From the Desk of Mike (The Hammer) Garvin

Will we drive an electric
car three years from now?

By Auto 123.com

That's a tough question, you might say. After all, we will still be relying on traditional gas-powered vehicles for many more years. Yet, that's not going to stop the folks at General Motors, especially those at the Chevrolet division, who entertain high hopes of seeing electric vehicles on the road in the near future. The Chevrolet Volt, which made a lot of headlines last summer, just went from a simple concept study to an actual prototype. Green car enthusiasts are understandably ecstatic.

What about you?
Again, I ask you the question: will you be driving a car like the Volt when they will arrive on the market? Of course, it all depends on pricing. Initially, GM talked about a mass-production vehicle that could start around $30,000. However, if you ask me, it'll be closer to $35,000. For buyers, this price might seem a bit steep, although leasing could prove a more interesting alternative. Clearly, not everyone will be able to afford this car.

Still, I want to keep my hopes up. My current lease contract will expire in exactly 27 months, which is all the more fitting since, if all goes as planned, GM is expected to launch the Chevrolet Volt in May 2010... or, in other words, 27 months from now. I would very much like to be among the first lucky ones to drive an electric car. What about you?

A car that suits my needs
As a freelance writer and self-employed person, I sometimes have to get out of my house to attend meetings or special events, but more often than not, the commute is not very long -- less than 60 kilometers. The only other times where I use my car are to run errands (a few kilometers), go to the curling center (25 km, 4 times a week) or pick up my wife at the subway station (about 40 km). With the Volt, I would always run on electricity since the car offers a daily range of about 70 kilometers. All I would have to do is to plug the car into a 110-volt outlet and let it recharge for about six hours.

How much would it cost?
Let's say I filled up the gas tank upon purchasing the Volt. With my daily routine, I would never burn the slightest drop of fuel, except on a few rare occasions (2-3 times a year, at the most). My annual average mileage is 20,000 kilometers (about 55 km a day), including long trips. If I didn't travel at all, my daily mileage would hover around 40 km. For a full six-hour recharge of the battery, I probably would not use more than 8 kW/h through a 110-volt outlet. Right now, the cost of a single kW/h is about 6 cents. Therefore, my electricity bill for the Volt would amount to 48 cents a day and $14.40 a month.

The car I'm driving now burns about $183 worth of gasoline per month. That's huge! And, honestly, I'm quite ashamed to admit it. If I were to switch to a Volt, I would save $168.60 a month. Now that's more the way I like it!

Can I afford to buy a Volt?
My current vehicle carries a selling price of $27,999, but since I leased it for 27 months at 4.59 percent, I will only pay $450 a month during the entire term. Obviously, I have to add fuel costs, which gives me a monthly total of $618.60. That's probably the amount I would need to pay for a Volt at $35,000.

Fuel is not cheap; everyone knows it. So you have to take it into account when purchasing or leasing a new vehicle. At $35,000 (including electricity costs), the Volt would cost me roughly $620 a month, or the same amount that I will be spending over each of the next 27 months. Bottom line: I can afford it.

What about availability?
That's another issue. Last year, GM told journalists that about 10,000 units would be produced. How many of those will be headed to Canada? Hard to say. Most likely, we'll have to be ready to place our orders as soon as we can.

I'm hoping GM will revise its early forecasts because, I my mind, there are a lot more people interested in this type of vehicle. Ten thousand Volts would quickly fly off showrooms. Remember how Chrysler had anticipated that only 10,000 PT Cruisers would be sold in the first year? No less than 80,000 potential customers put their names on the waiting list. As a result, the automaker's sales were greatly affected.

I wish you, me and everyone out there the chance to get their hands on a Chevrolet Volt. I think we've reached this point as a consumer society. But who else than GM will be able to meet our needs?
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