The owner of the first Chevrolet Volt is Jeff Kaffee, a real estate practitioner. Kaffee...got his car, a plug-in hybrid, in December 2010. Just this month, the Volt was named the North American Car of the Year at the Detroit Auto Show.
Kaffee first spotted the Volt at the 2010 New York Auto Show last summer, liked what he saw, and put in an order. "It had nice styling and it did everything I wanted it to do," he comments.
He traded in a Prius that he bought about six years ago. When he bought the Prius, he'd viewed it as a car that represented a dramatic change. He now feels the same way about the Volt and calls it a dynamic, leading-edge car.
Kaffee, who is planning to attain NAR’s [National Association of REALTORS®] Green Designation, is pleased about the car for other reasons. For one, he vividly recalls the gas lines of the 1970s; he's concerned about the dependence on oil, and also recalls the profound and stifling pollution he witnessed during a recent trip to China. "I wouldn't be buying a Prius or a Volt if I weren't concerned about pollution," he says. "It's my way of doing my little part for the environment. When you see a million of these on the road, that's when they'll make a real impact."
And that day is coming, according to David J. Leeds, Senior Manager of Smart Grid Research for Greentech Media, New York, who says we're transitioning from an oil-based to an electric-based civilization. "It's exciting that we're here," he says. It took about nine years for the Prius to reach its third generation incarnation, and that's the point where it reached the mass market and consumers fully embraced the car, he points out. By 2020, he expects the same thing to happen with electric cars (EVs). "We have about six to eight years for trials to get this right," Leeds adds.
Kaffee, a retired pilot, already finds a lot right about this first generation. "It's a very complicated car, but not for the driver. If you can plug in a hair dryer, you can plug in this car and drive it." Moreover, he says he can charge the car for about $1.50 and go 40 miles.
And though many consider cars like the Volt, and other similar cars, such as the Tesla Roadster and Nissan Leaf , luxury items, their prices likely will come down. "People who recognize the value don't mind paying for these technologies," says Leeds. "If no one bought the first generation Mac, we wouldn't have what we have now. The same will be true of EVs in the long run," says Leeds.
Apple iMac MC509LL/A 21.5-Inch Desktop
For those considering EVs, Leeds raises several points, including:
• Lifestyle fit--Is an EV a good fit with your daily routine? Maybe if you're driving across country, an EV doesn't make sense. But if you have predictable driving habits and a place to recharge such cars, they could work. "Soon we'll have charging stations, and those will be coming quickly," Leeds predicts.
• At-home charging--The first requirement is a basic 120-volt wall outlet, though the capability of 240 volts can speed up battery charging significantly. Kaffee says right now he's charging the batter overnight with his regular 120-volt garage outlet, but will be upgrading to a 240 outlet so he can get fully charged in about four hours.
• Financial incentives--The Federal government offers a $7,500 tax credit for EVs and plug-in hybrids, and Leeds says several states offer additional incentives.
• Test-drive--Rental companies, such as Hertz - Check out their Green Collection, are adding EVs to its fleet, so you could rent a car for several days or a week to see if such cars are a good fit.
• Research-- The U.S. Department of Energy offers a primer on EVs, there's a wealth of information online, and Kaffee said articles in car magazines helped him to make an informed decision.
There also are some somewhat selfish reasons to be interested in such cars. For one, they're made at home and they have the potential to generate jobs. "Remember, if there are no jobs, people also won't be buying houses," Kaffee comments. After driving an array of foreign cars over the years, he notes, "It's a nice thing to come back to a GM product."
®2009 Green REsource Council of the National Association of REALTORS®
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