I'd like to see some of the haters share with the group.. What's wrong with the Volt, why, and how would you do it better.
Hmmm, how do you define 'hater'? Personally, I would define myself as cynical, but I'll give it a shot. 1. It isn't for sale 2. Price continues to rise even though we have 18 -24 months before we see it 3. Technology will most likely be old tech by the time it finally is released. We have a number of pure EVs coming out the same year. 4. My skepticism got a head start with the short sighted crushing of all the EV1s. I have high hopes for the Volt, but the track record of the company is very poor.
It's a "Hail Mary" pass, and it is still in mid-air. How can you pass judgment on something you can't see, touch, or purchase just yet?
Ah, well, it's a car being made by GM. Regarding their reputation and their 'hail Mary pass', as Dr. Phil always says: I'll believe it when I see it.
Without anything else to judge since the Volt doesn't really exist, my main focus of cynicism is that GM is behind it and all that entails. From unreliable quality to their killing of the EV1. I simply don't believe any of their P.R. promises.
As Financial Advisors are fond of saying: past performance, does not a guarantee future results. But, in GM's case, I would be skeptical of a good outcome.
The verdict on the Volt is waiting till there is something to evaluate. My sore spot is GM management, not the Volt. So if you change you question to "What's wrong with the GM management....." then you open the floodgates. Here is just a few comments on the GM handling of the Volt: 1) The Volt started out as more of a PR stunt with little chance of being a true GM production vehicle. (Think of it as following in the footsteps of GM's Fuel Cell and Hydrogen vehicles.) However, the intense Media focus and the obvious future of SUVs has made GM realize that the PR stunt may be their last chance of ever returning to profitability in the next decade. That's why the Volt has been advertised for over a year but the GM board of directors only approved it for production development a month or so ago. This late approval for production development is why GM has way too few batteries in evaluation for a major vehicle. The fact that the Board of Directors has to "approve" the right answer last month rather than demanding it years ago reveals a lot about the GM management. 2) The car that was put on display and what is being developed will be completely different. .(This is good, since what they diplayed was an aerodynamic insult.) Note that the inside of the Volt was never shown. This tells you how much engineering went into the Volt early on.....none. 3) Anyone who understands automotive mass production realizes there is a disconnect between where GM is at and having large scale production in the next few years. GM does not provide much clarity here about what the actual plan is.
at this point, it's all PUUUUUUUURE speculation. just like the PRIUS gen III is all pure speculation. cheers,
What's wrong with the Volt? It doesn't exist and should something be offered for sale it won't be competetive. Check my signature for 2 GM cars this (and any other product) needs to beat for my consideration. If you throw in Honda's Insight with real world 100mpg performance, IMO, GM isn't even in the starting gate. Throw in GM's stunning quality and F U attitude to customer service and you've got a real winner there. Since GM believes an engine's oil consumption of 1 quart per 1000 miles is expected and can't keep trim glued on the car why should I believe they can build a hybrid that even comes close to Prius quality? The problem is that the bar has been raised. My next car can't be as good as my Prius. It has to be significantly better. I expect to buy the next one in 2023 so there is plenty of time for improvement. I forgot to mention that if Lutz was Pinocchio his nose would be 3' long. The only way GM is going to be able to put reliable hybrids on their dealer's lots is to buy every used Prius they can find and glue Chevy badges on them.
The Volt project arguably is a mechanism to transfer US taxpayer money to GM and their contractors to aid in the advancement of vehicle technology. While there is nothing wrong with such a goal, I'd rather see the money directed to a company more likely to put the vehicle on the road in meaningful numbers. (Thinking out load) Is a 'performance bond' even a possibility? Either put the car on the road on date X, or repay the development money.
The PURPA act for alternative energy had some constraints that resulted in new alternative energy plants having to produce power on schedule in order to collect the tax advantages. The key thing learned is to carefully set up the legislation or bond such that the investors, not the government, loses money if the goal is not met. This resulted in LUZ finding ways to build complete power plants in under a year. That's stunning to me.
Rant on baby ... Assuming the Volt is to be an all-electric car capable of a whopping 220 miles per 4 hour charge ... .... how many want to fork out what ... $30, 40 grand for a 2nd car that they can't even take on vacation or out of town? ----------------------- Gas prices go way up and our US mfrs. start flinging BS about all-electric cars. Can't GM and / or Ford / Chrysler just get serious and try to second source, build their own Prius-like car? Geez, if they did a decent job, they could likely selll a truckload of such a car since folks now must wait in line for months on end for a Prius or pay over sticker price. --------------------- Toyota has gone from no hybrid to best selling hybrid in 10 years. When they come out with the plug-in hybrid in just 2 short years, the well-wishing all electric mfrs will still not be selling squat... because the plug-in hybrid gas/ electrics will allow to commute to work / run around town for a day on battery alone ... and you've got the gas engine to augment / recharge just in case you run out of battery juice. ----------------------- IMNSHO .... If all-electrics really want to compete for the masses, better figure on putting some size of gasoline / diesel / easy to fill type of ICE powered unit in the car.
In the case of Tesla, every single car they make has been bought years in advance. With the Electric RAV-4, those presently sell for more than the were originally bought for. The present market proves that the electric vehicle you describe is a wildly popular item. Good question....very very good question. See first comment. You may not want one. But, I do, and so do many, many others. This assumes gas is available, and does not cost $50/gal.
