1955 Chevy , Chopped Top , Gasser , Hot Rod , Street Rod , Project Car on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Personal testimonies show real-world effect of plugging in with Chevy Volt

At this point, there are tens of thousands of individual stories about what it's like to live with a Chevrolet Volt. But it also remains informative to take a look at one of these in depth. For example, one Atlanta-area Volt owner says he's cut his cents-per-mile ownership costs by almost 40 percent compared to his previous car primarily because of his ability to drive almost all the time on electric power. Jeffrey Cohen told Clean Technica that he put about 14,000 miles on his Volt extended-range plug-in hybrid for the year that ended October 2013, and that more than 92 percent of those were on electrons. He estimates his "lifetime" miles per gallon rating at a whopping 384 mpg, a figure pushed upward by the fact that he installed a Level 2 charger at home while his employer added an external 110-volt charger at work. Cohen is spending 45 cents a mile for his car, compared to 73 cents in his Infiniti M35. As a result, he's spending 45 cents a mile for his car, compared to 73 cents a mile with his prior vehicle, an Infiniti M35. About two-thirds of those Volt costs are for the $349-a-month lease payments, while 15 percent is insurance, 11 percent is for the charger and seven percent for the gas and electricity that actually powers the car. Helping lower that last figure is an overnight electricity rate that's about 10 percent of Cohen's daytime rate. Chevy parent General Motors hopes such testimonies will re-trigger sales for the Volt in 2014. Last year, GM sold 23,094 Volts, down 1.6 percent from 2012. We expect our readers have similar stories they'd like to share in the Comments. Related Gallery 2011 Chevrolet Volt: Review View 22 Photos News Source: Clean TechnicaImage Credit: Lead image: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong Green Chevrolet GM Electric running costs

Surprise! GM putting aluminum in next-gen pickups

Last month, General Motors launched a series of ads touting the benefits of steel over aluminum – specifically, with regard to the Chevy Silverado versus the Ford F-150. (Kind of. We're not sure what a grizzly bear has to do with anything.) We took issue with the ads, with editor in chief Mike Austin saying they "reek of insecurity, and distract from the Silverado's strengths that could be used for positive advertising." But what bothers us more, is that yet another report surfaced claiming anti-aluminum GM will indeed use the weight-saving material in its next-generation fullsize trucks. On Tuesday, GM announced a $877-million investment for its truck plant in Flint, MI. But Reuters says that huge overhaul is because the trucks will use "substantially different equipment than the tools GM uses today." The report specifically states, "People familiar with the company's plans say GM's next-generation pickups and SUVs will make use of various materials, including aluminum and lightweight steel, to shed weight and gain fuel efficiency to meet tougher federal standards." The Silverado already uses a few aluminum components in the engine and hood, and if more widespread use will help GM build its best fullsize trucks ever, then that's great. Honestly, we have no reason to doubt that aluminum will be used in the next Silverado and GMC Sierra. We just hope GM remembers that nothing is ever truly deleted from the bowels of the Internet when it launches the subsequent "look how great aluminum is!" campaign. Related Video: News Source: Reuters Green Plants/Manufacturing Chevrolet GM GMC Truck aluminum steel

eBay Find of the Day: Mario Andretti's personal 2009 Corvette ZR1

With victory in the the Indianapolis 500, a Formula 1 World Championship, a win in the Daytona 500 and too many other motorsports accomplishments to list, Mario Andretti stands among not just the greatest American racing drivers of all time, but the greatest drivers, full stop. Apparently, the champ is also a fan of speed when not on the track, because now there's a chance to own what is said tobe his personal 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 with just 12,872 miles on the clock. The eBay Motors auction page clearly shows Mario Andretti standing with the car, but the rest of the ad is admittedly short on details. The vehicle history report lists only one previous owner – ostensibly Andretti. The exterior is a handsome Blade Silver Metallic accompanied by a Dark Titanium leather interior. However, the seller keeps additional information to a minimum as well with the description simply stating, "This 2009 Chevy Corvette ZR1 is owned by Mario Andretti and has been garage kept all its life. It is fully loaded with all option on this car." The future buyer will get a seriously great car along with some huge bragging rights at any party by touting its ownership history. We've reached out to the seller for more particulars and provenance, and will update this story if we hear back. In the meantime, the auction for this C6 ends on Thursday, January 8, and currently the reserve isn't met. The price sits at a hefty $68,100 as of this writing, with six bids registered. Featured Gallery 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 owned by Mario Andretti Auction News Source: eBay MotorsTip: Roger Celebrities Motorsports Chevrolet Auctions Coupe Performance chevy corvette zr1