous on the hot months, it wouldn’t be a wise thing to try to bike or walk any distance.

Just this last week, they recovered a hiker who died from dehydration and heat exhaustion. I remember when I lived in up-state New York, it was down to 46 below zero, and people died who tried to use snow-mobiles instead of cars, and got stranded back in 1967. So, I consider the overall safety factor of weather and remoteness to the food sources (which in the desert, we have no vegetable gardens because of water allocation); to the doctor – hospital – dentist, and I think it’s a decision that often has to be based upon safety, as well as saving money.

Obviously if one lives in the city, it becomes much easier to eliminate the full-time car ownership, and I’m all for car-pooling since I lived 20 years in Southern California, and did just that.

I do wish long ago when I rode in one of Ford’s electric cars they put out in 1974 (my brother-in-law is a Ford dealer; my son is Honda dealer – my nephews co-own a Ford dealership), that people would have taken these up as ‘town cars’. Sadly, the results of Ford’s beta-testing showed that America wasn’t ready to climb into a small ‘wrap-around’ car to go short-distance shopping. I’m guessing now that things have changed, there will be a much better response to the electric car and other hybrids; however, the cost to purchase one is rather staggering and I’m not about to finance a car – ever.

Another factor for me is I’m an excellent driver; I trust being my own pilot, and don’t let anyone drive me anywhere unless I’m in an ambulance – not everyone is ‘safe’ behind the wheel. The older I get, the less I can depend on the strength of my legs to transport me; the more I realize I need my ‘wheels’………. I pray I keep my eye-sight – can’t imagine being blind and not having the ability to drive – that would be a terrible situation.