

The Volt's gasoline capacity is being cut back









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RE: Somewhat understandable
By Some1ne on 7/9/2008 5:36:20 PM , Rating: 2
Through the 1990s, the average weight of Americans increased by 10 pounds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The extra weight caused airlines to spend $275 million to burn 350 million more gallons of fuel in 2000 just to carry the additional weight of Americans, the federal agency estimated in a recent issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Those numbers are a bit sensationalist (and also they aren't adequately quantified, is it an extra 350 million gallons per year, or an extra 350 million gallons over the entire decade...I'm going to assume it's per year). To frame them in a different light, 350 million gallons of fuel is less than 2 gallons of gas per person in the U.S. (really it's closer to 1, but let's round up to 2 since not every person has their own car). So even at $5 per gallon, the smaller tanks are only saving each Volt owner $10 per year per 10 pounds of weight removed. Assuming each gallon of fuel weighs roughly 10 pounds, and that roughly 5 gallons are being removed, that's a net savings of < $50 per yer.

Personally, I'd rather have close to double the range than an extra $50. If you'd rather have the $50, you could always keep your 12 gallon tank only 7 gallons full.

