Kelly no fan of electric Chevy Volt
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-3rd, who is a car dealer, is not a big fan of the Chevrolet Volt.
A lone, silver, 2011 model has been on the lot at Mike Kelly Automotive in Penn Township for several months with few test drivers and no buyers.
“It hasn't been getting much attention,” Kelly, of Butler, said.
The Volt is part of President Barack Obama's green technology initiative, which started in 2009 and was supposed to increase the use of green technology and create 2 million jobs.
Anyone who buys the Volt, or certain other electric cars, gets a $7,500 federal subsidy, as well as $3,500 from the state.
The Volt runs on battery power with a gasoline engine backup. It gets 40 mpg and costs around $40,000.
The congressman considers the program a failure and an example of “the government picking winners and losers.”
“It doesn't make sense,” Kelly said of the subsidies.
The main problem with this is that the program places a burden on taxpayers, Kelly said. If a private business wants to do an initiative like this, it only affects the business if it fails. In this case, it affects more than just the business.
“This is taxpayer money,” Kelly said.
General Motors wants to build 16,000 Volts this year, Kelly said. Right now, GM is selling an average of 500 to 600 per month, which means that 6,000 to 7,000 will be sold this year. This leaves 9,000 to 10,000 cars unsold.
Kelly said he considers the Volt to be a great idea, but it's not ready.
He said he does not consider this a car that Chevrolet would build on its own, without encouragement from the federal government.
A main problem with the vehicle, Kelly said, is that it costs too much. In the Butler County area, there is no market for the car.Kelly said the Chevy Cruze, which gets around 40 mpg on a gasoline engine, costs half as much as the Volt, and is popular at his dealership, would have been a better choice for the subsidy program.He said his business was strongly encouraged by GM to have a Volt.Kelly said he considers green technology “extreme technology whose time hasn't come.”“This green initiative, it equals red ink,” the congressman said.However, he said he does not entirely disagree with the idea of green technology. He said that it is expensive and impractical in its current forms.For now, fossil fuels still are the way to go, he said.Even if a car runs on electricity, Kelly noted that most electrical power still comes from fossil fuels.He said that the U.S. is filled with natural resources, such as Marcellus Shale natural gas and oil, which should be promoted.“We've got energy everywhere,” Kelly said.Kelly said that there are 2 million jobs in the energy sector that can be created with this emphasis.
