I've been looking forward to trading in my Saturn (even if I can coax close to 50 mpg out of it) for a Prius for a couple of years, although finances have prohibited (and will continue to prohibit) such a transaction for quite some time (damn mortgage). My most recent issue of Discover, though, presented an interesting new option. Provided GM is even still in business in 2010 (or 2011, depending on when they work out the kinks), the Chevy Volt should come onto the market and present the first real challenger to the Prius. It's a hybrid, but a different class of hybrid than the Prius; rather than switching back and forth between combustion engine and batteries as the main power source, the Volt uses the battery-driven electric motor as the exclusive direct power source (the combustion engine is only used to charge the batteries, not run the car) and, even more noticeably, allows its internal batteries to be charged from a home power source (something the Prius doesn't do). Theoretically, if your commute is less than 40 miles (like mine), a 6-hour nightly charge in the garage is enough to make your gas consumption exactly zero (well, not *exactly* zero, since the engine will still kick on now and then to lubricate the parts, but pretty close to zero), and the electricity vs. gasoline price ratio is something like 2 cents/12 cents per mile. And it's still supposed to be capable of 100 mph.

Now for the downsides. Chevy has been pushing the release date back on a semi-regular basis because the battery technology has had some snags, and the projected price has been going up (it's now at $35,000, which is probably out of my price range and makes buying it for the fuel efficiency something of a very long-term investment). And since 2011 is still a good stone's throw away, it's entirely possible Toyota will have released a new Prius that bests the Volt by then anyway. But I'm going to keep an eye on it anyway.

Labels: car, technology

Posted at 4:57:00 PM.  |     |   Permalink to this post.

 

Tuesday, December 23

King of the Road

I could whine in large vocabulary about the unplanned expenditure that put four brand-new tires on my car today, but given the incredulous looks I've received from multiple people regarding the state of my old tires, I'm leaning more toward being amused at the value I've squeezed out of the rubber. Apparently, tires have mileage ratings. And people look at you askew when you grumble that your tires only have 107,000 miles on them . . .

(Hey, I still had 3/32nds of tread left!)

Labels: amusement, car

Posted at 2:25:00 PM.  |     |   Permalink to this post.

 

Thursday, December 18

Means of Transportation

I'm not sure what a serpentine belt is, but apparently in the mechanical world it translates loosely as "about a hundred bucks."

I've also been advised to replace all four tires "in the near future." Saturn offered to do it on the spot for $450; somehow I think I can probably get a better deal somewhere else. It still won't be cheap, but considering how well my car has held up I can't really complain.

I *did* complain a little (to myself, in my car) when the complimentary car wash, combined with 7-degree weather, froze my windshield wipers solid, a fact I didn't discover until I was firmly ensconced in traffic and my application of wiper fluid remained where it was, bordered by two small paths where just the tips of the wipers touched the glass (yay for sudden zero visibility in busy traffic!). Not that I directed the complaint at Saturn; this was just "one of those things."

Labels: car

Posted at 5:19:00 PM.  |     |   Permalink to this post.