Chevy Volt

[Mike_Rupp]

http://green.autoblog.com/2011/03/01/gm-sells-281-chevy-volts-february-nissan-67-leafs/

Chevy sold 286 of the Volt model in February. Let me repeat that: 286 Chevy Volts were sold in February. This must not go without comment. Early in his Presidency, our young courageous leader, Barack Obama, saved GM and its workforce from disaster. He then went on to partner with GM and with his brilliant leadership, the Volt was introduced. This car, which brings hope to so many will save our world from utter destruction and may even save the Maldives from becoming the bottom of the ocean.

How is Obama repaid by the American consumer? With nothing but betrayal. How are we so petty to reject this green automobile? We all know that Americans cling to their guns and religion. Obama already knew this even before he became our leader. Now it can be said that they cling to their SUVs as well.

 

[SGaynor]

Not that I'm a fan of hybrid/electric cars, but here's the rebutal to that blog:

http://www.bnet.com/blog/electric-c...-8217s-demise-have-been-ahem-exaggerated/3396

He's right, the Volts are being sold in limited areas of the country, and they have a lot of prepaid/deposited sales. It's early.

That said, there is no way there will 1MM+ e-cars on the road in the next 4 years (Obama).

 

[MarkP]

Consumer Reports was not impressed.

$48,000 before $7500 tax credit

Doesn't like cold weather

Consumer Reports on Monday said its tests showed the battery's range at a paltry 23 to 28 miles in cold weather, far below the 40 miles originally promised.​

That's a round trip of 12-14 miles during the winter.

 

[MarkP]

Appears the inflated efficiency claims are contagious .... even Land Rover

According to Land Rover, the Range_e can go up to 20 miles in full-electric mode, and return 85 mpg​

 

[brian4d]

Consumer Reports was not impressed.

$48,000 before $7500 tax credit

Doesn't like cold weather

Consumer Reports on Monday said its tests showed the battery's range at a paltry 23 to 28 miles in cold weather, far below the 40 miles originally promised.​

That's a round trip of 12-14 miles during the winter.

In theory the tech. still doesn't add up. Now, give me a volt in which the engine fully charges the battery after it's depleted and I'll start paying closer attention.

 

[teledan]

Funny, we were just talking about the Volt at lunch today. My dad wants to get one of these electric pickups:

http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com/

And put a diesel generator in the bed, I don't think it would work though. I still think the idea of the Volt is a LOT better than a regular hybrid or an electric only vehicle.

 

[Blue]

LOL....the release of the volt was too close to the release of the ipad2.

 

[RBBailey]

Early in his Presidency, our young courageous leader, Barack Obama, saved GM and its workforce from disaster. He then went on to partner with GM and with his brilliant leadership, the Volt was introduced. This car, which brings hope to so many will save our world from utter destruction and may even save the Maldives from becoming the bottom of the ocean.

Some visuals to go along with your argument:
http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/communist-cars-1
http://www.topgear.com/uk/videos/communist-cars-2

 

[jhmover]

Not a fan but I have a friend who has a plug in Prius for a tester for couple of months. Averaging 78 mpg. Will go abnout 13 miles on battery only. I bet when it's available the cost is way less than the Volt.

 

[p m]

Not a fan but I have a friend who has a plug in Prius for a tester for couple of months. Averaging 78 mpg. Will go abnout 13 miles on battery only. I bet when it's available the cost is way less than the Volt.

In all fairness, if the cost were the same, I'd take the Volt.
Oh wait... I'd take a manual Golf TDI.

 

[jhmover]

and....a whopping 67 Nissan Leafs

 

[GregH]

The only GM products I have ever truly desired are the 63 Grand Sport Corvette, 69 Camaro Z28, 69 Pontiac Trans Am w/ Ram Air V 303, and the Opel Lotus Omega.

That's it.

 

[SGaynor]

In all fairness, if the cost were the same, I'd take the Volt.
Oh wait... I'd take a manual Golf TDI.

What this man said!

Here are the reasons:

A single power train is the best!

