Electric Vehicles, in favor of? or disapprove?

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by sanddrag

I'm not terribly confident in the near future of hybrid technology either. GM next year will be releasing a hybrid (wait for it.....) Yukon. I mean seriously, what are they thinking? It costs like another $15,000+ over a regular Yukon, has a gigantic 6L engine still, and only gets another 5mpg. The point is?

(Full disclosure: I now work for the GMC dealership whose vehicles are linked below.)

Actually, the Yukon Hybrid is available right now; there were two on our lot when I left on Friday. Further, the EPA figures show the hybrid getting 21 city/22 highway, while a standard Yukon gets 14/19. That's an appreciable swing.

Also, since the $15,000 figure seemed high, I dug a little deeper. There's one at work for $53,955, while a Yukon with roughly similar equipment is $45,981--that's a gap of roughly $8,000.

Now, does my CR-V get better mileage than a Yukon Hybrid? In most cases, yes. Will a Yukon Hybrid haul more cargo than my CR-V? Absolutely. If I had an appreciable need for a full-size SUV, I'd consider it. Since I don't have a need for a full-size SUV, I'm content just photographing it.

As for the original topic, 60 km is not enough range for my needs. (My present daily round-trip commute is closer to 45 or 50 miles, about 50% more than this EV can put out.) $50,000 is also priced out of my reach, especially when the Chevy Volt is currently targeted to hit around $30,000 when it goes on sale in 2010 and the Prius starts around $21,100. I'd pass.