3 ms·

Do you still have it? Asking because your post sort of reads like you don’t have it anymore and if that’s the case I’m curious why you got rid of it. I was str

Do you still have it? Asking because your post sort of reads like you don’t have it anymore and if that’s the case I’m curious why you got rid of it. I was strongly considering the Volt when it first came out but never pulled the trigger so always curious to hear how it worked out for the people that did.

hn_throwaway_99 5y ago
I still have it, still love it. Considering eventually upgrading to a used later model Volt (main diff being 50 mile electric range and CarPlay/Android Auto support).
- wlesieutre 5y ago
  See also MX-30, if anyone’s looking for a new electric with gas range extender. Rotary engine! https://www.thedrive.com/news/40168/2022-mazda-mx-30-ev-the-rotary-is-returning-to-america-kind-of https://www.thedrive.com/news/40168/2022-mazda-mx-30-ev-the-...
  - yaomtc 5y ago
    Yet another crossover.
    - wlesieutre 5y ago
      Yeah, not my favorite but I can't fault them for making what they think will sell. Mazda is pretty small potatoes in the car market, they have to choose their battles. VW skipping the ID.3 hatchback and only bringing the crossoverified ID.4 to the US on the other hand, is more disappointing. It's one thing to do that with a gas car where gas stations are all over and it takes two minutes to fill up. For an electric you're making a direct tradeoff of less battery range to turn the car into a fake SUV that is never going to leave the asphalt. Boooo.
  - throwawayboise 5y ago
    That sounds quite intriguing. Hadn't heard of it, thanks.
  - EricE 5y ago
    Nice - I missed that they actually moved from rumor to reality. The rotary is a perfect fit for a range extender!
  - SECProto 5y ago
    Or a prius prime, if you want something reliable. Wankel engines are pretty notorious for burning oil
    - fiddlerwoaroof 5y ago
      That’s not “unreliable”, that’s how the engine is designed.
    - EricE 5y ago
      That oil burning happens as the engine RPMs change. No engine RPM changing when coupled with a generator. Use as a range extender is perfect for a rotary where it's power to weight ratio smashes all other ICE designs. Far fewer moving parts too. The only things that really gave a hassle with rotary engines were the seals and this isn't the 80's any more either. I always wanted an RX-7 and had many friends who did. I'd rather change seals in a rotary than a timing belt!
      - wlesieutre 5y ago
        Even if it can't overcome the rotary's efficiency limits compared to piston engines, it's small and smooth and only used a small portion of the time for long trips. If a bigger/heavier engine could charge the battery more efficiently, but you only use it 1% of the time and the other 99% of daily commutes you're draining your battery to carry a bigger engine around, is it really more efficient? Hopefully someone at Mazda has run those numbers and they figured that for a range extender, this was the best solution.
      - SECProto 5y ago
        My only experience was a friend who owned an RX7 - incredibly fuel inefficient, burned a pint of oil every second tank, had to spend a few thousand on repairs when it had around 60k km on it. Has Mazda improved their design or manufacturing in the last 20 years? Probably. Would I trust it even if someone gifted it to me? Not a chance.

hn_throwaway_99 5y ago

I still have it, still love it. Considering eventually upgrading to a used later model Volt (main diff being 50 mile electric range and CarPlay/Android Auto support).

wlesieutre 5y ago
See also MX-30, if anyone’s looking for a new electric with gas range extender. Rotary engine! https://www.thedrive.com/news/40168/2022-mazda-mx-30-ev-the-rotary-is-returning-to-america-kind-of https://www.thedrive.com/news/40168/2022-mazda-mx-30-ev-the-...
- yaomtc 5y ago
  Yet another crossover.
  - wlesieutre 5y ago
    Yeah, not my favorite but I can't fault them for making what they think will sell. Mazda is pretty small potatoes in the car market, they have to choose their battles. VW skipping the ID.3 hatchback and only bringing the crossoverified ID.4 to the US on the other hand, is more disappointing. It's one thing to do that with a gas car where gas stations are all over and it takes two minutes to fill up. For an electric you're making a direct tradeoff of less battery range to turn the car into a fake SUV that is never going to leave the asphalt. Boooo.
- throwawayboise 5y ago
  That sounds quite intriguing. Hadn't heard of it, thanks.
- EricE 5y ago
  Nice - I missed that they actually moved from rumor to reality. The rotary is a perfect fit for a range extender!
- SECProto 5y ago
  Or a prius prime, if you want something reliable. Wankel engines are pretty notorious for burning oil
  - fiddlerwoaroof 5y ago
    That’s not “unreliable”, that’s how the engine is designed.
  - EricE 5y ago
    That oil burning happens as the engine RPMs change. No engine RPM changing when coupled with a generator. Use as a range extender is perfect for a rotary where it's power to weight ratio smashes all other ICE designs. Far fewer moving parts too. The only things that really gave a hassle with rotary engines were the seals and this isn't the 80's any more either. I always wanted an RX-7 and had many friends who did. I'd rather change seals in a rotary than a timing belt!
    - wlesieutre 5y ago
      Even if it can't overcome the rotary's efficiency limits compared to piston engines, it's small and smooth and only used a small portion of the time for long trips. If a bigger/heavier engine could charge the battery more efficiently, but you only use it 1% of the time and the other 99% of daily commutes you're draining your battery to carry a bigger engine around, is it really more efficient? Hopefully someone at Mazda has run those numbers and they figured that for a range extender, this was the best solution.
    - SECProto 5y ago
      My only experience was a friend who owned an RX7 - incredibly fuel inefficient, burned a pint of oil every second tank, had to spend a few thousand on repairs when it had around 60k km on it. Has Mazda improved their design or manufacturing in the last 20 years? Probably. Would I trust it even if someone gifted it to me? Not a chance.