Volt 2.0: Ruess "It will leap-frog... the competition"

Discussion in 'GM Hybrids and EVs' started by Jeff N, Oct 1, 2014.

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  1. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    all it will take is a change in one manager.
     
    #521 bisco, Sep 30, 2015
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Sort of. The focus is Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia where there are EV incentives so the bulk of the production volume will end up in those provinces.
     
    #522 Tideland Prius, Sep 30, 2015
  3. Jeff N

    Jeff N The answer is 0042

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    I attended a GM 2016 Volt media event today in Sausalito, CA and drove the Volt in EV and gas hybrid modes along US Highway 1 and 101 in Marin and Sonoma counties. I was there in my role as an occasional writer for HybridCars.com and GM-Volt.com.

    No surprise (to me), but the new Volt was excellent. Very quick, happy to be thrown through curvy hillside roads, and returned precisely 106 MPGe (~31 kWh per 100 miles) or 53.6 miles of range thereby matching the published EPA estimate. This was despite some substantial thrashing at the hands of Jeff Cobb who is a full-time journalist for those websites who I shared the drive with.

    The hybrid mpg did not fare as well later on in the drive as we continued pushing some driving boundaries. It was doing 39 mpg at one point before we put the car into Mountain Mode which uses gas to recharge the battery.

    Afterwards, I spent a fair amount of time picking the brains of several senior GM powertrain engineers and learned a lot of good information.

    The new engine is much quieter and pleasant even during hard driving. In ordinary driving it is almost unnoticeable.

    Overall Verdict: A+ as a compact commuter car with road trip ability.
     
    #523 Jeff N, Oct 1, 2015
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  4. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

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    Exactly

    DBCassidy
     
    #524 dbcassidy, Oct 2, 2015
  5. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

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    Then, based on your above report, Gen2 should be flying off the dealers' lots and dealers would be complaining they can't get enough of the Gen 2 to meet demand.

    DBCassidy
     
    #525 dbcassidy, Oct 2, 2015
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if and when that happens? gm will shut down the line for 'maintenance'.
     
    #526 bisco, Oct 2, 2015
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  7. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    #527 Sergiospl, Oct 5, 2015
  8. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

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    #528 dbcassidy, Oct 13, 2015
  9. Jeff N

    Jeff N The answer is 0042

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    Maybe I was too pessimistic.... Toyota now has their "Two-Mode" style HSD patent filed so maybe it will show up in the 2017 Prius Plug-in instead of 2021 model.

    Follow the link to this new article and scroll down to the sidebar titled:

    "Is this the 2017 Prius Plug-in Two-Mode Transmission?":

    Revenge of the Two-Mode Hybrid - HybridCars.com
     
    #529 Jeff N, Nov 5, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2015
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  10. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    #530 Sergiospl, Nov 19, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2015
  11. Jeff N

    Jeff N The answer is 0042

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    2017 Cadillac CT6 Plug-In Hybrid Makes North American Debut in Los Angeles

    New info is 30 miles EV range and 65 MPGe EV which is pretty dismal but still better than some Porsche, Mercedes, and BMW plugin large cars. It can apparently drive EV up to about 75 mph using twin 75 kW motors before blending the gas engine but we don't know anything more about the internal hybrid transmission details -- no word on how similar it is to the Volt/Malibu 2 planetary gear set design or whether it stays closer to the older 3 planetary gear set AHS2 design used by GM from 2008-2013 in pickups and SUVs.

    The new CT6 plugin does 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds in its blended gas-electric non-EREV normal drive mode. Curb weight is under 3,700 pounds for non-plugin versions with major use of aluminum in the body. No word on plugin curb weight yet.

    We already knew about the 2.0L turbo gas engine and 250 kW 335HP total system output for the RWD plugin hybrid. No word on whether it will have any AWD capability or on its hybrid mpg yet. This obviously a "power hybrid" that does not really use a down-sized Atkinsonized engine and is optimized for high performance rather than high efficiency while still providing better efficiency and carbon-reduction relative to other cars in its class.
     
    #531 Jeff N, Nov 19, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2015
  12. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

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    Too little, too late

    DBCassidy
     
    #532 dbcassidy, Nov 20, 2015
  13. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    And a step backward from what had been promoted over the past +5 years.
     
    #533 john1701a, Nov 20, 2015
    Last edited: Nov 21, 2015
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  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what's the latest on the boltsonic?
     
    #534 bisco, Nov 21, 2015
  15. San_Carlos_Jeff

    San_Carlos_Jeff Active Member

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    It's supposed to be revealed at the CES show in January.
     
    #535 San_Carlos_Jeff, Nov 22, 2015
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  16. Sergiospl

    Sergiospl Senior Member

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    #536 Sergiospl, Nov 22, 2015
  17. Dion Kraft

    Dion Kraft Member

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    Can't compare GM's Mindset with Toyo by any means....GM's attitude of not supporting their customers problems and quality control issues have pretty much placed them into the AVOID at ALL COSTS category. There grade of trustworthyness is probably on par with Volkswagen in my mind. Sure Toyo has had its head slapped with their Justice Dept fines but they have pretty much recoverded because of that. GM because of its Cobalt defect for OVER TEN YEARS is not going to go over very well. To me GM's execution is so rosy but then on real world test..they fail. Something will always screw up and its not some simple thing. Basically its the depts who put their products together seem to not be in sync and thus the fail discovered in due time. Being I was a GM diehard but I have just had enough of their defective stuff they pump out. I am all the more suspicious of their crap more than ever. Rant out.
     
    #537 Dion Kraft, Nov 22, 2015
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  18. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    No, it's not even close. Toyota limited initial sales to a quota and diversified right away, resulting in a profit by the final year of gen-1. That first offering was targeted directly at middle-market too. GM took a very, very different approach. GM also had a decade of battery & motor experience prior to Volt rollout... EV1, Two-Mode, and BAS/eAssist. Let's not forget about all the fuel-cell development either.

    As for giving them a chance, you still don't understand what "leading the way" even means. It's the ability to get ordinary people to change.

    Any automaker can create & sell a niche, which is exactly the GM chose to do. We don't see any high-volume plans for Volt in the future. In fact, GM is now promoting the very things they claimed Volt would make unnecessary. We were told for years that EREV was all anyone needed. It was the best of both worlds: EV without range-anxiety. No need for a plug-in hybrid. No need for an electric-only vehicle. EREV was the solution for everyone.

    This week the CT6 plug-in hybrid was revealed for our market and there was an announcement that the production-ready Bolt EV would be revealed in January. That's in direct conflict with the "leadership" we had been told about for years. Anyone who claims otherwise is in deep denial of what happened with Volt gen-1 promotion.

    We're tired of the excuses & spin. We simply want an affordable & profitable vehicle for the masses that's clean & efficient.
     
    #538 john1701a, Nov 22, 2015
  19. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

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    Sounds like a new type of salad dressing. LOL

    DBCassidy
     
    #539 dbcassidy, Nov 22, 2015
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  20. dbcassidy

    dbcassidy Toyota Hybrid Nation, 8 Million Strong

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    If you can't see at this stage of the game, you never will. Chances?. how many more chances does GM need? Gm has had more than enough chances to get the Volt right. If it hasn't been with gen2, don't worry, market competition has already boxed them in.

    DBCassidy
     
    #540 dbcassidy, Nov 22, 2015
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