| 2011 Chevrolet Volt vs 2010 Toyota Prius | January 8, 2010 | AUTORIVALS.NET |
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| The upcoming Chevrolet Volt has
been big news in the auto industry and also has caused some
criticism. It's not your typical hybrid like the
Toyota Prius or Honda Insight. According to GM, it's an
'Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV). What the hell is an
E-REV you ask? Well to put it simply, it's a hybrid that uses
only battery power to propel it rather than a combination of gas
and battery like the Toyota Prius. Once the battery gets
depleted, a gas generator is used to recharge the battery only,
not power the vehicle. The Prius on the other hand, uses gas and
battery power to power the car (but can still run on battery
power alone but not for extended distances). Basically, the Volt
uses electricity as its primary power source and gasoline as its
secondary power source whereas the Prius (and nearly all other
hybrids) use electricity and gasoline as its primary
source. So what's the point of an E-REV? Well, GM is touting the Volt for it's battery only range which is up to 40 miles. Here's where the criticism comes in. A range of only 40 miles seems ridiculous but that's why a gas generator is used to extend the range a lot farther. The exact range is still unknown at this point but GM claims "hundreds of additional miles" (expect around 300). Next criticism? GM claims a fuel economy rating of 230 mpg. That's according to current EPA test standards which have no way of factoring in these new E-REVs (Nissan's also working on one called the Leaf which supposedly gets 376 mpg). Although this new technology theoretically gets better mileage than traditional hybrids and therefore saves gas and money, it doesn't come cheap hence the next criticism. President of Audi of America, Johan de Nysschen bashed the Volt saying "No one is going to pay a $15,000 premium for a car that competes with a Corolla. So there are not enough idiots who will buy it.” Those are some harsh words but he may have a point. Pricing hasn't been announced yet for the Volt but word is that it'll come in around $40,000. That's nearly 20 grand more than a base Prius. How's it going to work? Unlike traditional hybrids, the Volt is one that you'll have to plug in. You can plug it in to any 120v or 240v electrical outlet for charging and will take about three hours to recharge on a 240v outlet and eight hours on a 120v outlet. Chevy claims that charging the Volt once a day would use less energy annually than your average home refrigerator and freezer. Electricity rates fluctuate a bit but GM says it'll cost less than a cup of coffee to recharge it and about two cents per mile to drive it. GM compares it to a cost of 12 cents per mile for gas but that's based on gas prices at $3.60 per gallon. That's a high estimate for the current average gas price (about $2.75 per gallon at the time this article was written), but considering a strengthening economy and resurging SUV sales, we might be at $3.60 or even more sooner or later. Look for the Chevrolet Volt to hit showrooms late this year. |
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| 2011 Chevrolet Volt | vs | 2010 Toyota Prius |
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| The Volt gets a sharper look than
the Prius with more edgy design elements. The thin headlights,
sharp edges, and LED fog lights are more masculine than the
soft, rounded Prius. The Volt's front end looks more like a
sedan than hatchback hybrids like the Prius and Honda Insight.
