Just went for a ride in a Fisker Karma

[Overdrive]

If GM had priced the Volt to more closely compete with the Prius pricetag they'd probably be doing a bit better, but at $40-$50k it's pretty ridiculous, and will take you a good long while to balance the cost of the vehicle with the savings from its as yet unproven efficiency. The people who would have short enough commutes to be able to do their daily amount of driving in the 40 or so miles of claimed electric range don't have the kind of money to buy one (I'm such an individual), and it's not versatile enough to be their singular vehicle. There is a very particular niche of folks who can afford such a car right now, and they're not biting too heavily on it.

This goes for a lot of the purpose-built hybrids and electrics, as well. Those that are based on existing conventional models, such as the Camry, Fusion, LS400h, etc., are an improvement over their ICE counterparts efficiency-wise, but not as efficient as what is claimed from the purpose-built alternative energy vehicles like the Prius, Insight (or lack thereof), etc. Their cost difference is also significant enough to turn people away and leave them with no alternative but to get an ICE-powered car.