Chevy Volt Lies?

I may be a little behind here, but I just found out that one of the key selling points of the upcoming Chevy Volt that they have been touting for a long time was in fact a complete lie. The Volt was supposed to be distinctive in that it was a pure electric-drive vehicle, not a hybrid-drive. I read, many many times, that the motor in the volt was just there to charge batteries and extend range. There was NO direct connection between the motor and the drive wheels.

Now it turns out, that isn't true. (from what I am hearing) The gas motor will drive the wheels directly at anything over like 70mph and when the batteries are drained. Some tests are showing as little as 26mpg for the car in gas-burning situations like highway cruising!

It may still be a fine car and a real gas-saver in some situations, but I feel a little duped and amazed that GM would just out and out lie about its product like that. Anyone know more about this?

consumer group engineering?

I was surprised by that too. It' got all this techno wizardry, and is EXPENSIVE and once you get past that 40mph electric charge it doesn't even get good fuel economy. I fail to see how this car is even a small bit better than a $24000 prius or $21000 Insight.

The 40mile range is more than the vast majority of Americans use daily. Being able to get that 40 mile range with plug in electricity means your "fuel" costs will be dramatically lower the majority of the time. Most other hybrids get 100% of their energy from gasoline. The hybrid system on those cars is purely about more efficient use of the gasoline.

I just don't get it with these types of cars. $24k+ for a Prius. $21k+ for the Insight. Same for the Volt. Last December, I paid $9800 for a nearly new 2008 Honda Fit w/9000 miles on it. No hybrid motors, no fancy electronic wizardry to pay umpteen dollars to fix when it breaks. Around town in suburban driving, we get 37mpg with it. Steady state cruising, we get 40-42mpg.

+1. I made a spreadsheet and did the math, I looked at TCO, then bought a Fit.

My 2011 Fiesta gets 40+ mpg consistently. Even with my "spirited" driving. i will be taking a 1000 mile trip soon with mostly interstate driving. It will be interesting to see how that works out.

The Volt is new because you can drive it practically every day without using gas. If you do, it's only as a supplement. My commute, for instance, is like 20 miles. My effective gas mileage would be nearly infinite. Try that with a Prius or Insight. I did the math once on the electricity cost to charge it, it was incredibly cheap, cents per night. Easily under a dime if I remember correctly. The part you're all getting hung up on is after that 40 some odd miles, then it's just a regular economy car dragging around a bunch of heavy electronics which do help with regen braking, but not much else. Many of the first ride reports say the fuel economy is in the 30-35 mpg range when the battery is finished. That's not that bad. Sure, it's not a Fiesta or Prius, but that's after you've gotten 40 free miles. Have a 100 mile commute? The Prius may be better choice. Under 40? The Volt will be cheaper per mile.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/will-people-pay-40000-for-a-volt/10790/page1/

It's been discussed here. Funny how so many GRMS people insisted it just couldn't be the way it is.

tuna55 wrote: The Volt is new because you can drive it practically every day without using gas.

My wife's 2004 TSX has about 35,000 miles on it, and only that much because we drive it pretty exclusively on weekends to even the mileage out with my car. If she used a Volt the way she normally uses her car, and we drove mine on the weekends, we'd have to gas up the Volt about twice a year.

Motor trend said: Here's why I'm so geeked on the Chevy Volt and why you should be, too. In normal, everyday driving we got 127 miles per gallon (fine, 126.7 mpg). Which is pretty amazing. Broken down, over the course of 299 miles on Los Angeles highways, byways and freeways, the Volt burned 2.36 gallons of gasoline (fine, 2.359 gallons -- we rounded up). Most other cars use up a tank of gas going 299 miles. The Volt, to reiterate, used 2.36 gallons over 299 miles. That's freaking amazing!

Also, see this article, the gas generator can basically direct drive into the electric powertrain above 70mph. I don't see what the problem is.

Also check out this article http://www.motortrend.com/features/auto_news/2010/1010_127_mpg_chevy_volt_diaries/real_world_experience.html

I think a lot some people are a little too eager to throw stones at the Volt.

