[goolen4you]

The VOLT would sell like wildfire if it wasn't for the pricetag. Halve it and they wouldn't be able to produce them fast enough. That is the SOLE issue with the volt (IMO)
I have a 52 mile commute to work (there and back)...if I could do half of that commute w/o $4 gasoline...sign me up! My wife and I spend ~$350/month on gasoline. I have a V6 Chevy S10 and she has a V6 Ford 500 so no large SUVs or big trucks either. (S10 = 18mpg and 500 = 24MPG)

I'm currently researching Compress Natural Gas (CNG) as an alternative to Gasoline. Honda makes the Civic GX that is CNG only (and from my research is $7k more then the regular Civic) and I would need to buy a $3,500 "home compressor" as there isn't a CNG fill station in the entire state of WV. so basically a $10-11k premium to be "free" of gasoline. According to my calculations I would get ~7.89 Gallons (Gas Equivalent) out of a MCF NG (Thousand Cubic Feet Natural Gas) for which I pay my gas company at $10/MCF. Or $1.26 per "gallon equivalent" + electricity to run the home compressor so maybe $1.80.
According to my driving and costs I would save $1276/yr by driving with CNG @ $1.80 vs Gasoline at $3.80 or a ~8 years to make the difference to make CNG "pay off"

In otherwords for my driving habits (even with a long commute) it just isn't worth it at todays current prices...even with ~$4 gasoline. Gotta find some way to get rid of the "premium" for using alternative fuels...even when the fuel itself is cheaper the payoff is just too far away...

If it was only half the price it would sell like hot cakes! Sure, and if my Aunt had balls she'd be my Uncle. The point being that centrally planned enterprises fail because they usually make a product that no one needs or wants at twice the cost of a private enterprise and with cost overruns because of graft, payoffs, and no-bid sweetheart deals and contracts.

Not only is it not worth the small savings; but you didn't factor in the increase in your fire insurance premiums and the copays on your skin grafts to repair severe third degree burns to your and your wife's bodies.