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This article makes me even more dismayed at the fact that the Chevy Volt never really took off. I really believe it would be the perfect car for most people: 1

This article makes me even more dismayed at the fact that the Chevy Volt never really took off. I really believe it would be the perfect car for most people: 1. As the article points out, most people drive less than 40 miles a day, and the Volt provided 40-50 miles of electric range. 2. Since the battery is relatively small for an EV, no expensive home charging system is needed - just plug it into a normal 120V outlet and it fully charged overnight. 3. Since it automatically switches to gas power when the battery discharges, there are basically none of the downsides of EVs. No range/charger anxiety, for occasional long trips I just use gas, and it's actually able to utilize a lot more of the battery because it doesn't need a "buffer" (i.e. for a fully electric car most folks are very wary to bring it below 20 miles of range or so). With my Volt a tank of gas would last me about 6 months unless I went on a road trip. I wonder if, as pure EV sales slow down, that people and car manufacturers will start to see the benefits of plugin hybrids. I think if a plugin hybrid had better styling (as opposed to the Prius-derivative styling of most of them) that they would do a lot better.

zeroping 3y ago
I agree, but noting one downside to the Volt and other plug-in hybrids: the complexity. There's a lot that can go wrong when a car is in any kind of collision. EV have 'scary' high voltage cables that many repair shops don't want to deal with, but they make up for it with simplicity. Plug-in hybrids have almost all the complexity of both, combined. My Volt ate some road debris, and it punctured an oil intercooler and two of the three glycol water loops, partly because the radiators sit quite low in a very full engine bay. I suspect many EVs would have been simpler to repair. The complexity also just makes the product harder for potential customers to understand. Now, I still like the car, and it has paid for the price premium in saved gasoline. Plug-in hybrids are a great middle ground between ICE and EV. I just wish the concept had sold better.
- ctchocula 3y ago
  +1 I've also been bitten by this. The low production volume of the Volt meant that the 1st generation Volts suffered from a poorly designed regulator on all windows, so the power window stops working. Those need to get replaced 5-8 years in. The battery coolant sensor is also poorly designed and if you ever get the dreaded SHVCS message, will prevent the Volt battery from charging. The dealer then rips you off asking for $2000 for what should be a 15min repair. /rant Aside from these small things, I've loved the Volt and the 40mi is perfect for the average commute. Wish GM invested more in Volts instead of Bolts, which are way less aesthetically pleasing.
arlcode 3y ago
A coworker of mine has been commuting ~3 days a week (35km one ways distance) in his EV that has about 230km usable range. Sure a shorter range would technically suffice but it's nice to not have to charge each day (since he can't do that at home and uses a public charge points near his gym). That comes down to roughly charging 1-2 times a week which is no hassle at all and doesn't require a secondary drive train with all it's complexity and maintenance cost. Hybrid sales are way down here in Germany (relative to EV and the whole market) and they won't come back I think.

zeroping 3y ago

I agree, but noting one downside to the Volt and other plug-in hybrids: the complexity. There's a lot that can go wrong when a car is in any kind of collision. EV have 'scary' high voltage cables that many repair shops don't want to deal with, but they make up for it with simplicity. Plug-in hybrids have almost all the complexity of both, combined. My Volt ate some road debris, and it punctured an oil intercooler and two of the three glycol water loops, partly because the radiators sit quite low in a very full engine bay. I suspect many EVs would have been simpler to repair. The complexity also just makes the product harder for potential customers to understand. Now, I still like the car, and it has paid for the price premium in saved gasoline. Plug-in hybrids are a great middle ground between ICE and EV. I just wish the concept had sold better.

ctchocula 3y ago
+1 I've also been bitten by this. The low production volume of the Volt meant that the 1st generation Volts suffered from a poorly designed regulator on all windows, so the power window stops working. Those need to get replaced 5-8 years in. The battery coolant sensor is also poorly designed and if you ever get the dreaded SHVCS message, will prevent the Volt battery from charging. The dealer then rips you off asking for $2000 for what should be a 15min repair. /rant Aside from these small things, I've loved the Volt and the 40mi is perfect for the average commute. Wish GM invested more in Volts instead of Bolts, which are way less aesthetically pleasing.

arlcode 3y ago

A coworker of mine has been commuting ~3 days a week (35km one ways distance) in his EV that has about 230km usable range. Sure a shorter range would technically suffice but it's nice to not have to charge each day (since he can't do that at home and uses a public charge points near his gym). That comes down to roughly charging 1-2 times a week which is no hassle at all and doesn't require a secondary drive train with all it's complexity and maintenance cost. Hybrid sales are way down here in Germany (relative to EV and the whole market) and they won't come back I think.