NYT SundayReview: "Is This (electric car) Our Future?

[Mycroft]

Op-Ed from last Sunday's NYT by Joe Nocera: Is This Our Future?

Very interesting piece from a "normal" ICE kind of guy who's had a bit of an epiphany with the Volt. Some quotes:

The Volt went on sale last December. But because Chevrolet has been so cautious in rolling it out — dealers in only seven states have gotten cars so far, with fewer than 2,500 sold — it can sometimes seem like the world’s most publicized invisible car.

I was actually in control of how much gas I consumed, and it was a powerful feeling. By the time I gave the car back to General Motors, I had driven 300 miles, without using another drop of gas beyond the original two gallons. I’m not what you’d call a Sierra Club kind of guy, but I have to tell you: I was kind of proud of myself.

Several years ago, I drove the Tesla, and though it was a wonderful experience, its high price and limited utility did not give me confidence that electric cars were ready for prime time. The Volt has made a believer out of me. At this moment of maximum uncertainty about how the future will play out, the Volt is comforting in its combination of new technology and old.

 

[Mycroft]

The only dealer in my area that has one, wants over $52,000 for a Volt! :scared: With sales tax, that brings it to about $58,000. And GM isn't making a profit? Wow!

 

[dpeilow]

The dealer is...

 

[Mycroft]

I linked to it, but they can be hard to see. LINKY

 

[Nik]

Very interesting piece from a "normal" ICE kind of guy who's had a bit of an epiphany with the Volt. Some quotes:

That's a well written article, much better than most newspaper columns linked to from TMC. His simplified description of the Volt's powertrain was closer to what happens in practice than GM's marketing department might have liked ;-)

The Volt, however, is engineered differently. As long as the battery has juice, the car acts like an electric vehicle. When the battery dies, the combustion engine takes over, and it becomes an old-fashioned gas-consuming car. Once you recharge the battery, electricity takes over again.

 

[dpeilow]

^ it wasn't a question :smile:

 

[ckessel]

As much as some folks get ruffled about the Volt being called an EV, I think this article highlights why fighting that battle isn't the right place to take a stand. As Volt owners start to realize how little they need gas, they'll start to ask themselves whether they should just go pure EV. If it takes the Volt as a stepping stone to get to that point, then it's serving a useful purpose.

 

[mpt]

@ckessel I'll call it whatever works as long as it gets a bum in the drivers seat!

 

[shark2k]

@ckessel I'll call it whatever works as long as it gets a bum in the drivers seat!

Haha, I was thinking of the wrong kind of bum :tongue:.

-Shark2k

 

[mpt]

I don't care; as long as they have the cash for a deposit

 

[Arnold Panz]

My concern with an article like this is that it equates Volts and Priuses (Priusi?) with BEVs. Much of the benefit I'm looking forward to with the Model S is no more gas stations (ever), no more oil changes, no more ICE parts to be maintained or replaced when they break down. Volt is evolutionary, and Tesla is more revolutionary. I'd also add that driving a Volt or a Prius isn't nearly as much fun as a Roadster is, or I expect the Model S will be. I buy the notion that the only way electrics will be truly successful is if they are more fun to drive than regular ICEs. My kids are as or more excited for the 17 inch touch screen as they are for the rest of the car, and it's a major selling point to friends I've gotten to put down deposits.

 

[Norbert]

It seems the author of the article is the perfect customer for the Volt. As long as GM marketing will let us continue to think in a straightforward manner, I don't mind if he buys one.

 

[JRod0802]

My concern with an article like this is that it equates Volts and Priuses (Priusi?)...

Toyota decrees the plural of 'Prius' is 'Prii,' your Latin teacher looks on admonishingly -- Engadget

 

[JRP3]

My concern with an article like this is that it equates Volts and Priuses (Priusi?) with BEVs. Much of the benefit I'm looking forward to with the Model S is no more gas stations (ever), no more oil changes, no more ICE parts to be maintained or replaced when they break down. Volt is evolutionary, and Tesla is more revolutionary.

Exactly. The Volt is simply not the same thing as an EV, so it should not be called one.

Eventually, we’ll have batteries that can get 300 miles per charge, and an infrastructure solution that will replace gas stations. Eventually. In the meantime, we’ve got the Volt. It’s a start.

Translation, we really want pure EV's, the Volt is not one. We already have batteries that can get 300 miles per charge and Tesla is building an EV that will do that. DBM may have an even better way to do it, neither one will have an ICE in it.

 

[dhrivnak]

I really think the Volt is a great stepping stone. I really wish I could drive my Roadster more places but I cannot as the infrastructure out East is terrible. If I want to go for a weekend drive with the wife on the Blue Ridge parkway, easily 300 miles, I can't because chargers are not available and I am not going to drive at 35 mph with no A/C to make that range. Drive to the beach, no way as that is 400 miles. I have to make a 450 mile trip to Missouri as I am appearing on an electric car show but it is way too complicated to figure out how to charge the car and a 3 day trip becomes a 5 day trip with charging. I am sorry but that is not what most people want from their car.
With the possiblity of bad weather, or the need for heat or A/C I am limited to about 100 miles.

PS our local Chevy dealer has had two Volts and sold them both quickly for sticker. I am proud there is no over charging.