Volt potentially mechanically driven

[Hylton]

Originally Posted by cab2g

I don't know if this was already posted but:

How is this at all bad or misleading to the point that it has received so much press attention???

Because THAT describes how a Prius works.

[Shifty 6]

If I were GM I would purchase about 30 minutes on a major network, and make a commercial. I would get all the "green" modes of transportation out there, and run some tests. 0-60, 1/4 mile, range, mpg, size, cost of ownership, crash test ratings.... etc. Then ask at the end of the segment, which car do you want to own? If it were me, I would make some outlandish statement that the Volt runs on chocolate syrup. Then show the guy on the Polygraph showing it is a lie.

[cab2g]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

Because if its mechanically driven, its not driven solely by electricity and therefore cannot be an EV like GM's been claiming

But as long as you don't deplete the battery it is an EV.... so I don't see the issue. Drive less than the battery's range and you're in the clear, seems sensible to me. So people are upset that the engine is used as a backup mode of propulsion? I mean all the other hybrids (non EVs) use both engines, one or both are normally used for acceleration and the other is used solely for cruising from what I understand. The Volt still appears to be able to do both acceleration and cruising with just the electric motor. Would it be better if they just removed the gas engine and you only had a 60 mile range?

I mean sure, if the batteries were better and the gas engine was more efficient, you could supposedly use the gas engine SOLELY to recharge the batteries, but seriously how is this car still not a huge leap forward in the scope of being a totally USEABLE and PRACTICAL 0 emissions vehicle in many cases.

I mean to be honest, if people are going to complain, they should complain about the fact that the thing has a gas engine at all, man. I mean seriously it would appear with today's technology, either you get a short range EV or you have a gas engine as a backup to extend the range. Maybe they should cancel the volt until we get better technology right? I mean GM totally WANTED to trick consumers into buying the Volt just so they could secretly create emmisions and then <insert conspiracy theory here>

[DGthe3]

I care more about how the car was designed than how an individual uses it. I could load up a bunch of stuff in the back of my car, that doesn't make it a pickup truck. And you could drive a plug in Prius solely on electricity too, that doesn't make it an EV either.

[lil_chef]

Originally Posted by Number 3

As for the Volt owner not saving money..................let's look at an experiment.

Let's say gas is ONLY $3.00 per gallon.

Let's compare a 2011 Cruze (loaded at 26,800) and a Volt ($44,000 Loaded)

Let's subtract the $7,500 tax incentive so now we are at 26,800 vs. 36,500 or simply $10,000 premium for the Volt.

So let's say you are one of the customers (70%) that only drive 40 miles per day.

For the comparision, let's say you can get 32 mpg real world driving with the Cruze (not the 40 you'd get for pure highway driving)

So 40 miles per day x 7 days per week, x 52 weeks per year. That's 14,560 miles

14,560 divided by 32 mpg is 455 gallons x $3.00 per gallon equals $1,365 in fuel cost per year SAVED by the Volt driver.

So only looking at the 8 years of battery warranty you would save $10,920. That saves the Volt drive $900. If you expand that for additional years, the savings continues at $1,365 per year.

And the savings go up if gas goes up or if you compare to a car that gets worse FE than a Cruze. I'm not betting on gas staying as low as it is over the next several years either.

So it isn't a money loser at all.

your point is multiplied if the buyer is comparing 2 cars in the same price bracket as well such as a BMW 3 series diesel (i think the tax credit on diesel cars is around 2k).

[cab2g]

Originally Posted by DGthe3

I care more about how the car was designed than how an individual uses it. I could load up a bunch of stuff in the back of my car, that doesn't make it a pickup truck. And you could drive a plug in Prius solely on electricity too, that doesn't make it an EV either.

well then, make a petition to have GM remove the gas engine. That'll make everybody a lot more happy, I'm sure. Plus it'll save weight. And maybe they'll have more room to add more batteries!

And really, is ANY car with a gas engine an EV really? I mean if it's burning gasoling, it's not running solely on electricity, I guess it doesn't matter whether or not it is more efficient to propel the wheels directly with the gas engine versus solely using it to recharge the batteries... The car could actually be using less gas by propelling the wheels directly versus using it's energy to recharge the batteries at a sufficient rate to propel the vehicle past 70mph, but screw efficiency, it's more important to worry about semantics.

[Hylton]

Originally Posted by cab2g

But as long as you don't deplete the battery it is an EV.... so I don't see the issue. Drive less than the battery's range and you're in the clear, seems sensible to me. So people are upset that the engine is used as a backup mode of propulsion? I mean all the other hybrids (non EVs) use both engines, one or both are normally used for acceleration and the other is used solely for cruising from what I understand. The Volt still appears to be able to do both acceleration and cruising with just the electric motor. Would it be better if they just removed the gas engine and you only had a 60 mile range?

I mean sure, if the batteries were better and the gas engine was more efficient, you could supposedly use the gas engine SOLELY to recharge the batteries, but seriously how is this car still not a huge leap forward in the scope of being a totally USEABLE and PRACTICAL 0 emissions vehicle in many cases.

