The juxtaposition was striking.
“Filling ‘er up suddenly costly,” was the headline at the top of a Business page article Wednesday about how gas prices had increased 11 cents in the past week.
Just below it was this headline: “Triple-digit mileage?” The article was about the introduction of General Motors spiffy-looking new Chevrolet Volt, an electric car available next year that GM says could get a whopping 230 miles per gallon in city driving.
Admittedly, it’s hard to gauge the mileage of a vehicle that runs on electricity, with a gasoline engine only kicking in if the charge is depleted. Its “mpg” would be calculated using a formula that converts kilowatt hours into a gasoline equivalency.
But even if the Volt ultimately doesn’t quite achieve the equivalent of 230 mpg, it would still get about four times the mileage of the most efficient gas hybrid on the market, the Toyota Prius. It would be able to go about 40 miles on a single charge – plenty for most commuters.
Even people who’ve already traded in their clunkers for more fuel-efficient models had to be thinking the Volt was looking pretty good with gas prices inching closer to $3 per gallon. The memory of last year’s $4-plus prices is still painfully fresh.
But there’s a catch. Isn’t there always?
For the average American, the Volt could induce – appropriately enough for an electric car – sticker shock at $40,000. Even with government tax credits of up to $7,500 and the fact that a Volt owner wouldn’t have to buy gas very often, that puts the car out of reach for many buyers.
But prices are expected to come down, and GM’s competitors are readying their electric models.
The Nissan Motor Co., for instance, plans to sell its LEAF in fall 2010, reportedly with a price tag of $25,000 to $33,000 – which is comparable to the cost of Toyota’s Prius.
What could be most important about the Volt is what it symbolizes. An American automaker that teetered on the edge of collapse will sell the first mainstream plug-in vehicle, an energy-efficient, innovative car that is actually within reasonable reach for many consumers. (Few can afford the $100,000-plus Tesla Roadster.)
That’s welcome news for anyone hoping that Detroit can recoup and make the kind of vehicles that will help the United States reduce its dependency on foreign sources of energy.
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