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GM indicates that they think the EV transition is happening sooner than people and has no plans for another PHEV, just a large slate of EVs between 2023-2030. T

GM indicates that they think the EV transition is happening sooner than people and has no plans for another PHEV, just a large slate of EVs between 2023-2030. The Volt is mentioned as a transition option no longer necessary, according to current GM plans. Relatedly, all of the German automakers currently expect to be entirely EV by 2030. (Asian automakers are interestingly split by how much they rely on US car sales versus Chinese car sales. Those selling to China are on a very fast ramp to all EV production and those with much more reliance on US sales are still hedging their bets.) There's an interesting feeling in the air that it could be a surprisingly fast switch in the next few years. I've loved my Volt and it was a great purchase in 2011, but in 2020 it does feel like a transition tech that I wouldn't buy again (especially as commute changes and electric reliability have moved me more and more to the "gas up once a year only because the Volt makes me" group), I'd personally go for a proper EV next time. It will be interesting to watch the next few years because I think things are about to go "weird" quickly (in rapid shifts in gas prices and availability).

cmrdporcupine 6y ago
Until there's charging stations deep in the woods a few hundred km from any town, I won't be able to own a pure EV as my only car, and I'll be holding on to my Volt. I can't see that happening in the next decade. And I'm by far not the only one with those kind of use cases. I think a pure EV meets the needs of most consumers. But I think it's incredibly short sited to drop something like the Volt from the product line, especially in places like here in Canada. Especially since it was superior to anything similar that has come out. I also don't trust GM to actually be pushing the EV transition. It feels to me like stalling.
- WorldMaker 6y ago
  I don't think GM is leading, that's why I mentioned the German automakers. GM, at least, isn't falling behind like Ford seems to want to. There are RV hookups somewhere in most random woods a few hundred km from any town in the US. Many of them are already 220V ("dryer plugs", good for a "Level 2" charge) and all you would need is a plug adapter to charge from any one of them. Everyone thinking of chargers like gas pumps is underestimating how many "chargers" currently exist in the wild. The auto industry hasn't helped matters by over-engineering ("for safety!") their plugs so much, making it seem a lot less like a plug is just a plug is just a plug (just like the early 1900s used to make and everyone has on almost all their walls). I think when a changeover occurs, there's going to be a huge re-evaluation of the parts of the electric grid we've already built. I don't know if that means that RV plugs everywhere will need to be "upgraded" to credit card reading "proper chargers" or if we'll see a growing industry of "dumb plug adapters" from the dumb fancy EV "charger" plugs to more classic situations like dryer plugs. There's already a lot more plugs in the world than gas stations. (Also the Volt has a very tiny battery compared to what is being released today. The equation is very different when you factor in current EV ranges rather than trying to extrapolate from your current Volt's range.)
compsciphd 6y ago
I drove the volt cross country. I wouldn't have been able to do that with a pure electric (at least without a heck of a lot of planning and limited ability to be spontaneous). I enjoyed driving it up and down and across (covered around 6000 miles over a month)

cmrdporcupine 6y ago

Until there's charging stations deep in the woods a few hundred km from any town, I won't be able to own a pure EV as my only car, and I'll be holding on to my Volt. I can't see that happening in the next decade. And I'm by far not the only one with those kind of use cases. I think a pure EV meets the needs of most consumers. But I think it's incredibly short sited to drop something like the Volt from the product line, especially in places like here in Canada. Especially since it was superior to anything similar that has come out. I also don't trust GM to actually be pushing the EV transition. It feels to me like stalling.

WorldMaker 6y ago
I don't think GM is leading, that's why I mentioned the German automakers. GM, at least, isn't falling behind like Ford seems to want to. There are RV hookups somewhere in most random woods a few hundred km from any town in the US. Many of them are already 220V ("dryer plugs", good for a "Level 2" charge) and all you would need is a plug adapter to charge from any one of them. Everyone thinking of chargers like gas pumps is underestimating how many "chargers" currently exist in the wild. The auto industry hasn't helped matters by over-engineering ("for safety!") their plugs so much, making it seem a lot less like a plug is just a plug is just a plug (just like the early 1900s used to make and everyone has on almost all their walls). I think when a changeover occurs, there's going to be a huge re-evaluation of the parts of the electric grid we've already built. I don't know if that means that RV plugs everywhere will need to be "upgraded" to credit card reading "proper chargers" or if we'll see a growing industry of "dumb plug adapters" from the dumb fancy EV "charger" plugs to more classic situations like dryer plugs. There's already a lot more plugs in the world than gas stations. (Also the Volt has a very tiny battery compared to what is being released today. The equation is very different when you factor in current EV ranges rather than trying to extrapolate from your current Volt's range.)

compsciphd 6y ago

I drove the volt cross country. I wouldn't have been able to do that with a pure electric (at least without a heck of a lot of planning and limited ability to be spontaneous). I enjoyed driving it up and down and across (covered around 6000 miles over a month)