Will the Chevrolet Volt be a failure or a success?

Correct. The Volt still starts/stops more than those cars. The cold cat plus a bit of fuel for starting and wall film compensation (I have no idea what that is, I'm just repeating from the engineer I know ) adds up.

 

Thanks! That image came from 2011 Chevy Volt | AUTOS Photo Gallery | DETNEWS.COM.

Even at http://priuschat.com/forums/chevrolet-volt/78136-ultimate-factories-man-made-chevy-volt-ngc.html, when they were doing pre-production work, they mentioned (and IIRC showed) the Volt had a tailpipe.

 

Night time electricity is dirtier. Most of it comes from fossil fuel therefore it is cheaper.

Regarding those Volt owners with solar panels, unless they charge their Volt during daytime at home (directly off solar panel), they are not achieving zero emission. If they charge their Volts at night, they are running on dirtier electricity. The idea is appealing but in reality it doesn't work because you are at work during the daytime. The ideal solution would be to have solar panels at work.

 

Did someone think the car had a combustion engine but no emissions ? Too funny.
Classic of GM to try and hide the tailpipe though. Goes along with the entire BS of the car being an EV.

 

It is important to note that Volt's ICE warm up time takes longer than the Prius. Prius has the Exhaust Heat Recovery system to speed up the warm up time and reduce emission. You are looking at 30-60 seconds vs. 5-10 minutes.

 

In a car that generates 50% more heat/time ? I'm skeptical.

 

I agree the PHV Prius sytem of using the most efficient power supply at any given time is elegant and makes more basic sense. I personally wish the Volt would lean on the ICE sooner rather than burn through my grid charge at highway speeds when I know I'll get around to burning gas later anyway.

I don't personally define success of the Volt as "its a failure if it isn't a Prius killer". I loved my prius, I think it would be a better world if more people drove them. However that doesn't mean I don't want to advance the cause of electrification of transportation.

I really love my Volt and electric driving. IN 3 years when my lease is up I'll probably move on to the next best step in electrification, hopefully there will be more choices, and in some small part the Volt's success (like the Prius') will help foster those choices. Hopefully Toyota will offer a plug in by then and I can consider it.

I needed a car now as my Prius was failing, I was determined to get a plug in my next car, that meant something way out of my price range (Tesla or Fisker), the Volt, the Leaf, or an after market conversion of a Prius. I was a little leary of buying a new Prius and immediately voiding the warranty with an after market mod, and the Leaf won't get me to the next county seat where I have to go for court 2-3 times a month. That meant the Volt was the best plug-in available to meet my needs.

You can argue you don't like grid power or powertrain choices, but I don't understand why. There are lots of people who spend more than $35,000 on their cars for lots of different reasons, some of them will have factors that influence their decisions that favor the Volt.

I personally believe I will live to see the end of the oil age, cars like the Prius and Volt are part of the path on our way to the future, and I enjoy helping that journey.

 

Electricity is simply a carrier. If it is the carrier of dirtier energy than petrol what is the point ? No doubt you would consider silly a person who claimed that the petrol combusted in the Prius ICE magically became clean energy when routed through the battery. Same argument.

The Volt is twice damned because it uses so much energy/mile.

 

The difference is I can make electricity at my house but not petrol. I am a US veteran and I don't have to see my friends go off and die for the coal burned in the local powerplant. I believe if we tried harder we could clean up the couple of communal stacks there faster than the billions of tailpipes, and recent events aside I am still a strong supporter of expanding our use of nuclear power.

The figures used to compare carbon in a gallon of gas versus domestic electricity production are flawed in that they don't consider the carbon footprint of the refineries, the oil platforms and fields, or the global transport network to move billions of gallons of it thousands and thousands of miles, etc...

We need to break the addiction, electrification is how we will do it.

 

It's been a while since I saw the video, but IIRC, he was able to hit about 0 to 60 in roughly 15 seconds, ICE off in Prius PHV demo car.
It will go up to about 60 MPH all electric.

 

That and once the prices come down a heck of a lot. Nissan Versa, what is it, $16k ish. Leaf is twice that. Jane customer is going to pick the $16k over the $32k.

I heard the $7,500 only gets used if you owe $7.5k or more in taxes.

Isn't it true you still pay the full amount for a Leaf or Volt up front, $32.5k and $41k respectively?

 

It was 30 seconds in the video. Reports of the ice kicking in at 50 mph if it is 40 degrees, I can only assume earlier if its colder. The phv prius is about electric assist not pure electric. This may change by summer 2012, when the real car is released that is rumored to at least have a different battery pack and an ev button. In the mean time gwmort can enjoy the electric miles in his volt.

+1

Electrification of transportation is about reducing imported oil. Those that think there is really a coal chute in the volt and leaf are really arguing to keep up with a bad system.

 

I gave you a thank for good intension but I disagree with the result. I wish I am wrong in 5-10 years when our grid is so clean that even the Volt can produce less CO2 (per electric mile) than the cordless Prius. By then, there may be many other choices.

Toyota dealers are taking Prius PHV orders now since it is coming out next year.

 

Yet that will continue, because a fraction of cars running around as coal driven EVs will simply free up more petrol for a neighbor of yours to use without a price increase from market forces. As an SUV owner, I am sure you recognize the attraction of bloated energy guzzlers. However, to toast your good intentions we will trash and pollute our country with coal mining.

 

Owe, as in tax liability; not owe as in payment due to the IRS.

 

As it should because that's how a hybrid operates. Are you suggesting it is wrong for the ICE to come on when it is best to do so?

0-30 mph in 10 seconds is all what you need in city driving. That's what Prius PHV provides. 60 kW MG2 starves power from the 27 kW NiMH pack. You'll be surprise how much EV driving Prius PHV can do with the PHV battery pack.

 

I have friends and a family member currently in military. Remember that we also produce oil. In order to eliminate foreign oil import, we simply need to reduce the consumption, not eliminate it.

We need to be careful of not starting electricity addiction. The goal is to be efficient and not wasteful. Volt consumes the most electricity per mile out of any plugin vehicle available. Give it some thoughts.

 

Right, and in a market economy that happens based on price.

 

The borderline of a CO2 emission Leaf over a Prius stands in a value of 500g CO2 / kwh of the grid.
(EPA 50MPG Prius, 21kwh/100km Leaf)

[disregarding charging losses and crude oil procesing]

EU target is 130gCO2/Kwh by year 2030.

 

Yep and at certain torque requirements over 30 even without depletion:

Clarification: Gas Engine Can Help Drive the Chevrolet Volt Starting at 30 MPH