I drove a Volt today.

Interesting to see the Specs on the 2 new EV cars annound at the LA Auto Show, the Fiat 500E and the new Chevrolet Sparc EV. The Sparv is priced under 25K. It may take the market by storm.

 

Maybe, but what about Reliability?

 

Toyota reliability isn't what it was. I moved from the Toyota brand to the Lexus brand to retain the reliability.

The Volt only has a few of years of history, but so far it seems to be tracking very well.

I just got another recall notice for my Prius but they won't get the parts until next month.

If you are happy with a Prius, then a PiP is the easy route to take since it is essentially the same car with a plug. If you are interested in an EV without a range limit, then you need to go ahead and move past the Prius (and the PiP).

 

Yup, the functionality, practicality and the ownership experience makes me smile every time I get in it.

 

$25k after $7,500 tax credit. We'll see how the 2013 Leaf is priced at. I heard about the cheaper lower range version is coming out.

 

Seems to be more reliable than the PiP.

Of course you can't get a PiP in Texas so I don't know if you can get any service for a PiP if you drive outside of California or any one of the states where it is sold. My Toyota, and Lexus, dealer told me they couldn't work on a PiP if I got one.

 

It is a Good Point John but I wonder if the Volt driver today feels like the Gen 1 Prius Driver of yesteryear. In a sense John you are the Bird in the Canary Cage for the GM EV transition. I like the Volt, but unfortunality my Camaro was a charm to drive but a nightmare to repair in my High School and College years. I left behind many decades ago American cars for the worryfree Honda's, Acuras, and Toyota's. I did veer off to a BMW because I wanted to experince the Luxury of German Engineering but I also experienced the emptying of my wallet for repairs and maintenance. I'm impressed with Chev and the Volt. I hope it is a huge success, but I still have nightmares with those old GM cars my father punished himself with for multiple decades as GM weaved a patriotic flag buy GM.

I'm back to right Brain now, Price, performance, reliability, practical, and sure help the environment.

 

PiP nation-wide launch is with the 2013 model. Currently, just the 14 or 15 launch states.

I guess your dealer hasn't been trained yet.

 

Interesting that PIP is not available in Texas. Wonder why? Does Prius sell well in Texas in general?

 

Thx good to know. The GM Spark is only available in Oregon starting next week. Go Figure.

 

The Prius sells well in Texas, especially in Austin. It became a little more PC when Toyota started building the Tundra in San Antonio.

 

That would be a show stoper if you cannot get service. You had no choice but a Volt.

 

I visited Austin for a event and spent a week. I was impressed. It reminded me of California in a positive sense, young people, plenty of good food and music downtown, abundence of Tech Companies in the Burbs, decent housing costs, Excellent Universities, plenty of educated people.

 

I wasn't too concerned about it. Trailering a PiP to an out of state dealer isn't that much more than a regular service visit at a Toyota dealer

 

and $4/month unlimited EV charging !

also, no income tax

 

Not until they need the car for a few days.

 

Now that is worth it. My wifes GF is moving from Orange County California to Austin some time next year. She visited her sister a few times and keeps says how wonderful it is. The big deal for her is housing. OC the typical home in a decent place can be 750K or more,a nd she is not intereted in a Condo. It makes you a slave to your mortgage. She says in Austin for 300K you can get plenty of home, and you have plenty of money left over for other stuff.

 

John as a Volt Enthusiest you should watch this movie "Revenge of the Electric Car". I watched it on Netflix however it is out on ther internet and various places. It in a sense tracks the launch of the Leaf, Volt and Tesla. Great movie.
Revenge of the Electric Car | It's Alive

 

it's great there's competition out there (volt, leaf, etc) but when it comes to a track record, toyota has 10+ yrs on hybrids and proven decades of reliability on non-hybrids. the 1st gen 06 highlander hybrid recall was a major deal but toyota made owners right by comping the expensive repair.

i wonder if the smaller Li kwh capacity in the PiP correlates to better (or worse) longevity than a larger (volt) or even larger (leaf) Li battery. the lack of active cooling on the leaf's big battery is already causing problems for owners in the southwest. it will be interesting to see long term reviews for Pip, volt and leaf in a few years

 

Good question, the jury is still out on this one. We'll see how much has / has not changed concerning reliability. GM has to really work on this issue, and quickly. Reason is because the average buyer is not going to wait a number of years for them to get all their ducks lined up (IE: very good, reliable, dependable vehicles). Why should a buyer wait, when they can get an established, provened, dependable Prius versus an unknown Volt? The Prius has the lions' share of the market in the U.S. and in global markets, ever increasing with each passing day. Also, GMs'market share MUST be increased if they contend to remain a contender in todays' ever increasingly crowded market. If GM does not, well then, can we say: times up GM, you had your run, its' time to fade away.

DBCassidy