This has got to be one of the strangest things I've seen this week: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/11/automobiles/owners-who-are-happy-when-the-engine-doesnt-start.html?src=rechp Some Volt owners apparently do everything possible NOT to have the gasoline engine turn on, despite having purchased the Volt because its gasoline engine affords the vehicle extra range. The prospect of having the gasoline motor turn on seems to irritate these owners: Talk about unintended consequences... I think these people may be future Tesla customers.
Seems to me this is a case of people that got sucked in by GM's "The Volt is an EV" marketing and didn't realize the Volt is just a plug-in hybrid.
Why is it bizarre? Tell me, which do you find more pleasant, driving with an electric motor, or driving with a ICE generator running? Many people don't have the money for a Tesla and/or have driving patterns where a Volt works better for them. They are eager not to use gas unless they absolutely have to. I applaud that.
2+ years ago I bought my leaf rather than an "more useful" plug-in prius. My commute is likely short enough even the PiP would have supported an all EV commute. But, rather than get frustrated at the engine turning on, I went pure EV.
Not really. It is exactly what GM described and serves its purpose well. Other than the Model S, all current EVs have too little range to be a primary or only car. The Volt is the perfect gateway car. For a $28k car it is quite nice and is EV most of the time (ours has been EV only for 28k of its 32k miles, so far) It does becomes a bit of a game to try to maximize the EV range, and it is disappointing when the gas turns on when you are one mile from home after running some extra errands. But it is nowhere near as stressful as a typical pure EV range anxiety. Also, I think many Volt owners will buy a Tesla in the future. I did and I know others have as well. One of my coworker could not justify a Model S, so he bought a Volt specifically as a temporary car until the Gen III is available.
I found it odd because people bought the car with a gasoline generator in order to avoid a specific type of anxiety, but the presence of the gas generator ended up creating anxiety for some drivers. I don't think most people would have foreseen this. I certainly didn't.
I think the Volt is a great way to introduce people to EV driving. Once they really experience the benefits they will become EV evangelists. Think of it as an EV with training wheels.
People don't buy an ICE because they enjoy the sound (well, most don't and if they do they are buying a mustang or corvette, not a Volt). They buy it because it does what they need it to do. Quietness of the drive is desirable in almost any ICE purchase. That is why so called luxury ICE cars do their best to make the car as quiet as possible. Volt buyers are no different. Silence is better than an ICE running. In addition, Volt drivers already value not running on gas, otherwise they wouldn't be considering a Volt. It seems a natural extension of the purchase process.
It's not bizarre, or even uncommon. I've been hearing about "gas anxiety" from Volt owners ever since they first appeared.
I have known about this from Volt-driving friends and think it's fantastic. People are worried about range, buy something like the Volt ... and then quickly learn they don't really need an ICE range-extender. Good for them! I think of Volts as training wheels for those who can't get past their feelings of range anxiety. Next purchase for them will be a BEV, because they've learned they didn't need the Volt. (And really, when you think about it, we're all competitive. Prius owners try to push their mpg. We push our range on a charge. We all try to do 'one better'. Is there any one of us who wouldn't be trying to see how many days/weeks/miles we could go in a Volt without stopping for gas? )
I drive a Volt and there is really no other option right now. Even a Model S doesn't have quite enough range for my business driving needs -- at least, not until one particular planned Supercharger gets installed later this year. I too don't like driving on the gas engine. It's actually okay on the highway where it makes very little noticeable noise. The real problem is around town, where it is very annoying, revving up and odd times with it's annoying cheap 4-cylinder sound. Also annoying in the winter when it turns on due to "low" temperature, which is especially annoying on short trips.
Not if you wanted reasonable acceleration or to drive at highway speeds. To do those things, the gas engine engages as it would in the normal Prius. The PiP really is more of a regular hybrid with a plug. The Volt is a much better vehicle in that respect. Not all plug-in hybrids are created equal.
I just picked up a Volt for the exact reasons listed in this thread. I really want a Tesla, but it is far far out of my budget. I will continue to stare, learn, and enjoy every moment I get when I see or sit in the Tesla. But the Volt gets me what I need for now. I can drive EV for most of my driving. I can show my wife that an EV is an option for our family. And getting the Volt was possible because of a fantastic lease rate. We very rarely use the backup generator, and even then a Teslas greater range would never be a problem. It's awesome to drive everywhere we need to go and use no gas! When this lease is up I am dreaming of a new Tesla. I hope the smaller car is out by then and I can then go full EV.
Did my best to drive my Volt on electric only yesterday even charging between the 3 hour time slot between the wedding and reception we attended. Went 65 miles yesterday and burned 0.23 gallons of gas. Not bad. Probably burnt more than that in my lawn mower over the weekend. Looking forward to those "long" EV driving days in my Model X. Still ... I've learned to drive the Volt whenever I want including trips where I'll burn gas. Bought the car to drive it!!
That driver is such a dumbass, why buy the car if you don't want to use it to its fullest whether it is gas, ev or both. I have a one year old 2013 Volt and yes, I try to squeeze every ev mile out of it but if my travel is longer than ev range, the gas engine will run, period. I am not limiting my driving based on ev miles only. Ian B
I can understand playing the game of getting every last EV mile out of it but if stressing over gas maintenance mode is an issue once a year that should be enough to show this person their next car can be a 100 mile EV easy. If they can make it a year with never driving over 35 miles or plugging in during the day to double the Volt's EV range then a limited range EV would easily work.
I don't really see anything wrong with what these Volt drivers are doing. Honestly, even though I have a P85, after the first few weeks of ownership (and outside of test drives for friends), I find myself trying to reduce my energy usage as I drive as one of my main goals. I know how fast my car will accelerate, but trying to reduce my average energy usage is still very entertaining...
I fully understand gas anxiety. The plug in Prius got me hooked on the need for a full BEV. The battery on the Prius is big enough for my short commute to and from work but when the ICE would kick in with plenty of charge in the battery it would drive me crazy. Cold morning - ICE turns on. Turn on the heat or AC - ICE turns on. Push down on the go pedal too hard - ICE turns on. And once it comes on, it would stay on I guess until the ICE was at some happy temperature. My wife is driving it now until the Model E ( or whatever we're calling it) comes out.