I'm finally using my surplus solar energy to power my long awaited Chevy Volt plug-in vehicle. I drove 840 miles using one gallon the first 2 weeks. I attached my Volt test drive video for those interested in how the car works etc... Thanks.

http://youtu.be/jbjtKbWZ67w

MrEnergyCzar

I actually looked at the Volt and some other options and decided on a cheap Toyota Corolla at 38 miles to the gallon. Your Volt weighing in at 41,000 no options with a 7500 tax credit that won’t be available to the end of the year but let’s say they give you the credit right off the bat. I bought a Toyota Corolla for $14000 with no extra bells and whistles for work at 39 mpg.
So let’s do the math.

http://www.chevrolet.com/volt-electric-car/features-specs/

Volt $33500 (After rebate)
Corolla $14000
Volt 200 MPG (assuming with your set up) 93 from mfg
Corolla 39 MPG
Volt $50 Gas per week on the high side when needed
Corolla $50 Gas per week on the high side

$19500 difference in price, I would have to deplete $19500 in gas to break even. Let’s assume at $50 a gallon per week (which is on the very high side, I usually in the low $40’s) it would take me 390 weeks or 7.5 years to break even not taking in account the battery you have to replace on that in 8 years at over $3000 dollar hit (which adds 1.1 years of gas for me at 8 years). These are basic numbers not including maintenance etc… with both vehicles just looking at fuel cost right now and not to mention your solar cell on your house would be another expenditure that hasn’t gotten truly cheap enough to pay for itself yet.
In time both solar and electric will be the way to go, but right now the cost vs payoff is too high right now but it is getting better. I like the idea though and if you got the money to through at it, it would be a nice idea to not use the gas engine and stay electric but have the gas option available but it isn’t practical economical right at this time. Good Video though and thanks for sharing.


And in reality I can go 2 weeks on a fill for my use which would really put me in my case 17 years (2 battery changes for you)to break even and by then I would be having to buy another car. I also looked at the solar set up you have and found similar results. I'm not putting down your set up, I think you are on the right track and if I had the money to spend I would definitely go all solar (off the grid) and a hybrid like you have with that option to use gas if needed. All I'm saying is the prices need to come way down for me to afford a set up like you have. Great idea and one day when they get solar prices to come down more I will be all over that with solar and wind but we don't get much wind here unfortunately. Low wind turbines are getting better but not practical yet.

I ran a similar analysis a couple of years ago and came to the same conclusion: the payback times were just too long and the buy-in price too high. A conventional car was cheaper over the lifetime of the vehicle.

What I find really incomprehensible is that in Europe there are quite nice family cars with clean, small diesel engines that are getting around 55 mpg. They are not available here.

That's cool, using your surplus solar-generated electricity to charge your car.

That's one of the big downsides to any large shift to hybrids that you don't hear much talk about--where is all that electricity going to come from and how will it get to your house? Plus all the associated new problems created by trying to accomodate such a shift. But, if you can generate the power you need for your driving right there, using solar, that avoids many of the downsides, although not all of them.

A lot of it is just a series of chicken and egg issues--will consumers switch if diesel is not readily available at their local filling station? Will manufacturers absorb the extra cost to switch to diesel engines if consumers won't be willing to pay those extra costs? And so on and so forth.

Another big issue are emissions regulations. Manufacturers aren't going to create different versions for different state's emission regulations, and California's stringent regs make diesel passenger cars mostly impractical to sell in the US. The extra tech required to make diesels clean enough for California will make the cars seem too pricey. Unfortunately, diesel is not sexy or seen as environmentally responsible so although consumers will pay a premium for hybrid tech, most won't for a diesel.

Many will argue that it is the high cost of fuel in Europe due to taxes that lead to the very high proportion of diesel passenger cars, although Japan also has very expensive fuel and they do not drive diesel passenger cars, so every country/region has its own unique reasons for what kinds of fuels are used. Look at us just a few short years ago when gasoline prices were high and seemed like that they would stay that way forever--instead of diesel, seemed like ethanol stormed onto the scene and was going to be our savior (with lot's of political lobbying involved behind-the-scenes, I'm sure).

Who knows, 20 years from now, maybe we'll all be filling up with algae-based fuels? The US military may be using it widely by then based on preliminary results right now, like already approving algae-based aviation fuel for military aircraft. Commercial aviation is clamoring for algae-based fuels based on the military's early success with it.

Another old technology that I always wondered about was the good ol' two-stroke engine. If the emissions problem could be solved economically, that could also lead to small, powerful, fuel efficient engines in our cars. But that's been looked at extensively and I guess it just doesn't work for the bigger cars that Americans want.

Its sad how many models of cars/trucks are NOT available in the US. I think we have the least amount of choices of any major country.

Besides the cost of the car, what'd the solar stuff cost? Guess you would have to factor that into the cost of the whole deal, as w/o your own solar, you are buying power.

The Volt is too expensive for me, and I have no solar setup.

But you guys are only taking into consideration is the cost and availability of gas TODAY.

"Another old technology that I always wondered about was the good ol' two-stroke engine... I guess it just doesn't work for the bigger cars that Americans want."

Correction: the cars that Americans have been TRAINED to want.

Follow the money.

Sue

Hopelessly inefficient and polluting, compared with modern 4-stroke engines, be it diesel or gasoline. Even modern two-stroke are way, way, way behind.

The ONLY benefit of good ole' two-stroke (or modern two stroke) is the weight versus effect ratio. They are simple machines that can be made ligther and cheaper than 4-stroke equivalent. Which is why you find them on motorcycles, snowmobiles and small boat engines.

Recent advances has cut into the niche of two stroke engines. Four stroke for motorcycles are old news. Four stroke outboard boat engines and snowmobile engines are getting more popular and gaining their market share.

Some benefits of four stroke: Much more silent, lower fuel consumption and you have a lot of more torque (moment) at slower speeds (meaning the engine can run slower and still push the boat/snowmobile). The drawbacks are usually higher weight, more complex engines and a higher price.

Hybrids don't have to be plugged in like an all electric car like the Nissan Leaf. The newer plug-in models will run just like the older model if it isn't. They run the gas engine as needed for more power or to recharge the battery.

From the Toyota Prius Plug-in FAQ