Posted on 10/11/2010 12:10:12 PM PDT by dangerdoc
Interesting news from General Motors today that's resulted in some puzzled expressions at Engadget HQ. We've learned that the Volt, which Chevrolet has been making quite a fuss about calling an "extended range electric vehicle," is actually just a traditional hybrid with some... potentially misleading marketing behind it. Since the concept stage the company has been saying how the onboard internal combustion engine was just to charge the batteries, that only the electric motors (there are two) are actually connected to the drivetrain. Indeed that's what we were told in person when we test drove the thing back in March. We're now learning that is not the case, that the Volt's gasoline engine can directly provide power to the wheels in concert with the electric motors.
Is that a problem? In terms of efficiency the answer is "apparently not," as we're guessing the car would not have been designed this way if it weren't the most frugal way to go. So, why all the deception? Why insist this isn't just a hybrid when it apparently is? When the company went looking for a government bailout it was in part awarded one because of the innovation shown in the Volt. Now that we're learning the Volt is basically just a plug-in hybrid with a bigger than average battery pack (Popular Mechanics is finding 30-odd miles of purely electric range), we're left wondering: where's the innovation?
THe left side was the Volt, and the right side was the Prius. They were showing how the two cars use the same gearbox but in a different fashion.
Ouch! Guess I should have read the bold print.
Thanks.
The bottom line here is that you can purchase three Honda Civics (the regular, not hybrid versions) for the price of one Chevy Volt. Civics get close to 50 MPG with a regular gasoline powered internal combustion engine.
Of course, all high MPG cars are basically beer cans with wheels. I prefer to keep driving my 2006 (pre-government takeover) Chevy Suburban.
>Some plug-in hybrid...if you want to recharge your Volt at home, you can’t plug it into a standard outlet. <
You should research before you post falsely. From the GM-Volt site:
“The 240-v charger is optional as the Volt can be recharged using the standard 120-v wall socket charger that comes with the car.”
Not true. The Prius has a gas motor with substantial electric assist. The Volt has an electric motor with nominal gas assist above 70mph or in the event of depleted batteries.
Point well made. When gas was at $4/gal, I was in the market for a used fuel-efficient car. I crunched the numbers on a Prius v. a Corolla. The Corolla was definitely the better buy. For highway driving, I get 35 mpg with my Corolla (as opposed to 50 for the Prius). Even at $4/gal, it would have taken me over a decade to recover the initial cost differential.
bump
I imagine that would take LONGER with a 120
As I understand it, at that speed, the energy lost by using the engine to recharge the battery is greater than simply using it to drive the wheels directly. Makes sense to this non-engineer.
That said, I wouldn't buy one if you (or the federal government) paid me.
Overnight ... but who drives while sleeping ...
10 to 15 percent assist. This is an electric vehicle with a bonus. That’s what GM has consistently maintained.
At one time I drove over 30,000 miles every year and a high MPG vehicle might have made sense. Now I live and work in a small town (my house is a mile from my office). I average less than 12,000 miles a year.
Last year I used a total of 600 gallons of gas to move my butt around in a nice, comfortable Suburban. I might be able to cut that down to under 300 gallons of gas if I traded my Suburban for a hybrid beer can on wheels. At current gas prices of under $3 per gallon, it would save me less than $1,000 per year in gasoline cost. If gas shoots up to $5 per gallon, it would save me $1,500 per year.
I can drive a really nice SUV for a lot less than the cost of a hybrid.
Perhaps you don't know all the facts either!
"GM-Volt.com is not affiliated with General Motors Company"
What was the lie and who is 'they'?
I did not mean to imply they owned the car. But they put this web site around a specific to get out info and their info is contradicting itself.
Interesting that Engadget offers no source for their allegations and, if fact engages in their own form of deception!
Let's try this again
"This site was founded by Dr. Lyle Dennis in January 2007. Dr. Dennis is an advocate for the electrification of the automobile and is not affiliated with the auto industry. This site is not affiliated with GM and is wholly owned and operated by GM-Volt.com, LLC. "
GM labeled several vehicles “hybrid” sometime back, and they were NOT hybrid.
GM continues to view their customers as being idiots.
Your ‘link’ puts me to chevrolet.com.
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