The Chevy Volt actually exists

Hi! I'm new.

The Volt is very real. I was a passenger in one recently. It's an extremely impressive car. I've driven the Prius, the hybrid full size SUVs from both GM and Chrysler, the "hybrid" Malibu, the Mercury Milan, the Camry Hybrid, etc, etc....and the Volt was sublime. It was completely different.

So, it'll be out in a few months in my area. It's hard to believe there are still doubters as to if it'll be built. The plant is almost ready, the research labs have been expanded, there are Volts all over the place racking up test miles--seems like it's the real deal.

 

Did you drive it above 50 MPH? There are reports that the electric motor's torque become anemic at highway speed.

That same report said the European version of the Volt to have a power split device like the Prius and a pair of clutches! They are looking into boosting torque and efficiency at highway speed with direct mechanical ICE connection.

Obviously, it will violate Prius patent so they can't do it without licensing.

 

welcome to PC!!

i, along with many others are very interested in finding out exactly what the Volt is and can do. but lets also check our perspectives here.

another car that is emerging is the Nissan Leaf. now the Leaf has been in the news for more than 2 years LESS time. it has been on tour around the country. we have several reports from many sources on test drives, performance, range, interior shots, accessories, yada yada... and PRICE!!

now we look at the Volt. how much is it?? what does it come with? what is the performance? milage, EV range?? i mean like... can you tell me ANYTHING REAL???

not meaning to diss you... but statements like

"i rode in it and its cool"

"i am impressed"

"they are expanding this and that"

none of that tells me a single solitary fact about the car.

so, repost, edit, post pics, or whatever. u have said nothing that has not already been said a million times before.

 

The EV-1 was 'real' too.
I don't doubt that a vehicle of unknown stats is being tested by GM.
And I don't doubt that a few people will get an opportunity to drive one for at least a short time.
I do doubt that GM will make them in quantity or that they really will put effort (marketing wise) to make it a success.
I also hope to be proven wrong

 

They've been marketing it for three years already, so it seems like they're serious about standing behind it.

 

That report has since been disproved. The reporter was driving an older, 65% prototype. And I don't even think there's a mechanical connection from the engine to the wheels, so that would have been an impossibility.

Chevrolet Volt will not have direct engine drive, electric only — Autoblog Green

 

I think we actually know more about the Volt than we do about the Leaf. The one thing the Leaf has out is the price, which doesn't do much since it's not on sale yet.

And, yes, I took photos of the interior:






I hope those are real enough for you!

As for other information, Chevrolet/GM provides a lot.

Here:
2011 Volt | Electric Car | Chevrolet.com
Here:
Chevrolet VoltAge - Get Plugged In
and, most impressively comprehensive, Here:
Volt - United States - Home

 

Are you saying 99% prototype drives fine above 50 MPH?

 

The MFD looks great, clear and high resolution. The rear view is horrible.

You drove 0.3 miles and got 963 MPG? Did it use gas?

 

thanks for the pics. i do admit i am getting a Leaf, i waited for definitive info from GM but didnt get it and price is a huge determining factor in my decision. but i could not wait any longer and have committed to the Leaf.

as far as marketing for 3 years?? umm. so how long has eestor been marketing its product? granted maybe not a perfect analogy, but the fact of the matter is; neither has a single product "on the market" today.

sure, the Volt seems to have more validity, prototypes, etc., but they had prototypes of diesel-electric hybrid family sedans in 2000 and did not produce a single product to market from that either. spent a billion on it but back then, they could afford to throw it away i guess. (well they didnt spend a billlion, only half, WE footed the other half)

now, dont get me wrong. i hope the Volt succeeds. i will scream to the rafters with joy and appreciation for every 25 mpg car that is removed from use because of the Volt simply because i dont believe GM could screw up the design so bad that the Volt could not do at least that under less than desirable conditions.

now, if it was Toyota, they would have to do at least 50 mpg... but then again, the companies are not really on the same level

 

I don't have first hand knowledge of that, but based on the articles published about this since yesterday, yes.

The screens looked GREAT.

They were still buttoning down the algorithm for MPG equivalence at the time. No gasoline was used.

 

that figure was arrived at with their "230 mpg" math

 

FuelCell: Welcome to PC! Those of us who doubt GM's sincerity remember the EV1: a GREAT car that GM FORCED the lessees to give back, and then crushed them. Three years of publicity hype tell us nothing about GM's real intentions. Many of us feel that it's all just an attempt to counteract the bad publicity of Who Killed the Electric Car? I, for one, expect the Volt to be overpriced, leading to poor sales, an an early end to the model.

GM knows it does not need to turn a profit to stay in business, paying obscene salaries and benefits to its executives, because the government will bail it out again. (They made a big deal about paying off the "loan," but they still have tens of billions of government money not classed as a "loan.")

I'm much more interested in the fuel cell car you mentioned in another thread. While I do not believe that fuel cells will ever be economically viable, it tickles my fascination with gadgets. I'd sell out and become a GM booster if they'd let me have one.

 

amen.... do you know how much good will and admiration Toyota received simply because they allowed a few thousand RAV 4 EV's to stay on the market??

why didnt GM do the same? were they afraid of the long term comparison between the two cars??...

 

Oh. I guess I'm just not as cynical.

I mean, they're lending me a fuel cell car. I think things have changed with them. What they did with their electric program (and, hey, at least they had one that was extremely advanced instead of just putting batteries in a RAV-4) in the 1990s is water under the bridge, as far as I'm concerned.

And I think it's unrealistic to really believe that GM thinks it could get another bailout. They know they must be profitable to stay in business or it's lights out. Also, they can't pay obscene salaries since they're limited by the government. And, anyway, they're profitable now.

 

Regarding why GM went into bankruptcy check this great article by 538 ...

FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: GM's Problems are 50 Years in the Making

 

Man, the 1950s were great for this country. Even with the moderate recession in 1958.

 

Chrysler has been bailed out at least twice now, right. Why would GM not merit the same? IMHO, Chrysler didn't have as much to offer as GM to merit this bailout, but did that stop it?

Also, not convinced GM is really profitable, at least in terms of margin on sale and financing of cars, but great for them if they are. Tend to dismiss it along the lines of "we paid back the loan" and "230 mpg."

 

1) The did pay back the part that was actually a loan
2) The car did get 230 based on the draft procedure. Nissan did 300 and something.

And the U.S. government made a loan guarantee for Chrysler 30 years ago--not direct aid.

 

So is this article wrong too?

Volt shock - Telegraph

"We are considering driving the wheels directly from the petrol engine," says Andreas Voight, an Opel project engineer."

"There are a number of different ways we could do it, but the whole thing is subject to some intellectual property rights negotiations so I can't say any more," said Voight. "You will see an announcement this autumn."