Chevy Volt Price Mystery

By: Kara Gilmour
Staff Writer
Published: Sep 28, 2009

Information On GM Chevy Volt Price

The Chevy Volt price is something most consumers can expect soon. General Motors has hinted at a $39,000 sticker price, but nothing seems to be accurate when there's talk of a possible government auto incentive. Moreover, GM isn't expected to earn a profit on its first-generation Chevy Volt.

We do know that GM is secretly building new plug-in electric cars. The GM Volt is one of the vehicles in post-production tests that could provide a driving range of up to 40 miles on a single battery charge. However, other release notes suggest that the distance actually means up to 40 minutes on a single charge.

The cost of $39,000 has been a figure thrown around a bit but the GM hybrid and its driving range isn't official. GM is expected to make further announcements later this year on the details. We do know that an electric car prototype is already in production tests.

Consumers are getting anxious and confused at the same time. For example, GM announced last month that the Volt will get up to 230 miles per gallon. However, there is a catch. These aren't the typical miles you expect when you have to recharge the battery every 40 minutes. In other words, a person could only achieve a 230 MPG rating by making frequent stops when the battery needs to recharge.

Chevrolet Volt is defined as an "extended-range vehicle" and not a hybrid. This also sounds confusing when the vehicle uses the same components as a hybrid car. For example, hybrid cars combine the use of a gas engine and electric motor which gets charged by a battery. The Volt also comes with a plug that can recharge the battery.

In simple terms, there are hybrid cars that are powered by both a gas engine and electric motor, and there are electric cars that only use the gas engine as a generator to charge the battery. Vehicles that use an engine as a generator and often called "electric vehicles" because they are only powered by the electric motor. The GM Volt is considered a hybrid since it uses two forms of energy to power the vehicle.

First generation cars are usually developed for tests. This doesn't mean the Volt won't be a great automobile, it will, but this plug in technology is so new that some consumers might wait until the second-generation is released. The second-generation usually fixes any known problems from the original hybrid car.

Engineers at GM once stated that the automaker has the technology to push a car up to 100 miles on a single charge by using a lithium ion battery. However, this does not mean that it will be available in the upcoming Volt. It could determine what the second-generation vehicle might offer.

Even so, a 40 mile electric driving range is decent, no matter how you look at it. This is enough juice to power the car for trips around town or to commute back and forth to work. The electric car is actually called an extended range vehicle, but it does include a small combustion engine.

The GM Volt does sound promising and the new propulsion system could revolutionize the market. Perhaps this is why General Motors is being so secretive about specifics at this point. The cost for the electric car might be a bit steep for most people, but if can use electricity to power a car for up to 40 miles, it is probably worth the price for the Chevy Volt.