Will the Chevrolet Volt be a failure or a success?

I understand the GM hate but not really the Volt hate. IF I could afford the Volt I could drive it every day and not use gas. Christy could keep the Prius and we would turn in the Fiesta.

Since I can't I am looking forward to the Plug in prius or maybe the Focus EV.

 

Transference.

GM lies. Viritually all corporations do when it suits their purpose.
Most here saw through the bs about the Volt. Some any claimed the Volt being built was a lie.
Now that Volt is built, and available for actual purchase, they are holding it up to GM's prerelease marketing claims. Which they knew were far fetched to begin with.

It's like calling all a politician's work in office crap because they didn't deliver 100% on the campaign promises.

 

That is like the pot calling the kettle black. How long did it take for GM to come out with the Volt? How different is it from the concept they raved about for years on end? Seriously man, GM invented the idea of vaporware any overexpectation.

 

I do understand that, and maybe it is because I blew off all the hype to begin with that I don't hold a grudge on the machine.

Take away all the rhetoric, claims etc and look at the core machine, it does a great job as a low range commuter vehicle. Could it be better? Hell yeah it could but if you had a Prius and a volt you could conceivably drive the Volt on electric only for work commutes (those who live within range who are the only ones who would be interested) and never use a drop of gas...that is cool stuff and a triumph in my eyes...

 

I see that claim all the time and it does sound good but it is not practical.

You see, Volt has Engine Maintenance interval that runs the gas engine every 6 weeks, either you like it or not.

Why not size the battery so the gas engine is used regularly? Prius PHV does it to increase efficiency and lower the cost.

 

Because then the Volt has to compete with the Prius and will lose its pants doing so. Prius PHV is going to take it to town for all except the most desperate of Volt defends in my opinion--that is, if the PHV price premium is not too severe. It will be a very hard sell the Volt against a PHV Prius costing possibly $10k less.

 

111kW is 11% more than the combined output of a Prius motive system. It's ~150hp. Overkill?

 

And if you had a Prius and a Leaf?

I can't think of any two car situations where a Volt fits in. Only single car situations make any sense, and I suspect those situations are few.

Assumptions: (I hope this are accurate, please correct if not)
Leaf: 34 kWh / 100 mile, 80 mile All electric range
Volt: 35 kWh / 100 mile, 40 mile all electric range, 2.7 gallons/ mile
Prius: 2.0 gallons / 100 mile.
$3.89 / gallon of gas, $4.09 / gallon premium.

Math:
So up to 80 miles commute, the Leaf is cheaper to run.
For 154 miles commute, the Prius uses less gas.
For 136 miles commute, the Prius is cheaper (adjusting for premium).
For 105 mile commute, the Prius is cheaper (after including $0.11 /kWh electricity).

So the sweet spot for the Volt is daily commutes of between 80 and 105 miles. (with the top end increased for cheap electricity, and decreased for expensive electricity). For my $0.16 / kWh electricity, the sweet spot is gone altogether.

 

Prius combines the 80hp electric motor and 98hp gas engine to reach the combined 134hp. The 80hp electric motor is starved because the HV battery can provide only 36hp (98hp+36hp=134hp).

For the Volt, it has 149hp electric motor with 74hp gas engine. The total output is 149hp (149hp+74hp=149hp). The redundancy of the dead weight in the design leads to overkill weight and lower efficiency.

The gas engine gets a piggy back ride in EV mode even at peak power acceleration. When the gas engine finally come on (battery exhausted), it does not increase the total power output. Volt has redundancy instead of synergy.

 

A Volt and Leaf will use less oil than a Prius and a Leaf for most American households, also there are those that like the Leaf and prefer all electric driving. Then there are all the people who might want better handling and ride quality than prius can deliver.

There is no one right answer for everybody. Every car is a compromise. There are many people who will choose each option and none of them are wrong.

 

Excellent idea to analyze. Throw in a Prius PHV and there won't be a sweet spot left for the Volt.

 

So can we start calling it the HRD system?

 

Volt burns less gas than a regular prius up to about trips of 200 miles, it will burn less gas than a Plug in prius on trips of up to about 120 miles. If burning less gas is the goal, the Volt keeps its sweetspot.

The further the trip is above those points the more the prii pull ahead on that particular trip but not necessarily on the driver's total cycle of normal use.

 

Hybrid Redundancy Drive?

 

With 3 gallons of gas, a cordless Prius would go 150 miles. Volt would go 146 miles.

Are you concern only about saving gasoline or general fossil fuel?

 

Based on the results I am seeing the Volt would go 160 and they would both go 200 on 4 gallons.

Just gasoline, on the other note though I signed the paperwork for my new solar system so I'll be producing more grid power than I consume soon.

 

Why not size the battery and eliminate the engine?
The Volt design, like life, contains compromise.
A Prius, PHV or not, will burn more total gas over the vehicles lifetime.
The Leaf risks stranding the driver, and requires burrowing or renting another vehicle for longer trips.
The gasser and EV combo requires double the parking and increased out of pocket costs on registration, taxes, inspection, and insurance.

Those are all choices with varying pros and cons. It's up to the individual to decide which compromises they are willing to live with. None of them may work for some people, but more, differing choices enables the public on the move to sustainable transportation.

 

Awesome! :cheer2:

 

You are beating EPA figure by 10%. What makes you think under your driving condition, a cordless Prius won't give the same 10% above 50 MPG?

 

I agree. Prius and the PHV version also has compromises.

Every design has trade-offs or compromises. However, a better design has less to trade-offs and more room to optimize. A bad design would be less efficient, heavier and cost more.

Volt was designed to be politically correct (as an EV with range extender). It does not appear to be designed for efficiency, low emission nor affordability.

Having said that, it does work for some people especially those switched from a SUV. One has to wonder why they were driving an SUV to begin with if a compact 4 seater works for them.