$40K Price tag- Fair Guess for initial roll-out?

Actually, they don't have to work much. Just wait for the next gen battery - that will be here in 3 to 5 years. That should be half the price and half the weight/volume. That would also let GM add back the 5th seat and gain some efficiency.

 

Let's hope so. If the next gen battery can do wonders, so will for the competition. Prius PHV with 28 miles EV range. Leaf with 150 miles range.

 

Volt after tax credit: 39,995 - 7,500 = 32,495.

Fair price guess for the base PHV: a base Prius II costs $23,520 + PHV option of ~ $5000 + destination of $760 = $29,280. Then apply the PHV's tax credit of about $2,917 dollars = $26,363.

 

I agree because we already have some news that the PHV will be more efficient in HV mode + EV regen. I am hoping for that 55mpg in HV mode. I think every edition of the Volt, Leaf and Prius PHV will be improved, but battery technology is key. Right now, I would bet on a better battery from the Toyota/Panasonic/Sanyo group.

 

Oops, well the Prius has 25% more seating capacity then

 

I'd bet on a better (as in $/kwh) battery from Nissan - no thermal cooling required. Just like they have it now.

Eventually, Chinese will take over. Like they do in all mature industries.

 

I am not so sure. The life (80% of original capacity) is expected to be 8 years / 100k miles.

 

Not sure of what ?

 

Not sure about the $/kWh for the entire life (10 years / 150k) of the car.

 

Looks good ...

Toyota Targets at Least 16,000 U.S. Plug-In Prius Sales - Bloomberg

 

I had a very long conversion with a very informed GM rep on the volt at the Austin Car
Show. I asked about the Prem gas... and was told (true or not) they went with that
because of the length of time the gas "might" stay in the tank... but you can use the
same grade the Prius does now... just don't let it sit there any longer than you might
with the Prius.

Just what I was told and only passing it a long....

Only wish I could afford either of them ... but sadly not the case anymore...

 

Yea, the price of not using gas engine when it makes sense to do so. It doesn't end there. The engine is forced to turn on every 6 weeks to lubricate. They also said that premium gas was chosen to increase MPG.

Gas engine is great for a burst of power and long range high speed highway cruising. Instead GM decided to use the battery and add a caution notice in the owner manual that going over 50 mph would noticeably reduce the battery range.

Volt fans like to point out the ability to use only the battery for most of the conditions (not all). Sure, it is a distinguishable feature but I don't think it is a wise thing to do with the current battery technology.

 

I don't know if it is true or not, but read somewhere that Premium fuel was chosen to increase horsepower of the engine in order to turn the generator and produce enough electricity. I don't buy that Premium fuel can sit longer in the tank.

Does the Volt information display show the engine when it is powering the vehicle at higher speed?

 

Me neither. And according to data, Premium fuel doesn't help with emissions either. They may as well have stuck with the diesel engine they originally put in there. Maybe they should put one of those little Sta-Bil pucks on the gas cap like I have on my snow blower.

B)

 

Premium fuel was used because it gave 10-15% better fuel efficiency per Pamela Fletcher, the Chief Engineer of the powertrain group. The Volt ICE does not have the response requirements of a "normal use" ICE, so it can run closer to the edge of detonation. The GM rep referenced above was misinformed.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9-9atMw6Zs"]‪2011 Chevrolet Volt, Powertrain‬‏ - YouTube[/ame]

 

So that makes Volt's gas mileage even worse when compared with Cruze Eco running on regular gas. Cruze Eco's highway is higher than the Volt but the city is lower. If Cruze Eco has start/stop or eAssist, it may get higher MPG in the city than Volt. Again, on regular gas.

 

and if wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

 

Huh. Yet all this time GM is saying that CS MPG does not matter.

So confused

By the way, I took a stroll down google memory lane yesterday and reread the hype from GM that the Volt would be a 50 mpg CS vehicle. The GM mouthpieces never wavered from the party line for years, but about 3 months before launch the chief engineer let slip that the 50 mpg was a CAFE like measurement and not anticipated EPA.

Typical GM. When they are not wrong or lying, they are spinning until most people are vomiting.