I would think GM are hurt by the Dealership model as well - its much simpler for the salesperson to guide a prospect at the cheaper ICE car than explain all about a Volt, its range the extender etc. etc. Those people are not in the business of educating, they are in the business of closing as many deals as possible.
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GM Chevy Volt
- Thread starter vfx
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mknox
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't go that far, but in fairness, I am generally positive on GM (he says as he ducks and covers!) Compared to Toyota who have openly stated that they're dropping EVs altogether, GM are saints in this regard.
RobStark
Well-Known Member
Salespeople are in the business of making the most money per hour spent working. As are most of us.
It takes about 4x as much time to sell a Volt as it does a Cruze.
Instead of prices cuts maybe a commission that is 4.5x the Cruze would motivate salespeople to actually sell the Volt.
Citizen-T
Active Member
Classic innovators dilemma. Customers don't want the product so they are going to exit the market. The trick here is that the customer in GMs case is the dealership, not the consumer. And yeah, dealerships don't want the Volt. Someone at GM needs to pick up a copy of The Innovators Dilemma, this is just laughable.
They tried to do this the hard way and steer the company through the EV transition. But that takes a really strong leader that is laser focused. Bob Lutz left, and GMs leadership has been changing over every few years. They need to spin off a completely separate company to do this. There isn't really another option that we know of that works.
They tried to do this the hard way and steer the company through the EV transition. But that takes a really strong leader that is laser focused. Bob Lutz left, and GMs leadership has been changing over every few years. They need to spin off a completely separate company to do this. There isn't really another option that we know of that works.
gnelson
Member
You are exactly correct. Tesla would be in a dismal situation if sales depended upon dealerships.
A longer range EV is not going to be viable for other companies without a charging network like Superchargers. Although many people don't take extended road trips, they won't buy an EV that can't be used for that purpose.
Ah, but they did! Remember this company?
Which sold this EV?
Does anyone know whatever happened to them?
Citizen-T
Active Member
Most people don't want an ev, ev's are only 1 percent in Cali. Volt sells like the tesla, though you'd never know it from the bashing here.
I think a more accurate statement would be that most people don't want what they think the available EVs offer, at the cost that they think the available EVs have.
GM have lots of incentives on the Volt, but when they speak or advertise they seem to be anti-selling it. Hope it changes with Gen 2, but the initial signs aren't good; have to hope they're trying to avoid the negative PR risk of optimism.
You're correct that US sales of the Volt are roughly similar to Model S: Monthly Plug-In Sales Scorecard
But the average sales price of the Volt is so much closer to the new-car average than the Model S, so it's affordable to a much larger percentage of the car-buying population. The Volt works great for single-car persons/families -- if we didn't have my wife's ICE, we'd be driving a Volt instead of the Focus Electric.
I have to think that its sales numbers could be much higher if there was a better sales channel. As it is, I've heard several horror stories of people interested in Volt or LEAF visiting dealerships, and salespeople either being ignorant of the vehicle's details and specs, and/or spreading FUD on electric cars and pushing the other ICE vehicles on the lot.
Everything you quoted wasn't bashing the Volt. Please provide some evidence. Most people here think the Volt is a fine car and a great stepping stone but not to surprise you most here are fans of battery EVs.
If I hadn't bought the Model S a Volt would have been a strong contender as I'd drive on EV mode 98% of the time.
GM have trademarked the name "Chevrolet Bolt".
Details about the future model are not available at this point but it must have something to do with the next generation Volt taking into account the obvious moniker similarities.
General Motors trademarks 'Chevrolet Bolt' nameplate
Details about the future model are not available at this point but it must have something to do with the next generation Volt taking into account the obvious moniker similarities.
General Motors trademarks 'Chevrolet Bolt' nameplate
Unless the latest model has finally managed to make this a reality, the GM was unable to make this initially promised architecture a reality. The Volts have had a planetary gearset in the drive line that clutches the ICE in under specific circumstances.
The Volt is a hybrid.
Skotty
2014 S P85 | 2023 F-150L
The Volt can run in serial or parallel hybrid mode. It is capable of both and uses both to maximize efficiency.
It is also a hybrid. But that's an oversimplification. I don't give a hoot about hybrids, but I traded in a muscle car I loved for a Volt. Why? Because it is also an EREV. What is an EREV? It's an attempt to come up with a term to explain how it goes significantly beyond a typical hybrid, but isn't a straight EV either. You could also call it a plug-in hybrid, but compared to other plug-ins, that really doesn't do it justice either. It really deserves it's own category. It's the closest I can get to an EV in my personal situation, where even a Tesla won't work just yet (still a year or two more before a Tesla would be viable for me).
That said, I can't wait until Tesla gets the Supercharger network finished, and coming out with the Gen 3 would be awesome as well. I look forward to trading up my Volt for a Tesla some day. I want the full EV experience, but it just isn't quite viable yet. Until then, the Volt is as close as it gets.
It is also a hybrid. But that's an oversimplification. I don't give a hoot about hybrids, but I traded in a muscle car I loved for a Volt. Why? Because it is also an EREV. What is an EREV? It's an attempt to come up with a term to explain how it goes significantly beyond a typical hybrid, but isn't a straight EV either. You could also call it a plug-in hybrid, but compared to other plug-ins, that really doesn't do it justice either. It really deserves it's own category. It's the closest I can get to an EV in my personal situation, where even a Tesla won't work just yet (still a year or two more before a Tesla would be viable for me).
That said, I can't wait until Tesla gets the Supercharger network finished, and coming out with the Gen 3 would be awesome as well. I look forward to trading up my Volt for a Tesla some day. I want the full EV experience, but it just isn't quite viable yet. Until then, the Volt is as close as it gets.
It's actually a Series Hybrid by definition. The BMW i3 REx is also a Series Hybrid by definition. You take the gasoline engine out of the vehicles and they become pure BEVs. It's very simple, actually. No need for bunched panties, here
Agree. It's basically semantics. The Volt is an EV.....until it needs gas to provide electricity and then it becomes an gas powered EV. Is it still an EV? Sure, if that makes you feel better then that's fine. It's still a good car and the fact that people brag about driving thousands of miles without using gas on a 35 mile EV range just goes to show that 250+ miles of EV range would work for even more people.
It cannot run in parallel mode. That would require a direct mechanical link between the ICE and the wheels, which the Voltec drivetrain can't do.
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40-50 is more realistic. I get ~35 driving like a jackass
It cannot run in parallel mode. That would require a direct mechanical link between the ICE and the wheels, which the Voltec drivetrain can't do.
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40-50 is more realistic. I get ~35 driving like a jackass
Its day after day staying under 40
mknox
Well-Known Member
It actually can, but to be fair, only under very specific circumstances. Something like at speeds over 70 MPH and the battery pack depleted.
True, here's a 3-part video on how the powertrain works:
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=an-VyIau-FM
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=343-NQKOvLg
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWSK8BR6LT8
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