- #449 of 545
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Re: A little high? [pf_flyer]
by corvette
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Feb 15, 2009 (8:09 am)
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Replying to: pf_flyer (Feb 15, 2009 7:21 am)
You know the Volt also has a gasoline engine that will allow it to run several hundred miles, right? After the battery is low, the gas engine (generator) kicks in to provide power for the electric motor.
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- #450 of 545
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Re: A little high? [corvette]
by dmathews3
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Feb 15, 2009 (12:03 pm)
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Replying to: corvette (Feb 15, 2009 8:09 am)
That was my impression too. Also whoever is spreading the word of the Volt being built in England is I think way wrong. Everything I can find says at the Detroit plant that builds Buicks and Caddys. The engines at first come from over seas until the new Flint engine plant is done plus the batteries are also now going to be made in Mich. So why would they make a bunch of the parts and I also bet stampings for the fenders etc. here in the USA and then send everything to England to be assembled. Don't make much sense to me.
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- #451 of 545
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Re: A little high? [dmathews3]
by gfr1
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Feb 15, 2009 (7:49 pm)
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Replying to: dmathews3 (Feb 15, 2009 7:26 am)
It appears that there's still much confusiion about the path that the Volt is planning to take. First, they said "over 600 miles", then, over "400 miles", and the latest I've seen is that total range could be up to "200 miles", until the battery & fuel are exhausted. Then, because there aren't really measuring standards yet, it appears, from other's experiences, that real world will get about half to two-thirds the electric only mileage. Then, what about A/C, cabin heat, hills, etc? Also, EPA normally requires the engine and converter to be kept up to temp. Finally, the latest proposal says that the engine will not be able to recharge the battery at all! About the only recharge will maybe be the brake regen. Since thay aren't interested in recharging the battery, they may well forgo the regen., too, so save costs. They want that battery to be charged from the grid and the ICE just is to get you back home. So, that means that the ICE powering the generator, powering the vehicle, will depend on the output of the ICE, and generator, and electric motors, to provide propulsion. So, on extended trips, it'll likely be slow going and not particularly efficient. Imagine getting back home from Los Angeles to Palmdale, up the "Grapevine", for instance! -- GR
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- #452 of 545
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Re: A little high? [dmathews3]
by stephen987
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Feb 15, 2009 (9:03 pm)
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Replying to: dmathews3 (Feb 15, 2009 12:03 pm)
Also whoever is spreading the word of the Volt being built in England is I think way wrong.
I think the plan is to build them in the US for American buyers, and in England for European buyers. Make sense now?
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- #453 of 545
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Re: A little high? [stephen987]
by dmathews3
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Feb 16, 2009 (5:11 am)
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Replying to: stephen987 (Feb 15, 2009 9:03 pm)
yes it does.
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- #454 of 545
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by ingvar
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Feb 16, 2009 (8:06 am)
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For 40K+ I better get 135d European Delivery 
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- #455 of 545
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Utility rates will kill volt without solar on roof.
by option7
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Mar 05, 2009 (11:14 pm)
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The base rate in Southern California is 12 cents per KWH up to 10KWH average dailey use. If you use the Volt every day and add 8KWH per day to charge it for a max of 40 miles you will push up your home power useage into tier 3 at 21 cents/KWH, tier 4 at 25 cents or tier 5 at 27 cents. These rates are expected to rise 20% in 2009. This means you will pay at least $2 to $2.40 for every 40 miles in a perfect world. The Volt will need to do better than this to get my buy in. This makes a Honda or Toyota Hybrid much more attractive but still not worth it. The only way to make the numbers work is if the roof has photovoltaic cells on it to charge the batteries off grid. Electric car charging demand will force up utility rates to match closely the value of gas as it rises. Even swap from being held hostage by oil companies to being held up by power utilities......unless you generate DC to charge yourself !
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- #456 of 545
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Re: Utility rates will kill volt without solar on roof. [option7]
by dmathews3
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Mar 06, 2009 (7:20 am)
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Replying to: option7 (Mar 05, 2009 11:14 pm)
I was all for a Volt until I found out it is 2" shorter than a Cobalt. For the 20K difference I can buy a heck of a lot of fuel. Besides it looks like GM is on its way out. As a GM retired I'm not looking forward to that as it will take my health care and before it is over some of my pension. There are millions of us retired people in this fix and at my union hall none of the retired will ever buy GM again if we lose out. I for one will never buy American in anything again, not even a foreign car built here. And this is from someone who buys American all I can, my tennis shoes, to clothes are all american but no more. No one else in this country cares so why should I?
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- #457 of 545
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IT WON"T SUCCEED AT $40k
by 9394
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Mar 09, 2009 (12:14 pm)
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Who would pay $40k for a small car that looks like a Civic.
I don't have a degree in marketing, but it makes much more sense to me that GM should aim for lower profit / higher volume so that more cars can be produced to keep the workers employed.
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- #458 of 545
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Re: IT WON"T SUCCEED AT $40k [9394]
by stephen987
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Mar 09, 2009 (1:04 pm)
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Replying to: 9394 (Mar 09, 2009 12:14 pm)
I don't have a degree in marketing, but it makes much more sense to me that GM should aim for lower profit / higher volume so that more cars can be produced to keep the workers employed.
GM isn't in business to keep the workers employed, though. Right now the only thing keeping GM in business is the hope of a multi-year federal bailout. Politically speaking, they have to be able to demonstrate the capability for innovation. The Volt shows that capability much more effectively than, say, the Malibu or Cobalt, no matter how excellent (or how profitable) those cars may be.
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