It only takes 5 min to resupply the power supply (pumping gas vs. hours on a battery charger)

there are diesel mechanics everywhere vs. having to go to a specific dealership

I'd rather buy a 7 yr old diesel vs a 7 yr old battery (with a 10 year lifetime and $10+K replacment cost on the battery - this will essentially do away with the aftermarket used-car sales)

You get the same MPG

 

[kennith]

There are diesels all over Europe that will put a Prius in a basement with a cot and come down once a week to beat the shit out of it, and then go out for a fun drive while it cries in a dark corner all alone.

Blame Uncle Sam for this crap. There are wonderful vehicles out there that we just can't have, or are neutered before they get here. It's bullshit, and always has been.

At least we finally got a proper small Ford and, soon, the Fiat 500. Of course, we don't get all the cool engines... Damn, cars over there have so many engine options it's hard to choose. Here, we get ONE. Hell, you can get a Focus over there that's a complete monster. Here, it's just a great handling economy car. It's so much more than that underneath.

It's pointless, it discourages everyone from even trying, and it's not fair.

Cheers,

Kennith

 

[Blue]

I'm actually surprised that GM is selling cars at all. Who buys that shit? I mean, getting stuck with a GM rental car is bad enough but actually seeking one out for personal use and paying for it? That is absurd. I can also see using an HD Silverado for a work truck but again, for personal use???

 

[jhmover]

I'm actually surprised that GM is selling cars at all. Who buys that shit? I mean, getting stuck with a GM rental car is bad enough but actually seeking one out for personal use and paying for it? That is absurd. I can also see using an HD Silverado for a work truck but again, for personal use???

No shit on that. I got stuck with a Chevy Cobalt one time. I took it back the next day it was such a POS. The Kia I exchanged it for was much better.

 

[Big Papa]

My fiance ran over a coyote on the hwy with her Mazda CX7, which damaged the condenser and radiator badly with other body damage that left her stranded as the vehicle went into limp home mode. Plastic piece of shit.

While her vehicle is being repaired, Enterprise provided her with a Chevy HHR. That has to be the most worthless piece of fuck of a car I have ever driven.

 

[knewsom]

Differently fueled vehicles serve different purposes - the problem with hybrids like the Volt are that they try to do everything with one, and basically fuck it all up in the process. It's a noble effort, a nice try, and sure, it'll work great for a LOT of people (Agreed with Scott that it's way too early to say whether its a success or a failure, economically). The fact remains, electric cars suck balls for road trips - they always have, and they always will. That's not what they're for. They're for in-town; commuting, trips to the store, that sort of thing, at which they shine. Charge them at night when the kW/h are cheap, if you have a shortish commute, you might only need to plug it in once a week - and if it's just a commute vehicle, who gives a shit if it takes 5 hours to charge? Fewer moving parts, recyclable batteries, practically zero maintenance; there are fringe benefits as well - in the end, after years of use, an electric car will save you money, even over a TDI golf, unless you have a source for free used vegetable oil, in which case, shit, get the golf!

 

[leeawalden]

I'm actually surprised that GM is selling cars at all. Who buys that shit? I mean, getting stuck with a GM rental car is bad enough but actually seeking one out for personal use and paying for it? That is absurd. I can also see using an HD Silverado for a work truck but again, for personal use???

We use my grandpas 05 1500 for a "work truck". I've been driving it a lot recently, I really enjoy driving it other than maneuvering a parking lot. One of my friends has an 09 GMC sierra z71. I would love to have that truck, ride is great, decent payload, and they get decent mileage.

 

[p m]

Bill - speaking of GM cars, I rented Malibus and Impalas many times, and I never felt bad about it (late-90s Impala excluded). The only gripe I could think of was ridiculous torque steer. My average gas mileage on 200-300mi drives was about 30 mpg - one time I thought the gauge that showed 31mpg was lying to me, until I fueled up: 8 gallons after a 250-mile drive that included all of Orange County and Los Angeles, and going over the Grapevine (4000ft climb).
HHR was a flaming POS all right, but not as bad as an assortment of Dodges.

Kennith: speaking of diesels of Europe - watch out what you wish for. Several cars I rented in Europe (for very long drives) all exhibited the same trait that is entirely predictable for small turbodiesels. Namely, any semblance of torque shows at your foot at about 1800 rpm, crests at 2500, and goes away for good at 3200-3500. Driving a stick shift with these motors, especially in traffic, is rather painful.