“You cite Volt, which is essentially the same technology for Fisker, Ford c-max plug in, Prius Plug in, BMW i3 and i8, coming Volvo XC90 T8, coming Audi Q7 plug in, and many more.”
Fisker - If its the same as the Volt, it makes my point...they are no longer in business.
C-max Plug in - More similar to a Prius than a Volt. Essentially its a Prius with a slightly larger battery (but still less than half the size of the Volt’s) that can be pre-charged.
Prius plug in - ditto
i8 - Ditto
BMW i3 - More LEAF/Tesla than Volt, but with an option to have a Volt like range extender. But in an effort to solve the Volt’s weight problem, the range extender is pathetically small, and BMW only claims 70 mph speeds as possible when using it.
The other stuff is ‘coming’ and not worth discussing
(since promises are so rarely kept in EV and hybrid car manufacturing).
Really, I do not believe the buyer’s preference changes the fact that the large battery with small ice backup is a bad idea. And it looks like the car makers agree - with the exception of the I3, they are staying away from duplicating the Volt. The push is obviously for a primary gas powerplant, supplemented by a small battery - as evidenced by the very cars you cited.
Look at the Volt vs Prius for example. 35 miles on battery and allegedly 37 mpg after that vs 50 mpg. Assuming $2.60 for gas and $0.12 (a low end number) for a kwh, the breakover is 43 miles. At that point, both cars will have cost $2.24 to operate. Go further, and the Prius is cheaper to operate. So why buy a Volt or similar car, put up with its heavy weight, lousy heater, missing half of the back seat (to make room for the batteries)...when the average round trip to work and back is 48 miles? And the LEAF of course is even cheaper to operate, if range isn’t a concern - if you did travel exactly 48 miles a day on workdays, the LEAF would save $360/year over the Volt.
Finally, you brought up Preferences. Fine - but why is the government trying to supercede buyer preferences by subsidizing the lesser technology? A Prius isn’t eligible for the EV credit, nor is the C-Max. But the very flawed Volt is. Frankly, until that is corrected, I feel compelled to scream from the highest rooftop that the large batter, small ice setup is a) flawed and b) inappropriately being encouraged over better technologies.
Dude, I’m not trying to make engineering or political arguments.
I do not scoff at the choices BMW or VW Group have made, in this market segment. Same for Volvo.
Until I see evidence, the American brands are not worth much attention, so I would agree on Volt. This is a company that lost sub=-brands, while Toyota, BMW and VW added them.
GM, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saab all gone.
BMW, adds Mini. Audi, adds entire Q line. Toyota, adds Lexus, Scion.
Fisker was unfortunate. Several of his US employees came from BMW in Ventura county, CA. The guy was primarily a body style designer, and the car was beautiful.
Check out the Volvo XC90 T8, for an example of your technology choice, by a different company, on a different concept. BTW Volvo is currently profitable.