GM’s Volt Doesn’t Add Up According to Consumer Reports

Detroit News reported that Consumer Reports’ initial testing on the new Chevrolet Volt was anything but good. The Volt, being quite pricey at $48,700 – almost double that of the Prius – offered a lot less in terms of value. When Consumer Reports tested it this winter in Connecticut, they reported an electric cruise range of only 25-to-27 miles before needing a recharge, which took an agonizing four to five hours to recharge.

GM spokes person Greg Martin countered with the fact that this winter has been extremely harsh and as a Volt driver, he is seeing 29-to-33 miles on all battery. And that in better climates, one could see 40 miles on a single charge. Test driver David Champion noted that the Prius was more economical in short distances of 70 miles or less and would get much higher mileage.

With all the country trying to “go green,” it would appear that GM failed to stop to think about what happens when these cars start to get old, or when one crashes into a lake or pond when the chemicals in the batteries and how they will effect the environment. The batteries themselves raise another issue to if it’s worth owning a hybrid when they go bad; batteries cost upwards of $5,000 dollars to replace, and once these vehicles are old and junked, what will happen as the batteries leak and enter our water tables and surrounding habitat.