But why would you want one of these cars?

1. Exceptional fuel economy?
Not really. The claim is 40 miles on battery alone, in ideal conditions. As anyone who has been born knows, Ideal conditions don’t happen. More realistically you will get half that mileage, 20 miles. This sounds good until you realize that the average American commuter just going between home and work travels 26 miles or more. After the battery runs dry you are stuck with a car that suffers a severe cut in power because the generator that charges the batteries is, at last data release I saw, insufficient to fully power the motors, let alone charge the batteries. This means heavy fuel inefficiency.

2. It looks good?
Aesthetics are a rather personal matter, but in general the Volt looks a lot like most other cars of similar passenger capacity and door count. that is to say, unexceptional and undistinguished. More worryingly it looks rather not aerodynamic, which also cuts into its fuel efficiency.

3. It will save you money?
Over the life of the car, not very likely, unless the release price undercuts the Toyota Prius significantly. The Prius itself is still too expensive to really save you money as well.

4. It will save the environment?
Only if you drive less than 20 miles both ways to work, the store, etc. on a daily basis, and if the battery is non-toxic. Supposedly the Volt uses a large Lithium Ion battery, which is non-toxic, if it is produced in the US or Europe. In other countries some rather horrifying industrial practices will throw the ball into the toxic court. Even if these conditions are met it still will not be significantly better for the environment than any other fuel efficient car.

Instead of buying a Volt, save some money and hassle, buy a diesel car. Run it off bio-fuel made from restaurant waste oil. You will probably get equal or better mileage, still be at a net CO2 drop, and get the delightful smell of Tacos from your exhaust.

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Chevy Volt Inches Closer To Production