We should all hope the 300 mile CS range mantra pre-dated going to this size tank, because at 32 mpg CS mode few buyers would find it attractive: those needed CS mode will benefit from PHV Prius, while those not using CS mode will benefit from Leaf.
The EPA says that it will travel 344 miles on charge-sustaining mode, so I think they're set from that standpoint.
Another good part is... "We need to realize this information is not as important as we think though. The Volt is really about the total car experience and the fact that the majority of driving will be done on electricity alone." Perfect sentence, then why having an ICE after all? It's a minority of driving...
Recently i have spoken to some of my neighbors about the changing car purchasing landscape of hybrids (I include the Volt in this category) and relatively soon to arrive EVs. These folks aren't concerned about MPGs calculated to the tenth of a mile. Their concerns are much more fundamental. There is a general concern about the finality of an EV's range, you just can't quickly "gas up" and therefore escape the consequences of your failure to plan or simple lack of awareness. The idea of the Volt's "get home" ability is the car's saving grace in their minds. Successful EV use will require a fundamental change in the way drivers think about personal transportation. Our whole transportation system has been designed, or evolved, so that people don't really have to think about what they really need, or what they are doing: Cars are generally over powered. Cars are generally bigger than needed for typical use. There are gas stations virtually everywhere. You don't have to plan ahead, you don't really have to consider efficiency, either of the car itself, or how you use it. Vehicles like the Volt and the PHEV Prius at least give potential EV buyers/users the chance to think about them with one foot resting on the unthinking, safe ground of falling back on the known, comfortable, virtually fail-safe, ICE support. IMO, this is a small step in the right direction.
This must be part of the reason I have a difficult time comprehending some of the Volt criticisms. Having a route with a triple-digit stretch without open fuel stations, I've never been in the don't-plan-ahead mode.
