Rochester, N.Y. - Three battery operated Chevy Volts have been sold in
Rochester. But so far only one has been delivered.
Before it left the showroom today a Hoselton salesman showed off the dashboard electric monitoring unit. It was like a full colored graphic video game edged with a bit more science.
“As you're coasting and slowing down you see breaking energy from the wheels going into the battery,” says Travis Carroll as he points to the bright green battery graphic in a built in GPS style screen.
A separate pad of touch sensitive controls control heat, air conditioning, and stereo functions and function much like an I-Pod or Droid smart phone. The system can interface with either one.
“Through your phone you can start your car and get is warm so you don't use battery power to warm it, you can remote start it from anywhere,” explains Carroll.
All of that appeals to Ben Short who is an engineer at ITT in Rochester. Yet he purchased this electric car for another reason entirely.
“It captures not only the imagination but the pocketbook with the cost of gas,” says Ben.
There is a place on the front quarter panel to plug it in at night. The lithium Ion battery charged in about 10 hours and can run up to 50 miles before the engine kicks over to gas usage.
"If folks have a 10 mile commute to work you never have to pay for gas again,” says Hoselton General Manager Ron Palmer. “It makes it cost effective over the long run.”
Factoring in the cost of electricity to charge the battery Volt drivers will save money anytime gas is over $2.64 per gallon. But the car costs $41,000, minus a $7,500 federal tax credit.
Volt drivers will have to travel at least 158,000 miles with gas at $4 dollars a gallon to break even on the cost of the car and begin saving money.
Hoselton has sold three of the Volts – the other two will be delivered later this year. That is pretty much the allotment of the vehicle for the Rochester market. Chevy is making a limited 12,000 of the cars this year but will increase production to 45,000 in 2012.
Ben Short has been researching the car for 3 ½ years and says the numbers work for him. So do the perks.
“I have a smart phone, a droid,” he said just before driving the car out of the showroom. “I'm looking forward to getting it hooked up so I never lock myself out of my car again.”