The closed front grille and rounded corners add in aerodynamic
efficiency with a drag coefficient (Cd) of 0.28. That's less than the Prius' Cd
of 0.25 although GM refutes Toyota's drag coefficient claim. |
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| The Volt's flat hood is what keeps the front end from resembling other hybrid hatchbacks too much. The sideview mirrors extend unusually far from the body but are at least attached to the door like the Prius rather than the A-pillar which looks better. The black trim it rests on that goes across the window beltline is stays black and can't come painted in different colors. | ||
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| The Volt definitely looks better in black to blend the black window trim and hide some of the Volt's unusual proportions. The Prius looks good in blue but can pull off most colors unlike the Volt's pale lime green. | ||
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| There's no question that Chevy was designing a Prius competitor by styling the Volt as a five-door hatchback but Chevy did a pretty good job hiding the jelly bean shape of the Prius. The sharper profile looks more masculine than the Prius. Unfortunately, it's also a tad disproportioned with a low hood and high rear deck. The front overhang is also much longer than the rear overhang whereas the Prius is better balanced. The Prius' hood and roofline that flow smoother looks better even if it does look like a jelly bean. | ||
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| The Volt's about the size of the Chevy Cobalt or upcoming Chevy Cruze but the taller rear matches the Prius' hatchback form. The corners are squared off like the Prius which directs airflow and makes for a more aerodynamic design. The Volt's tail lights get a futuristic treatment but are placed very high on the rear and imposes on the tinted slit window which Chevy decided to include copying the Prius. The reflectors seem to be usually long going the width of the bumper but they needed to fill the void left by the high tail lights. The backup light is placed at the ground which might make it prone to being damaged. | ||
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| The Volt's interior showcases the new E-REV technology. An LCD screen is used for the instruments and gauges while another shows vehicle information. The center stack is well-laid out with a clean design and an integrated shifter. It's attractive and futuristic but still tasteful as if Apple designed it. The Prius' interior looks contemporary but not futuristic like the Volt but some might prefer that. The Volt might take some getting used to for the technologically challenged. | ||
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PROS +It's new, it's fresh, it's an E-REV +Apple interior +Looks good in black +More aggressive exterior +If you drive less than 40 miles everyday, you'll never need gas again CONS -Costs nearly 20 grand more -Disproportioned side profile -Doesn't look good in all colors -Have to plug it in everyday to benefit from the fuel economy gains -If you don't have a garage (e.g. townhouses, apartments), it's going to be difficult/impossible to charge |
PROS +Benchmark for hybrids +Better profile +Looks good in most colors +No changes to your daily driving habits CONS -Dopey looking front -Center gauges |
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| Video Source: CarDataVideo via YouTube | Video Source: Cars.com via YouTube |
| NOTES |
| So if you base your calculations at $3.60 per gallon for gas
and drive 40 miles per day (15,000 miles per year), GM
calculates that you'll save about $1,500 annually over a
comparable car getting roughly 30 mpg. By that calculation, it
would take you over 12 and half years to recover the initial
$19,000 price premium over a Prius and other competitors. Twelve
years is a long time for any car and considering these new E-REVs
are new technology, their durability is unknown at this point. But that's just one scenario though. Let's see some other examples of how much (or little) you can save. First Scenario: Chevrolet Volt vs Toyota Prius ($21,000, 50 mpg combined) Driven at $2.75 gas prices for 15,000 miles per year Savings: $525 annually Time to recover costs: 36 years Driven at $2.75 gas prices for 18,000 miles per year Savings: $630 annually Time to recover costs: 30 years Driven at $3.60 gas prices for 15,000 miles per year Savings: $780 annually Time to recover costs: 24 years Driven at $3.60 gas prices for 18,000 miles per year Savings: $936 annually Time to recover costs: 20 years Second Scenario: Chevrolet Volt vs Toyota Prius ($27,670, 50 mpg combined) Driven at $2.75 gas prices for 15,000 miles per year Savings: $522 annually Time to recover costs: 23 years Driven at $2.75 gas prices for 18,000 miles per year Savings: $630 annually Time to recover costs: 19 years Driven at $3.60 gas prices for 15,000 miles per year Savings: $780 annually Time to recover costs: 15 years Driven at $3.60 gas prices for 18,000 miles per year Savings: $936 annually Time to recover costs: 13 years Third Scenario: Chevrolet Volt vs Toyota Corolla ($18,960, 30 mpg combined) Driven at $2.75 gas prices for 15,000 miles per year Savings: $1,075 annually Time to recover costs: 19 years Driven at $2.75 gas prices for 18,000 miles per year Savings: $1,290 annually Time to recover costs: 16 years Driven at $3.60 gas prices for 15,000 miles per year Savings: $1,500 annually Time to recover costs: 14 years Driven at $3.60 gas prices for 18,000 miles per year Savings: $1,800 annually Time to recover costs: 11 years These calculations are rough estimates and years were rounded down but basically, it might take you anywhere from 11 to 36 years to recover your costs for paying for this new technology. That's a long time and hopefully by then, we'll have solar-powered flying cars (but considering electric cars took over a decade to get going, don't get your hopes up). |
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