Government Propping Up Chevy Volt Sales With Fleet Buys
The Chevy Volt – which looses General Motors some $50,000 every time one is built – is selling better of late, but is that because of increased market demand or because the federal government under Barack Obama is “greening” their vehicle fleets by buying up the expensive electric hybrid?
The Pentagon is buying Chevrolet Volts to help “green up” the military—while propping up sales of the bailed-out automaker’s most politicized car.
The Department of Defense began purchasing the struggling luxury electric car, which retails at $40,000, this summer as part of its goal to purchase 1,500 such green vehicles. The Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar, Calif. purchased its first two Volts in July, and 18 more vehicles will come shortly to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, where Air Force One is based, according to military magazine Stars and Stripes.
This isn’t quite as bad a fiscal debacle as the Navy’s use of hugely expensive “green” aviation fuel, but it’s close.
What’s frustrating is that if the military really wants to go green, there are vehicles available that are every bit as fuel efficient as the volt with traditional gasoline engines that sell for the fraction of the cost.
Of course, those cars aren’t sold by General Motors which got a big, fat federal bailout that still has taxpayers on the hook for tens of billions of dollars. So I guess they’re not in consideration.
Tags: chevy volt, Military, pentagon
