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> It's supposed to be easy to power with gasoline. Right - that's why the car may not get a lot of respect, and why I personally also don't care for the car n

by cryptoz 10y ago

> It's supposed to be easy to power with gasoline. Right - that's why the car may not get a lot of respect, and why I personally also don't care for the car no matter how good the engineering. We should be innovating for full-on electric cars. We should be ditching all cars that run on ICE equipment or support the ICE industry. Commit fully to electric cars.

ams6110 10y ago
Fully electric cars are not (yet) realistic for many people. Most people at least occasionally drive beyond the range of even a Tesla and don't want to stop for a lengthy recharge (lengthy compared to refueling with gasoline, especially if they aren't near a supercharger). A plug-in hybrid is a more realistic option for more people. Edit: not to mention far more affordable.
femto113 10y ago
This is like saying eating less meat is worthless because the only valid choice is to go vegan. The Volt has comparably practical electric-only range to popular "full-on" electric cars like the Leaf (~50 miles, so plenty for daily commuting). That is has much greater overall range with the ability to refuel in 5 minutes at any of the over 100,000 gas stations in the US also means that it can be practical today for millions of households for which pure-electrics won't be practical for many years to come.
hx87 10y ago
But it is better than a pure gasoline car, yes? For many people a full electric car neither practical nor affordable, whereas a hybrid is both. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.
- dragontamer 10y ago
  I'd argue yes, the Volt is better at its price range. But even the Volt's $25k+ new price (after credits) is above-and-beyond what is practical and affordable to the typical American. "Practical and Affordable" is used vehicles, and maybe the $15k Honda Fit / Ford Focus / Toyota Corolla / similar cars. EVs aren't anywhere close to competing against the daily-driver for the typical American. They need another $10,000 off or so. For now, electric vehicles have to mask the costs and add a bunch of luxury features (that don't really cost much money) to kinda-fake a better experience. When we see a barebones electric model under $16k, I'll know they finally made it.
nucleardog 10y ago
Build me a battery that functions well in cold temperatures and build out a fast charger network everywhere. These cars see about a 1/3 reduction in range in the cold, and there simply aren't any supercharger stations around here. In the winter, a Model S wouldn't be able to make it to the next nearest major city from a full charge. The Volt is a useful intermediary step between gasoline and full electric for markets where full electric vehicles simply aren't practical yet.

by cryptoz 10y ago

ams6110 10y ago

Fully electric cars are not (yet) realistic for many people. Most people at least occasionally drive beyond the range of even a Tesla and don't want to stop for a lengthy recharge (lengthy compared to refueling with gasoline, especially if they aren't near a supercharger). A plug-in hybrid is a more realistic option for more people. Edit: not to mention far more affordable.

femto113 10y ago

This is like saying eating less meat is worthless because the only valid choice is to go vegan. The Volt has comparably practical electric-only range to popular "full-on" electric cars like the Leaf (~50 miles, so plenty for daily commuting). That is has much greater overall range with the ability to refuel in 5 minutes at any of the over 100,000 gas stations in the US also means that it can be practical today for millions of households for which pure-electrics won't be practical for many years to come.

hx87 10y ago

But it is better than a pure gasoline car, yes? For many people a full electric car neither practical nor affordable, whereas a hybrid is both. Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

dragontamer 10y ago
I'd argue yes, the Volt is better at its price range. But even the Volt's $25k+ new price (after credits) is above-and-beyond what is practical and affordable to the typical American. "Practical and Affordable" is used vehicles, and maybe the $15k Honda Fit / Ford Focus / Toyota Corolla / similar cars. EVs aren't anywhere close to competing against the daily-driver for the typical American. They need another $10,000 off or so. For now, electric vehicles have to mask the costs and add a bunch of luxury features (that don't really cost much money) to kinda-fake a better experience. When we see a barebones electric model under $16k, I'll know they finally made it.

nucleardog 10y ago

Build me a battery that functions well in cold temperatures and build out a fast charger network everywhere. These cars see about a 1/3 reduction in range in the cold, and there simply aren't any supercharger stations around here. In the winter, a Model S wouldn't be able to make it to the next nearest major city from a full charge. The Volt is a useful intermediary step between gasoline and full electric for markets where full electric vehicles simply aren't practical yet.