I mean to be honest, if people are going to complain, they should complain about the fact that the thing has a gas engine at all, man. I mean seriously it would appear with today's technology, either you get a short range EV or you have a gas engine as a backup to extend the range. Maybe they should cancel the volt until we get better technology right? I mean GM totally WANTED to trick consumers into buying the Volt just so they could secretly create emmisions and then <insert conspiracy theory here>

Dude....you have no id...


Wait - are you complaining about complainers?

[cab2g]

Originally Posted by Hylton

Dude....you have no id...


Wait - are you complaining about complainers?

Yeah, I'm using sarcasm over the internet. A dangerous mix But yes, I think the people that are complaining about the issue are making a big deal out of a small issue.

[DGthe3]

Originally Posted by cab2g

well then, make a petition to have GM remove the gas engine. That'll make everybody a lot more happy, I'm sure. Plus it'll save weight. And maybe they'll have more room to add more batteries!

For the record, I never considered it an EV. I always thought it to be a hybrid. And I believe that it is a superior hybrid system than what any other car uses. But there was some room for debate, since it could be argued that if it was always going to be driven electrically no matter what, then its an EV. But now? If the gas engine is designed to be able to directly assist in driving the car, there is no way it can be called an EV.

[bigearl]

Well I could care less, however- here's a nice write up in Popular Science you might be interested in. The last word in the link pretty much sums up the review.

http://www.popsci.com/cars/article/2...volt-excellent

[PAUL SS]

Let's face it, the Volt won't be for everybody. If I have a commute of 60 miles one way where the speed limit is 65 mph and I like to go 70-85 maybe the Volt isn't the best choice for me. But if my wife (who does not hammer the throttle all the time) has a 15 mile a day round trip commute and does some errands after work some days then I think the Volt is perfect especially if it has regen braking (she can be tough on the brakes). Going back to the OP, something smells bad here, someone is trying to discredit GM, Chevrolet and the Volt.

[Hylton]

Originally Posted by cab2g

Yeah, I'm using sarcasm over the internet. A dangerous mix But yes, I think the people that are complaining about the issue are making a big deal out of a small issue.

Well if you did read through this entire thread, you would have realized that every single person contributing here is pro Volt.

When I first heard that the Volt was going to be the first EV to be sold as a normal vehicle, I was thrilled. Finally, a true EV that looked and performed like a regular car. That is a HUGE accomplishment.

I think many don't really realize the significance of being able to say "This car runs on 100% electricity!!!" Have you ever seen some of the solutions over the years?

How about the challenges? The biggest have already been mentioned here but others such as how does the Volt produce heat or A/C for the passengers when the generator is not on? How do you run braking and steering on an electric vehicle and still make it feel like a normal car? That sort of stuff is easier to accomplish in a hybrid.

It is just disappointing to find out that it is not 100% EV. "So what" say many but I guess you just won't understand where I'm coming from.

[Russell James]

When you have that much battery power, heat and A/C shouldn't be that much of a challenge. Electric A/C compressors have been around a while, so has electric heating, electric power steering, electric brake power assist...

My guess is it does all that stuff with electric motors.

[cab2g]

Originally Posted by Hylton

Well if you did read through this entire thread, you would have realized that every single person contributing here is pro Volt.

When I first heard that the Volt was going to be the first EV to be sold as a normal vehicle, I was thrilled. Finally, a true EV that looked and performed like a regular car. That is a HUGE accomplishment.

I think many don't really realize the significance of being able to say "This car runs on 100% electricity!!!" Have you ever seen some of the solutions over the years?

How about the challenges? The biggest have already been mentioned here but others such as how does the Volt produce heat or A/C for the passengers when the generator is not on? How do you run braking and steering on an electric vehicle and still make it feel like a normal car? That sort of stuff is easier to accomplish in a hybrid.

It is just disappointing to find out that it is not 100% EV. "So what" say many but I guess you just won't understand where I'm coming from.

Hey, it could just be that our standards of "normal car" performance have just changed in recent years. I mean in the 80's most cars had 0-60 times of over 10 seconds and there were a lot with over 15 second 0-60 times. You could still buy a car w/o A/C or power steering (I think) And the only electronics in the car was your radio and cigarette lighter. But today's driver is much more demanding. I am willing to bet you that they could easily make a 300-mile range EV with no gas engine that had all the features of a early 1980's car, but nobody today would buy it. Maybe the issue is that we're all spoiled If you could save the planet by driving a solar powered EV every day that did 0-60 in 15-20 seconds and had no AC, would you do it? Maybe someday, but I chose my 426HP gas guzzer for a reason, the negative environmental aspects of my car are far less important to me than it's performance and looks. I am willing to bet 95% of consumers feel the same way today. And bringing it back full circle, the Volt is the best compromise I've seen in terms of performance versus environmental impact. The negative press is just there for the sake of blowing things out of proportion to fatten the pockets of the news outlets. This car is a VERY good step in the right direction.