It requires 8kwh of energy to charge a completely dead battery (no charge). I just did a kwh charge for MN in January 2012; the rate was $0.10 (ten cents). Multiply .10 cents by 8kwh (assuming battery is completely dead) and my effective cost to charge the car for 40miles of usage is $0.80. If I charged it from 9pm-6am, the KWH charge is less, as low as $0.07.

And on the app I can program the car to only charge when the grid isn't taxed (e.g. when the cost per kwh is cheapest)

So let's round it up to worst case scenario, I drive the car every day from full to empty and do a complete charge. I'm looking at adding less then $30/mo to my utility bill.

In reality, I usually have 10-15mi left of battery at the end of the day (call it 30% remaining battery); so I rarely do an empty to full charge.

Does the Volt also let you schedule the A/C to cool of the car via the app so it's all chilled off when you get to the parking lot?

I'd like to get more time trying out the Leaf, but I see quite a few Volts on the road here, too.

This thing sounds pretty sweet, actually. 

I'm loving the numbers you are generating, so to speak. And I would sooo drive one of these over a Prius.

Speaking of doodies, we must be one constipated forum, b/c no one seems to has them anymore. 

Topher wrote:

I THINK it's a check for $7,500. Remember when there was the $8,000 new home buyer credit? I think it's similar to that.

Again, I THINK.

With the lease they just took the $7,500 off of the MSRP and then another $2,500 rebate. So I think my sticker price was like 43,000 and my lease was based on 33,000. If that makes any sense.

I called the Chevy dealership, it's not.  I'm actually kind of shocked that you didn't have to lay that $7500 out of pocket.  I don't see how the dealership is getting that money back.

Topher wrote:

Scot, the great thing is I'm well exceeding the mileage that's advertised. They advertise and claim 35mi on battery. I'm getting well over that always 40mi. Sometimes even 45mi.

FAWESOME!

I cannot tell you how refreshing it is to get feedback from an enthusiast and not some Ed Begley Jr. Jagoff-Wannabee. 

How's the cargo room compared to your old Legacy?  Looking mainly at backseat space.  Our rear-facing child seat JUST fits behind my seat in the Legacy.  The massive trunk is also nice.

I saw one yesterday, for the first time up close. It looked a lot smaller up close than it looks on the road or in pictures. The styling somehow is 'styled large' but its  actual dimensions are pretty modest. It looked good! Much cooler inside and out than a Prius, IMO. Nice job, GM! 

Some pretty cool facts.

Just how much fuel have Chevrolet Volt owners collectively saved since the Volt went on sale? Enough to fill one supertanker, or 2.1 million gallons of gasoline, which equates to more than $8 million in combined fuel savings. That’s thanks to the more than 40 million miles those drivers have traveled on electricity.

Volt drivers spend 60% of their time driving electrically, but utilize the gasoline range extender when they need to travel further than the 35-40 miles they can get on a single charge. You might be thinking, “That’s pretty cool, but what does it all mean?† Well, to break it down for you…

40 Million Total Electric Miles (EV) driven equivalent to:
•    16,373 trips across the United States (2,443 miles from New York to Los Angeles)
•    1,606 trips around the Earth (24,901 miles each)
•    167 trips to the Moon (238,657 miles each)

2,130,000 Gallons of Gas Saved equivalent to:
•    50,714 barrels of gas saved (42 gallons of gas per barrel)
•    $8,000,000 saved at the gas pump (based on $3.80/gallon of gas)
•    387 U.S. semi-truck tankers of gas saved (5,500 gallons of gas each)
•    One supertanker of gas saved (2 million gallons of gas)

http://www.chevroletvoltage.com/index.p … -gas-.html

Yup, the seats are really nice.

I really don't have a complaint with the car.

My only complaint is that I had to go to a Chevy dealership to buy it. It's certainly not a "premium" buying experience for a $44k car.

But the post purchase has been very premium. I received a really nice Volt coffee table book. A personal adviser who emails me to check in (and isn't annoying). Very satisfied with this purchase.

Topher wrote:

I really don't have a complaint with the car.

care to update? i love the styling, concept, technology...everything about these.
i also think it's a huge advantage over the leaf that it has a back-up gas engine. no clue what nissan is thinking advertising the fact that theirs doesn't.

Topher wrote:

The only annoying thing I've encountered is that sometimes I'll forget to plug it in when I get home. Not the car's fault, but mine.

Inductive charging will fix that...Not sure how retrofit able that will be to existing EVs?