MPGe: 35 city / 40 highway
Full tank and charge range: 102 miles
MSRP: From $34,185
Gov. Rebate $7,500
Gross vehicle weight rating: 4,539 lbs
Range: 38 mi battery-only
Battery: 16.5 kWh 360 V lithium-ion
Other model years: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
The Chevrolet Volt is a Plugin-Hybrid electric car and is perfect for any entrepreneur or tech loving person. It’s extremely efficient, can operate on $20 dollars a month and can help boost your credit score. I’ll show you why this car can help someone who is starting a home based business.
This car has two engines: one electric and one a gas generator that is fueled by a 9 gallon tank. This combination means that the car can run on gasoline when the battery is dead. The owner can charge his car at home, at work or even out in public. It has been said that Chevrolet Volt owners are some of the most satisfied car owners on the market. As a daily driver, I completely agree. The car has a slick hatchback slightly masculine look as opposed to the Nissan Leaf. There are a lot of useful features that the car comes with: Mobile App, key fob with door buttons, digital dashboard and console and extremely quiet.
After owning this car for over a year now I can tell you exactly what it’s like. Depending on whether I drive out of town determines how much gas I use. If I stay in town and have readily access to a charger, I can spend about $20 dollars a month in gasoline. When I’m not using electricity I get about 35 miles per gallon. In that case I end up spending about $60 – $80 dollars a month. Since my driveway is not a driveway and is actually grass it’s difficult for me to charge my car when the ground is saturated. I highly don’t recommend getting a thirty thousand dollar electric car stuck in the mud. It’s nerve racking!
There are basically 3 different types of chargers: home outlet (110 volts), level 2 charger (240 volts) and a level 3 rapid charger. I currently use a 110 outlet at my house considering I don’t own the house and won’t be staying permanently.
This is a great car for any entrepreneur for a lot of reasons. For one, it dramatically cuts back your annual spending on gas because it’s efficient. If you do decide to cut your job off and money gets tight, the charging will guarantee you 40 miles of electric range. This can get you around town easily, but not all day. I recommend keeping a level 2 charger at the house.
The tax credit is a wonderful way to boost your credit. While the car loan for my car was about $35,000, the tax credit was $7,500. So ultimately, my total loan after the tax credit was $27,500. By paying down my loan, I decreased my amount of debt which helped improve my credit score and reliability. $7,500 is a little over 20% of the loan. This is a huge jump start for anyone who wants to build their credit.
I used to spend up to $240 dollars a month in gasoline. I’ve dramatically reduced that to about $80 dollars a month. If I quit my job and only drove to meet clients and the grocery store my gas bill would be around $40 a month. This car is a great investment for anyone with a home based business or someone who is an entrepreneur.
