Does GM REALLY want to phase out the Volt?

Yes, I suppose liftback is a better term. I really like the Fit; the hatch opening is really big and the cargo area is evenly shaped, as opposed to the Prius' sloping roofline. The Volt seems even less cargo friendly in that regard.

When I say performance oriented, I mean a higher all around envelope of handling, performance, control feel transmitted to the driver, etc. I drove the Volt once under controlled conditions at a state fair. Beyond that I've never really wrung one out so I can't say personally.

 

i did a testdrive with a ampera
the battery was not charged because the charge station still needed to be placed at the parking lot
so only at night it was charged
the liters per 100km on the display from that tank of gas where 10...... 10L/100km
the volt is really bad when it battery is depleted.. maybe its because of the empty batterypack it needs to carry around and maybe because of the drivetrain to?
i think in this case it was also that bad because it was driven by several people as a demo car during the day.
in my hands it would be better but stil not close to the prius i think.

 

If you ever get a chance to test again and the battery is dead, use the "Mountain mode" of the Ampera/Volt and you can get it to build up about 14m (22km) of EV range for the test drive. Also try Sport mode, even in CS mode. I tested a Prius for a week and think the Volt in EV mode is much peppier.

 

To me, "spunkier acceleration" = "motorcycle". Judging from your sig photo, you probably have the same opinion. I used to satisfy my acceleration cravings on a motorcycle, still getting at least 40-50mpg, and considered the car as an appliance to get me, people, and stuff from A to B, especially in bad weather.

 

I am just adding my 2 cents. So take it for what it is worth.. 3 refineries are shutting down on the East Coast in the next few months, and there is talk of putting in "price controls" on gasoline now. Anyone that remembers the 70's will begin to realize where the Volt will become useful if the time ever comes. Considering I put 5 gallons in mine in November, driver 1700 miles since, and still have 4.5 gallons left I say the car is a resounding success. Also if gas does hit $5 this summer (which based on the above mention I think it will go higher than 5, but what do I know) the savings will get even wider. I bought mine as a long term investment. Sure it is crazy and cooky, but it is actually nice that I do not have to wonder what my energy cost will be on X day. It is a lot harder for my power company to jack up my bill seeing as they must go through the state. Not to mention a bunch of localities (especially here in Norfolk) are looking at jacking up gasoline taxes to plug budget shortfalls..

Back to the original point I am sure GM may want the Volt to fail. From a customer perspective it sure seems like they don't as they go above and beyond to ensure customer satisfaction with the car. If a dealer gives me any hassle over anything GM is a phone call away, and then they call the dealer and straighten them out. So from my perspective it would appear GM wants the ones they have sold to succeed. I do think however it is easier to get most people in to a Cruze, or Spark. Personally I hope they succeed. I love my car, and hope people would buy the car that they love as well. I think EV's will remain a niche market for awhile yet to come. People do not think far enough ahead to realize they could ditch gas almost completely, and be rid of the uncertaintly of what gasoline prices will be or shipping their money to the Middle East. 99% of people want instant gratification or return on their investment. Those people will buy full gas cars that get 30-40mpg. Eventually I will get a return on my investment. Either when they start taxing gasoline in the US European style, or peak oil hits. In the mean time I am going to enjoy driving it, and bypassing the gas stations except for my yearly visit.

 

MM mode recharging cannot fully recharge. Is pretty fast to recharge, 15-20min it can go from CS mode to 14mi(22km) of EV range, which makes it great for test-drive scenarios. Also in MM mode you'll hear the engine at its absolute worst is that is something one wants to test..

If the car is in CD (battery) mode then after its done recharging to the new SOC it will be back in EV mode when you turn it off. If in CS mode, it will be stay in CS mode but will have a larger battery buffer (unless you turn the car off, then when its turned on it will start in CD mode again). This confuses the car's tracking and reduces the apparent CS milage.

Depending on how one uses MM Recharging games it can actually improve milage. Nice thread with data over at gm-volt.com
MM Gaming - 25% gains in MPG and EV Range! My experiment results...

Others have reported gains as well (with 47-50mpg being reported).
But if used badly it can also reduce milage to 32-35mpg..

MM mode also useful as a way to get ICE heating sooner (if its cold and you want heat and know you will need it eventually).

 

Battery pricing is a bitch.
Of course, if the Volt was a pure BEV, it would be viewed as a 4 seater EV1. That T shape battery pack is lifted right out of the EV1. In which case, everyone would be praising it despite the increased price, and GM would be partially forgiven for past mistakes.

