I’m a bit dumbfounded recently. Forbes published an article entitled, “Car Wars: Why GM’s Volt slogs while Tesla’s Model S soars” by Alex Taylor III, who has written many automotive articles for Forbes. The title gives away the fact that this is another attack article. I thought the attacks had subsided, especially after Fox News interviewed one automotive pundit that called the Volt the “anti-terrorism car” in a piece entitled “Can the Chevy Volt help win the War on Terror?” Apparently the rumors of the end to right-wing slamming of the Volt were greatly exaggerated…
It is Mr. Taylor’s opinion that the Volt, “seems headed to the dustbin of automotive history.” He says this, as new Volt sales have been steadily declining since August of 2014 (although it had been growing since January of 2014 by large margins, selling over 1,000 units every month last year, except January. The only other plug-in vehicle to do that is the Nissan Leaf. Not even the vaunted Model S can lay claim to those sorts of U.S. sales figures. In fact, in total U.S. sales, the Volt ranked numero uno until the Leaf finally surpassed it in February of 2015, just three months ago. Of course, the newly redesigned Chevy Volt was shown to the public at the North American International Auto Show, in January, in Detroit.
I wonder if Mr. Taylor also believes the iPhone 5S is headed for the dustbin…
Why?? What do the Volt and the iPhone 5S have in common? A couple things actually: 1) a newer model was announced and sales of the current model decreased significantly and 2) Plug-in vehicle owners and iPhone owners are similar buyers, in that they like to be on the cutting edge of technology.
Being on the inside at a Chevy dealership, I see the customers coming in to ask about the 2016 Volt. I see the customers rave about this amazing plug-in vehicle. I have three Volts (two 2012’s and a 2014) in my driveway at home, and I daresay I have a better feel for the viability of the Volt than Mr Taylor. I pronounce the Volt healthy and the prospects of the 2016 are rosy indeed.
Consumer Reports unveiled their Top Ten in Customer Satisfaction report. Oddly, they had something in common with Mr. Taylor: They both mentioned the Tesla Model S and the Chevrolet Volt in their respective (if not necessarily respected) articles. There are only two plug-in vehicles on CR’s Top Ten List. Guess which two…
The other comment that bugged me about the Volt was, the Volt’s “‘innovative’ technology appears to be a dead end that has been imitated by exactly no one.” I’ve been scratching my head over this for some time. WHY hasn’t anyone else made a drive system like the Volt’s??? At this particular stage in EVs, why do only the Cadillac ELR and Chevy Volt allow the driver to run solely on electricity, until the battery pack is depleted, and then automatically switch to an internal combustion engine, fueled by gasoline, to keep going down the road. To Volt fans everywhere, THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT IS GREAT ABOUT THE VOLT! WE get to choose to run electrically, in a way only experienced by owners of 100% electric vehicles, without any “range anxiety” at all! What could be more perfect, at a time when the infrastructure and technologies needed for 100% EVs to flourish is still being implemented/discovered? The reason no one else has copied this drive system can be seen by evaluating their current plug-in hybrid vehicle design. They are depending on consumers not very well informed. It has long been my position that the vehicles that employ plug-in fueling but are not 100% electric are preying on consumers who do not understand this new vehicle type. Ford and Toyota have vehicles, that plug-in but do not run solely on electricity. Instead, they use the old hybrid method of switching back and forth between electricity and gasoline. This is a proven method of operation, but cheats the driver out of an amazing leap in efficiency. I have friends that drive Toyota Prius. They have told me that if they are diligent in monitoring their driving style, they can achieve 50 MPG! Whoop-de-effing-doo. In my Volt, driving in Sport Mode and with the transmission in “L,” I am regularly able to get the dollar equivalent of 102 MPG. Double the Prius’ performance! At the same time, I’m getting MUCH better acceleration and a better ride. The added benefit of only going to a gas station every three months, to get my nine gallons of gas, is just icing on the cake.
In summary, I propose two new requirements for writing articles about plug-in vehicles:
- The author should state their qualifications toward reviewing plug-in vehicles within the article (sorry, experience writing about non-plug-in vehicles does not count here).
- The author should have driven a Volt (as well as other plug-in vehicles) for at least a couple weeks.
- The author’s head should be fully removed from their rectum.
The wingnuts are against anything that is in the public interest, like cleaner air and water through the use of plug in cars.
I remember when Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh enjoyed ridiculing the Prius when it came out because the battery only extended the mpg by six miles. Of course their small minds prevented them from foreseeing how the technology would evolve.