"Ours" vs "Theirs"

prius is still a bit tree hugger, volt more technical.

 

of course, brochures and real life are different things.

 

Volt has a smaller engine and gas tank. I guess Chevy traded gas tank for battery size. However same 12 AMP battery charger, takes longer twice as long to charge battery. Even I like bigger battery but 13 hours 110 home charger just too long. Even @240V still takes 6 hours.
One good thing Volt doesn't have white center counsel.

 

The Gen II Volt is charged at a little more than 4 hours with a Level 2 charger. With a Level 1 charger, it takes a little more than 8 hours at the 12 amp setting and a little more than 12 hours at the 8 amp setting. With a smaller battery, the Gen I takes less time, of course.

 

The Volt is a good car, and I looked at it and seriously considered it, but settled on the Prime. I really loved the double EV range, but my drives are almost all well over 100 miles (meaning gas will be burned at some point) and the difference between 42 and 55 is huge. Plus didn't like the high deadpedal on the Volt, and Chevy's rep for quality hasn't always been stellar (though that is changing). To each their own, two good cars, that I wish some Enormous SUV drivers would trade their guzzlers in for...

 

Page 2 of the Volt document had the word "green". A quiz: at what page does the Prime flyer reference 'green.'

As long as traditional car makers think efficient cars must appeal to 'green' motivated owners, they will miss the rapid acceleration that EV motors provide. They will continue to build cars that do not exploit the advantages of EVs in making cars that scoot across the intersection faster than their 'simple' cars.

Bob Wilson

 

i didn't see the word, it just came into my mind on the first page as they flew the r/c plane out over the mountainside.

 

No page number that I can see, first (and only) instance is as a trademarked descriptor "GreenEdge" for the sound system's speakers, which Toyota claims make more sound with less power.

 

Car design, like life, is finding balance. The Volt hybrid mode could have been more efficient, but that would have increased the price of the car. The Malibu hybrid beat the current Camry one by 6mpg. Step outside the hybrid bubble, and you'll find that among what the vast majority of what cars Americans are buying, GM competes with and even beats Toyota in fuel economy.

It also takes longer to fill up our Sable than the Sonic. Another way to view plug in charging is to look at the miles a range gained over an hour of charging. At AC Level 1, that is pretty much 4 to 5 miles per hour for all plug ins. Get home for work with the battery depleted, plug it in, and an hour later both the Prime and Volt have enough EV range to pick up a pizza from the local place.

The Volt is the high performer among Chevies in reliability.

 

The Volt isn't really too bad with gas on the highway, better than a lot of other cars. This past weekend, on my way back to NJ, I filled up in Ashland, VA and reset trip B to 0. With 30 miles on the battery, I drove with it on hold until the GPS said I had 33 miles to go to home, and then switched over to EV. When I pulled into my driveway, I was still on EV and had 2 miles left on the GOM. This was with my Gen I and if I had a Gen II, I know I would have easily beat the figures. Just sayin'.

 

According to fueleconomy.gov, the volt costs $8/month more in fuel to drive 15,000 miles/yr (80% hwy calculation). Is that significant?

Compare Side-by-Side



Once past 40mpg, gas savings drop considerably. That's why going pure electric drive is the next step in efficiency.

 

Nice, here is what I did on the drive home in our Prius Prime Plus:

I was using dynamic cruise control to follow high-balling trucks. There was one fill up half way home.

So @El Dobro, should we also troll the Volt forums following your example?

Bob Wilson

 

only if your commute varies widely from what they use. can be deceiving to some who might not understand.
volt would cost me a fortune due to my electric prices.

 

You can change the calculator to better reflect one's own usage which is what I did to better match stevepea's drive (mostly hwy). If one drives lower miles and mainly city like you and me, gas economy is basically meaningless since I only buy 2-3 tanks per year.

 

FYI, @bisco lives in an area where the electric rates make gasoline often more affordable or equal cost option to electric miles.

Bob Wilson

 

i'm thinking of buying a big suv to save money.

 

The Hummer H1 Is Back — for China

 

What speed were you traveling at?
That's better highway than what I've seen in a gen2 Prius, but the trip had speeds over 70mph and even 80mph.

Using MPG is a disservice to consumers. A gallon per mile, or set of miles, would make the financial effects of different fuel economy more visible

With about 3000 miles driven a year, comfort trumps fuel economy in regards to the wife's car.

Not off the table here