The price is the biggest hurdle for the Volt. It can be viewed as too niche, but the fact is people with 5 seats and more cargo space are driving solo as often as people in large SUVs and trucks. The Volt is the right size to move a family of four around on day to day tasks. If a potential buyer needs more than 4 seats regularly, they likely aren't going to be looking at compact 5 seaters. Since many with larger families opt for minivans and SUVs, they're also not looking at midsize cars.
Then those that can support, purchase price and charging location, a Volt, Prius PHV, or any other PHV or EV, will likely have more than one car to begin with. Hasn't it been recommended that those that have to have a FSP for some reason get an efficient car for day to day driving. The Volt does that for the person with an already efficient family type vehicle.

Back to the OP. While it doesn't cover the total difference, there are shipping costs. Then differing prices for locals is common practice across the industry. Toyota regularly charges more in the Canadian market.

 

GC- does the Ampera qualify to drive downtown London w/out having to pay congestion tax? I know for some that have the dough - THAT'd be worth the sky high price ... maybe even reduce the (nebulous) 'payback' by a year or 2.

That was one thought. The other; We have tons of different fee rates for electricity in the U.S., and so maybe it's the same in the UK (I never inquired about it while in school at Cambridge) What does electricity go for per kWh ... at least in your area. Don't you pay about 135.9 per liter for petrol? Just trying to work the numbers - to figure out just how reasonable/unreasonable the cost is.

.

 

Petrol/gasoline: 1.76€ or 1.47£ or 2.27$
Ampera/Volt: 45700€ or 38000£ or 59167$ (includes garagecost for delivery)


No tax-breaks apart from us not having to pay the extra tax normal cars have (used to be 40%, now its CO2 related). Small cars and the Prius are also exempt.


kWh is 0.23€ or 19p or 0.30$


Do we win the price for being screwed most by our government?

 

Well electricity is cheaper than gasoline so an electric could still save money. But at least you live somewhere where cycling is easy.

Oh, stop complaining. Just light up and relax.

 

Can't light up, quit smoking as a pack is over 8$.

High electricity price does make my solarpanels more worth while ROI of 6-7 years (second hand panels).

:focus:

 

In the US? Not a chance unless we go through some major calamity, be it man made (huge attack and/or war) or incredibly destructive natural event. It otherwise will not happen as it would bring the economy to a crawl and everyone knows it.

 

I am not sure they are actively hoping for it to fail, they spent a ton of money developing it and promoting it. But they did originally say it would come in at a much lower price, even though when the current pricing was revealed in the US, Lutz said it was a loss on each one.

Of course they are going to use it to cross sell, they would be stupid not to. It has generated a ton of press, they would be negligent not to try to capitalize on it to sell other cars. Nearly every car company does the same. If someone comes in to look at a Volt, cause they heard about it, but they can't afford one, or the dealer just doesn't have one, they are going to try to sell what they have. Same thing was true at Toyota dealers when there was a wait for the Prius. Many people got the "there is a x month wait for the Prius, or we can put you in this Corolla today" with some "you don't want that Prius anyway, overpriced and mileage not much better than the Corolla."

do you guys over there get the government rebate for buying a VOLT?

 

No incentive here (Holland) apart from tax-cuts: 'no roadtax for 60 months' and the not added 'added cartax of 40%'. My Prius will only be roadtax free until the end of 2013 (but also had the 'added cartax' stricken), in 2014 it's back to €700 a year or so. (The Volt would be ~900€ a year purely based on weight minus the batteries+electro-motor)

Still tax-cuts are almost the same as cash-incentives
Never seen one in the wild though... Prii there are 1000's of!

Under 50g of CO2 (per km based on the 100km mpg numbers iirc) it is roadtaxfree for 60 months. Maybe longer, but that's as far as the government looks ahead at this time. When considering a Tesla Model S, I would prefer to have more certainty than just 5 years...

 

20% is added to everything not made in the country?

 

Ouch... 23%
I meant to add that to my post. Unlike the US, our prices always include VAT. What you see on the price-tag is what you pay (unless you are an 'entrepeneur' with a business and can claim the VAT back under certain conditions, but you also have to CHARGE this VAT on anything you sell and pay it to the government.)

So this line:

should have had this added: This includes our 19% BTW (pretty much a direct translation of Value Added Tax).

That may put things into perspective.

And food is only 6% VAT. (Primary necessities = 6%, so beer is 6% and wine is 19%, or Cola = 6% and anything with alcohol is 19%, something like that)