GM CEO: Toyota Prius is a "geek-mobile" that "I wouldn't be caught dead in"

I agree 100%. Today's American car ads are like political ads. GM and Ford are the worst. "May the best car win?" "Look at all the people trading in their Camry for a Ford?" PUHHH-LEASE. Mike Rowe, go back to cleaning toilets in front of a camera, lol.

All these companies will eat their words. As said in Inception, positive emotion trumps negative emotion, or something like that.

 

That could be taken as a slam to GM if you were to really think about it. lol

 

I find the remark in the video commercial you posted about the 100mph top speed, to say the least, laughable - where in the US can you even get close to that???? I would understand that in Germany (and it would be laughed at in any case, since 100mph are nothing to talk home about, it is actually pretty bad), but for a US commercial...pleeeease. (BTW a commercial talking about max top speed would be laughable also in the EU, since most highways have a speed limit of 130km/h-80mph or less; I don't think I have heard a commercial of a car talking about max top speed since....ever!)

 

Speed limits notwithstanding, there are plenty of places you can hit such speeds. Most highways and freeways are straight and long enough to do 100+ quite easily. Now is it safe or legal? Sometimes and no. lol I've gone 164mph in my Trans Am often enough to know that it is not very safe.

 

It is exactly like the political commercials. Some politicians, just like GM, push it a little too far. In the end, it comes back to bite them.

As for the Commercials with Rowe, they are the dumbest I have seen. Especially the one where he asks that woman what she likes best about her new Escape and she says "the pretty blue color. It matches my eyes!". That is always what I look at first when buying a car. Make sure it matches my eyes.

 

You haven't been here long have you?
You have no idea who you are talking about.
Does that also mean you are ignorant?

 

I have been reading the"leaf blower" Volt threads. In cold climates, several responders have commented specifically about how cold they are in the cabin .... I cannot imagine the grief I would incur from my wife had I spent $40K plus on a new Volt. Naturally I would have justified the purchase and talked up the electric range, and efficiency of the ICE, only to find that we had to wear a coat and gloves in the cabin. It is still early, but from the post, it would appear 1) the Volt is not an appropiate choice in cold climates 2) to warm the interior to a level of comfort, causes a serious reduction in EV mileage 3) the "Car of the Year" proponents seem to have not conducted their evaluation test in cold weather.

I like my "geekmobile" more every day.

 

I don't know what they based the award on. They completely ignored ULEV emission certification from CARB. EPA label was not available at the time. It seems they solely based it on the hype.

 

What constitutes a cold climate? 0c, -5c, -15c?

I understood the Volt had a coolant or heating system that operated whilst the car was being charged. Is this not correct? Does the engine run to warm the heating like in a Prius or is it totally electrical?

 

In the Volt, the engine (ICE) does not run to heat the cabin. If the battery is depleted and the ICE is pushing the car, then ICE waste heat can be sent to the cabin. You can use grid electricity to pre-heat the cabin, but so far as I know you cannot pre-heat the drivetrain.

It is sobering to consider that the Volt is using over TWICE the energy/distance as my Prius in a WtW analysis. Green, my nice person. If I was trying to sell the Volt POS, I would be bashing the Prius too.

 

"And I wouldn't be caught dead in a Prius."

Well, Mr Akerson, you were right after all...Normal people may suffer from dead cold inside a Volt!

 

So surely when you park up to charge the car you can set the heating to warm the car interior at the same time? If this is the case what's the problem with cold Volts? The car is warmed up inside ready for use and then the internal heater should continue to keep you warm during your drive.

I suppose the only time this wouldn't work is when it's really really cold and you forget to pre-warm the car and the cars heater isn't quite upto the job of warming it thoroughly from dead cold?

 

First .... the definition of a "cold climate" will vary with each individual. I have been chilled on a windy day at 50 degrees (F) with 90% humidity; but here in the mountain west, I am comfortable until it gets below 32 degrees, but with low humidity.

Here ia quote from a Volt owner posting on the Volt thread that seems to document the point:

"I'm in Southern California, where to us 59 degrees is cold. I drove for about 20 miles yesterday (All Electric), outside temperature was 52 degrees and I had the Climate Control set to ECO mode. I was cold, changed to Comfort and got warm fairly quickly. No idea what it does to range, but I'm not about to sacrifice cabin comfort for range."

I have no idea if the interior can be heated overnight while plugged in ..... I am not sure I would be comdortable doing that, however. I don't leave Christmas lights on overnight or when I am away.

The above quote seems to indicate the interior can be heated, perhaps with increased battery usage, or by running the ICE. The point was all about EV range. It appears, at whatever point an individuals discomfort point is reached, the choice is between extending range and being cold, or sacrificing range in a warm cabin.

 

I have read that cabin pre-heating from grid power can only occur once the traction battery is fully charged. I am unsure if this applies to the Volt, the LEAF, or both. Filling up the battery first makes sense in general for a BEV, although perhaps less so for a PHEV.

The range hit in winter is not only cabin heating, it is increased friction from a cold drivetrain, and a lot more tyre friction. I also wonder how much the pre-heating is affecting the thermal mass of the car.

 

Honestly, I hope the Volt turns out to be a good car and a good seller. More choices in the world of hybrids and/or EVs can only be good, and I for one am delighted to see the US automakers finally begin to see the light of dawn (even though it's more like high noon now). But it is amazing how someone who has managed to rise to the level of CEO of a (smaller but still) huge corp. can be so dumb as to make statements like that. I'm not a marketing major, but I can't imagine you move much product by insulting your largest potential customer base--which, for the Volt, is likely to be people who have had good experiences with other hybrids, most likely the Prius!

 

Does it sound like the same person who would not be caught dead in a Prius?

During a Commonwealth Club interview, he confessed that he (Akerson) "believes" in global warming, adding, "Several GM executives say 'you don't say that in public.' Well, this may surprise you but my underwear doesn't have GM stamped on it... I am an individual and I do have my own convictions."

Source

 

CNN on GM's Akerson talks bailouts, Europe, Chevy Volt problems!

GM's Akerson talks bailouts, Europe, Chevy Volt problems - Fortune Features

 

well, mark it up as ME being one of the biggest geeks around.

now with that said and done, taking a look at this guys photo.............it would seem
that "geek" should be the caption of this CEO's photo. along with "greed" and "ignorant"

 

He didn't seem to think other than political the volt had many problems. He did use that ridiculous moon shot talk from the failed clinton era pngv program. They couldn't get him to estimate sales though. Here is the clip from the interview

 

I'm pretty sure the Volt can pre-heat regardless of battery level. If you are plugged in, power will be diverted to heating if the battery is not yet full. My guess is that the LEAF can pre-heat as long as the battery is above the minimal level of charge as well, regardless of whether it is plugged in.

The pre-heated is on demand -- you can't easily set it to automatically warm itself every day at a specific time although one owner figured how to whip up a script on the PC to send the right message to OnStar to do that. Normally, you would use the MyVolt.com website, an OnStar smartphone app, or the remote key fob to tell the car to pre-warm (or pre-cool) and it will run the climate system for up to 10 minutes. You have the option to restart it again if you are running late or it is unusually cold and want more heating time.

Aside from the reasons listed above, another reason for reduced battery range is because the battery chemistry just works more slowly and has less total capacity at colder temperatures due to basic physics.