March Volt numbers are in - 2,289

are they going to start production of Volt soon?

 

They will restart it a week early.


After Record Sales, Chevy Volt Production Will Resume One Week Early | TPM Idea Lab

It was to be down the 4/23, so should restart 4/16

 

Ahem, wassup with Leaf at 500 something sales here?

it was 400 something last month. Word is some dealers have 5 in stock.

Last October, San Leandro Nissan had 3 Leafs in stock for delivery.

... I was surprised in a bad way.

 

GOOD news. Guess the uptake in gas prices and the recent heavy ad campaign did the trick for the Volt. It may just be here to stay!

 

Congrats to GM...their way of building a green car finally is proving positive to the market. That helps the environment also, because in many states/countries EV can really reduce CO2 emissions!

 

I used to see a Volt about once a month. Now, I see about 2-3 Volts each week. SLOWLY, they ARE increasing in population.

 

is it a virus?




no ok for real better a volt then a ...... big truck
less nOx, cleaner air, less cancer

 

pure ev will take longer as it limits peoples range and they have to decide whether to own an extra car or drive another household members car when going a long distance, etc. i foresee a slow start but dramatic growth when more charging infrastructure is available and batteries improve and word of mouth gets around from early adopters.

 

It is unclear what is the cause but there are many that are saying it is a supply issue. Demand in Japan is also very high and with the Yen doing badly it is more profitable to sell them at home there in the US.

My local dealers have none, I could not even test drive on without driving > 50miles. cars .com only shows 728 in the US. Combine that with a 16weeks ordering process and sales will continue to be slow.

Maybe some dealers in CA have them, but there is still clearly a limited supply nationwide.

On the other-hand, range anxiety is real, and even in a 2 car family it means you must take the other car for long trips. For many, that other car is less gas efficient than an Volt (and definitely less gas efficient than a Pip), so if one is going to pay for a EV, there is PiP, Volt as alternatives that could actually use LESS fuel overall than a BEV.

 

Having announced the heat pump, I'd expect some buyers will sit on their hands anyway and wait for a TN 2013 model.

Not particularly likely though on the Volt. If a family can ride in the Volt they can ride in a Prius and have more luggage space. Basically it would require "needing" an SUV/minivan and then for the solo driver to need to make long trips out of BEV range. But if you can swap BEV and large guzzler on some days, why do you need the large guzzler?

 

I though the point of the heat pump is so you don't have to sit on your hands to say warm..


(Sorry could not resist. yeah I can see that as upgrade worth waiting for)

 

A good bump. I know this isn't a Leaf thread, but as it's already been mentioned, what has happened to Nissan? Are they not making enough or nobody wants one? I still have yet to see a Leaf IRL. I see Volts from time to time.

 

When I last looked at my small town area, the Chevy Dealer here had at least 3. That was about a month ago. They looked like they were the 2011 models, the ones prior to the NHTA concerns.

 

I just came back from driving my mother to the doctors for a nosebleed that would not stop (over half hour). (btw, this can be common in elderly. It's from inside of nose that's too dry, low humidity. Saline and Vaseline spread inside nose can prevent it) ...

On the way, I thought ... I wouldn't want an electric car that's not charged up enough to get to doctors and there is an urgent need to go. This could be buried in the conscience of many individuals ... never know when an emergency could happen and you need a vehicle that be fueled and go far quickly.

 

Which isn't a problem for the Volt given it has that gas ICE range extender. Although there is a small problem with EVs I just remembered with my time at UCSB that one person mentioned... Forgetting to unplug the charging cord before driving off, which can happen, especially if it was an emergency.

 

I have a LEAF. I don't worry about the "hospital scenario" because I either a) have a prius in the garage too or (more likely) b) will call an ambulance. Everything is also tempered by the fact I haven't yet run the LEAF under 45% charge and there are several hospitals within 10 miles. As long as the LEAF hasn't displayed the first low battery warning I can get to the hospital (if I choose to drive).

The modern plugin cars are all interlocked to prevent driving while plugged in.

Really, this is just another example of the mindset we've got to change. The need to have 4-wheel drive and high ground clearance "just in case" got us SUVs!

Now, if you regularly need to drive in deep snow and/or off road - get a real SUV. If you regularly need to drive to the doctor's office on no notice after a day commuting, sure, skip all cars that don't have the range of commute + doctors_drive.

 

same here in northern california.

 

This can't happen with the newer plugin cars -- they won't switch out of "Park" if the J1772 cord is still plugged into the car.