Even if there is a mechanical connection between the gas-powered engine and the driven wheel, as I understand it the electric motor is always the primary propulsion method, even when supplemented by the gas motor in some driving situations. The electric drive system does not ever disengage, so it is a full-time electric vehicle in my eyes.

There are lots of cars that will get better mileage today in certain circumstances, but in the targeted application the Volt was designed for, it's seems like a pretty slick machine. Too much money and the wrong application for me, but I really would like to see the Volt do well. Al Gore and the Hollywood Prius gang will love them.

I'll admit I may be a pit partial to the Volt because I love the idea of an American company at the leading edge of a technological breakthrough. On the other hand, I think a lot of people are anti-Volt for political / personal reasons and looking for things to hate.

They make very little financial sense, but that is the case for the vast majority of "Cause driven" purchases.

The lease price for the Volt is $350 a month, which is well within the means of the majority of new car shoppers and makes the $40K purchase price a bit irrelevant. Besides, with technology advancing as fast as it does, turning in a leased Volt for the next cycle model is a smarter option than buying.

And by the way, good luck getting your hands on a Prius optioned under $30K.

Klayfish wrote: I just don't get it with these types of cars. $24k+ for a Prius. $21k+ for the Insight. Same for the Volt. Last December, I paid $9800 for a nearly new 2008 Honda Fit w/9000 miles on it. No hybrid motors, no fancy electronic wizardry to pay umpteen dollars to fix when it breaks. Around town in suburban driving, we get 37mpg with it. Steady state cruising, we get 40-42mpg.

How about spending $2k over 3 years ago for a 2000 Accent 5-spd that regularly gets 38mpg.... some tanks over 40. Car has since paid for itself in fuel saved with the wife driving 75 miles per day.

All i know is that if the Volt works like GM claims it does then you better stock up on some of this.

Gas turns to varnish rather quick these days...

sigh

The Volt is an electric car with an onboard generator. This way you don't need to have two cars, one for driving to work and one for longer trips.

JohnGalt wrote: All i know is that if the Volt works like GM claims it does then you better stock up on some of this. Gas turns to varnish rather quick these days...

The fuel system, IIRC, is sealed (no evap system), and they run the engine a minimum number of hours per given distance.

I'm going to cite an example of a used penalty box car that is even cheaper and gets even better mileage!

"You might already know that electricity always turns the Volt’s wheels."

"The surprising news is that, after you deplete the 16-kW-hr battery and the engine switches on, a clutch connects the engine and generator to the planetary transmission so the engine can help turn the wheels directly above 70 mph."

That is what I never heard from Chevy, and now that it is explained, it makes perfect sense. The people on the radio made it out to be some big conspiracy. That's what I get for unplugging the iPod and listening to talk radio!

That did seem a bit weird to me that they'd put in a way to direct couple the motor to the wheels after saying they wouldn't. Now that I've had some time to think about it, I'm wondering if maybe somebody looked at the design and thought, "Hmmm, if we added a clutch there, we could run the motor to the wheels and pick up another 5% more efficiency at this point." Because if the motor is running in its peak efficiency range, letting it drive the wheels would be more efficient by taking out intermediate steps.

Knurled wrote: *sigh* The Volt is an electric car with an onboard generator. This way you don't need to have two cars, one for driving to work and one for longer trips.

Not entirely true, that was the point. A generator indicates nothing more than an electrical connection to the batteries...but that is not the case. I think the 3-mode system Chevy is using is really innovative, why would they not just tell the public that?

Another question. The average autocross is like 60 seconds. When will Chevy offer the option of a removable battery pack that instantly takes 1000 pounds out of the car, and leaves enough storage juice for 4 peak-torque runs? Volt SS with the track pack.

Bobzilla wrote: How about spending $2k over 3 years ago for a 2000 Accent 5-spd that regularly gets 38mpg.... some tanks over 40. Car has since paid for itself in fuel saved with the wife driving 75 miles per day.

That makes the Volt a poor fit for your family. It doesn't mean that nobody else should get one, or that it's a bad product. If your daily commute were 38 miles instead of 75, a Volt might be a better option.