Chevy Volt Review

MMDad

Lem Putt
From Consumer Reports:

Consumer Reports: GM's Volt 'doesn't really make a lot of sense' | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Isn't this car supposed to be the solution to all of our problems? So, who has $48,000 to buy a car that will take you less than 30 miles in cold weather?

The idea of seat warmers being the only heat is stupid. When it's 15 degrees outside my ass would be blistering before my fingers could defrost. Speaking of defrost, I wonder if it has the ability to defrost the windows? If so, will you only be able to go 10 miles?
 

Gilligan

#*! boat!
PREMO Member
Speaking of defrost, I wonder if it has the ability to defrost the windows? If so, will you only be able to go 10 miles?

Only when its plugged in.


I'm kidding..(I think,,)


What slays me is the large Federal gummint cash subsidy that is being sent out to install charging stations in something like nine states. Where are they going to install them?..hotels?? It takes something like 8 hours to recharge the Leaf..and I cannot imagine the Volt could be any better by much.
 

Chasey_Lane

Salt Life
This sounds like a somewhat good idea for car swaps around big cities. Hertz and Enterprise could offer them for city-goers who would like to run some chores for an hour or two, and don't necessarily want to take public transportation.
 

bcp

In My Opinion
best bet would be to make the batteries quick and easy to change out.
Fueling stations could have a few sets of charged batteries ready to go.
Pull in, swap batteries and go on your way, the station then puts your dead batteries back on charge to trade off 8 hours later.
 
From Consumer Reports:

Consumer Reports: GM's Volt 'doesn't really make a lot of sense' | detnews.com | The Detroit News

Isn't this car supposed to be the solution to all of our problems? So, who has $48,000 to buy a car that will take you less than 30 miles in cold weather?

It will take you far more than 30 miles on a full tank, even in cold weather - that just refers to how far you can go on a battery charge alone. I believe it's supposed to have a max range of near 400 miles, though it probably wouldn't in very cold conditions. There shouldn't be much doubt though that the car is designed, and would make the most sense, for people who primarily use their car for short commutes, e.g. people that live in or around cities and don't have to travel far to get to work. Don't get me wrong though, you'll not likely find me buying one.

The idea of seat warmers being the only heat is stupid. When it's 15 degrees outside my ass would be blistering before my fingers could defrost. Speaking of defrost, I wonder if it has the ability to defrost the windows? If so, will you only be able to go 10 miles?

Where from are you getting that the seat warmers are the only heat? It has a forced air heater system, though based on the way it works, I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't work very well when the gas engine isn't running. And, yes, it has window defrost capability. :lol:
 

MMDad

Lem Putt
Where from are you getting that the seat warmers are the only heat? It has a forced air heater system, though based on the way it works, I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't work very well when the gas engine isn't running. And, yes, it has window defrost capability. :lol:

From the article:

"You have seat heaters, which keep your body warm, but your feet get cold and your hands get cold," Champion said.

Consumer Reports paid $48,700 for their Volt. That's luxury car money, not freeze your fingers and toes money. For $48,700 it better give you a :gossip: and not expect you to call it in the morning.

I know that the gas engine extends the range, but the whole selling point for this thing is not having to use the gas engine. It makes me wonder how long a Prius would go if you could use it on battery alone.

It's nothing but a high priced status symbol for those who want to look like they are "green" without actually being inconvenienced. It's odd to me that the nanny state types who pretend to care about the poor and middle class are so in favor of this little toy for the rich. They're even taking money from working people to help the rich pay for their little toys. Pathetic.
 

MMDad

Lem Putt
This sounds like a somewhat good idea for car swaps around big cities. Hertz and Enterprise could offer them for city-goers who would like to run some chores for an hour or two, and don't necessarily want to take public transportation.

At $48,700, Hertz would have to charge big bucks to ever get a return on their investment.

Would you rent one for $100 to run around town for a couple of hours?
 
From the article:

"You have seat heaters, which keep your body warm, but your feet get cold and your hands get cold," Champion said.

In saying that, I don't think they mean to imply that the seat heaters are the only heating in the car (I just checked, and heated seats are an option, not standard, btw). If they do, they're wrong. But, it seems they're just saying that the heating system doesn't work all that well or quickly - or, I suspect, all that well when the engine isn't running (which would be the case for short commutes or in the beginning of long commutes).

Anyway, after reading what you said here and in the other thread, I wanted to make it clear that it does have a forced air heating system.

Consumer Reports paid $48,700 for their Volt. That's luxury car money, not freeze your fingers and toes money. For $48,700 it better give you a :gossip: and not expect you to call it in the morning.

I know that the gas engine extends the range, but the whole selling point for this thing is not having to use the gas engine. It makes me wonder how long a Prius would go if you could use it on battery alone.

It's nothing but a high priced status symbol for those who want to look like they are "green" without actually being inconvenienced. It's odd to me that the nanny state types who pretend to care about the poor and middle class are so in favor of this little toy for the rich. They're even taking money from working people to help the rich pay for their little toys. Pathetic.

I've heard comments from a number of people that made it sound like they didn't realize the Volt was a hybrid (albeit a serial one) rather than an all electric, and sometimes it's turned out that that was the case - they didn't realize it had a gas engine/generator and thought that you'd have to stop and charge it every 30 or 40 miles. So, I was trying to make it clear that the Volt is a hybrid, though the configuration is quite different than, e.g. the Prius.

As I indicated, the idea of the car is that most of the people that drive them will usually only be driving short distances, but they'll have normal, gas-fed, range if and when they need or want to take a longer trip.

But, again, I'm not a fan of the Volt myself, so I'm not going to argue with you on the general point of whether or not it makes sense for most people.
 
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