GM says Chevrolet Volt will knock Prius off no.1 spot

You can get over 500 miles on a single tank in a Suburban as well. It doesn't matter to me if I get 500 miles to a tank or 200 miles to the tank, I don't drive more than 500 miles at a time more than once every few years so why is it such a big deal to so many people?

Perhaps they are just looking for something to bitch about since Toyota's pet isn't going to be #1 for long.

— 91z4me (View Profile)

Posted on 8/20/2008 4:42:03 PM | | Votes: 4   

91z4me,

Sure the Suburban may get 500 miles a tank, but for the amount of money used to fill up a Suburban.. you can fill up the Prius 3-4 times. So that would mean that you can drive the Prius over 1500 miles on the Suburban gas bill.

— Lemonade (View Profile)

Posted on 8/20/2008 8:09:08 PM | | Votes: 2   

damikco,

I understand that logic of 18-20 miles each way, but understand that the masses that buy Hybrids commute farther than just 40 miles round trip. What about road trips? Why would I spend $30K on a commuter, granted that I live 18 miles from work? It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

— Lemonade (View Profile)

Posted on 8/20/2008 8:20:41 PM | | Votes: 2   

Lemonade,
I am well aware of the tank size on a Suburban (some in excess of 60 gallons). I was just pointing out the idiocracy of saying the Volt will be inferior to the Prius just because it gets less miles per gallon.

— 91z4me (View Profile)

Posted on 8/20/2008 10:58:26 PM | | Votes: 1   

damanikco,

That would be a perfect everyday life scenario in a perfect world. It doesn't make sense to spend $31,000+ on a car I'm only going to be driving 40 miles only to stop somewhere to recharge it. You bring up a valid point on the cost, but did it every occur to you that the Volt would require charging which requires the use of electricity which also cost money? WOW! here's a better way of looking at it.. I save money on gas driving a Volt, but I add to my electric bill... WOW, I'll be saving a ton of money. I bring up the cost of electricity because they also use crude oil to produce it.

Let's face it, the Volt is a HUGE step in the right directon but the Prius makes the most economical sense between the two. If I'm traveling to Los Angeles from San Francisco, I'm not going to be stopping every 36 miles (saving 4 miles to be safe) to recharge my car. Here's a couple of questions.. If your intent is not to use a drop of gasoline.. Are you going to stop at every gas station every 40 miles to recharge your car? Are you going to map out every family memeber you have between your start and destination point to make sure you have places to recharge your car? And if I do decide to let the car recharge itself (on the small gasoline engine) all the way down there, then the weak 360 mile range wouldn't make sense.

This is a complete marketing ploy to hype up their up and coming Company-Savior. The Malibu couldn't save them, as goes with this car because everybody (not just GM and Toyota) is working on a plug-in Hybrid.

— Lemonade (View Profile)

Posted on 8/21/2008 3:36:31 PM | | Votes: 4   

Lemonade
You obviously don't know how the volt works. You wouldn't have to stop every forty miles to recharge. When the electrical energy gets low in the battery, the ICE turns on and recharges the battery. Because the ICE in a Volt is tuned to be a generator, it will be at it's maximum fuel efficiency at all times which means no matter how you drive it, the gas mileage doesn't change, you always get the best. The Prius can't and won't ever be able to do this even when the car has a plug in ability because the ICE is actually connected to the drive train and there are no plans to change that.
As for the electricity bill, the price of electricity is much lower than the price of gas. It'll cost a quarter as much to recharge the battery compared to gas.

— komododave (View Profile)

Posted on 8/23/2008 7:04:44 PM | | Votes: 1   

komodoSIDEBUSTERdave,

I'm pretty positive you went ahead and replied to my post without even realizing that I was referring to damikco's logic in his post. It doesn't matter if it's ICE, Rice, Mice, Dice, etc.. 360 mile range is WEAK!

— Lemonade (View Profile)

Posted on 8/25/2008 11:44:17 PM | | Votes: 1   

And monkeys fly out of my butt.....next on Geraldo!

— 800over (View Profile)

Posted on 8/21/2008 4:17:59 PM | | Votes: 4   

pchera01,

There is NO gasoline car produced by GM that gets better MPG than the Prius, not even any of they Hybrids.

Nice dream though..

— Lemonade (View Profile)

Posted on 8/21/2008 8:21:49 PM | | Votes: 3   

Name one please.

— truckmen (View Profile)

Posted on 8/23/2008 2:40:33 AM | | Votes: 2   

I think people are just not accepting the fact that Chevy might have something here. They have certainly made way more misses then hits the past 30 years - but something beside the Vette had to work out eventually. It is the law of averages.

With Chevy onlookers- it is easier to say - it isn't going to work then to swallow the pill and say - you know this might work.

My biggest concern is the quality - not the fuel. The first to hit the streets are going to have to be rock solid to ensure success.

— CRS2112 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/20/2008 5:01:51 PM | | Votes: 4   

Wow Whelan, it is nice to see a smart individual on a site full of American haters, who by the way, are obviously uneducated. Well to everyone who loves to hate, get over it, American cars are coming back in a big way...accept it and appreciate it....

— american_made (View Profile)

Posted on 8/21/2008 12:35:44 AM | | Votes: 2   

I guarantee the Volt will be more fun to drive. With the 100% torque on demand of the dedicated-at-all-times electric motors, this thing will smoke the prius. Not that thats hard to do in the first place. A car with great acceleration plus graeat gas mileage will be awesome.

— komododave (View Profile)

Posted on 8/23/2008 7:09:11 PM | | Votes: 1   

My commute is well under 40 miles. I would love to never fuel up!!! Assuming I don't have to drive 15 mph to achieve that, I would definitely be in the market!

— bigmotov (View Profile)

Posted on 8/20/2008 5:10:14 PM | | Votes: 2   

Who said the tank was going to be 10 gallons? What if the tank was 7 or 8 gallons? Would you be impressed then?

Perhaps instead of bashing based on nothing you should wait to see what the car actually has!

— 91z4me (View Profile)

Posted on 8/20/2008 6:59:26 PM | | Votes: 1   

The article needs an adjustment please... Nice bullet points on what we know...hehe

"The original fuel-tank capacity of the Volt has been shrunk to less than 12 gallons, cutting down the original target range of 600 miles to 360 miles."

"Less than 12 gallons" is pretty misleading but I guess it is factually correct. I believe the actual number is around 6 or 7 gallons for the new design. That might explain the range dropping from 600 to 360.

— Wax1 (View Profile)

Posted on 8/20/2008 7:16:19 PM | | Votes: 1   

Volt w/ be the #1 technology and mileage. Prius might sell more but heck the Civic sells more than it does, does that mean the Civic is above the Prius?

— 91z4me (View Profile)

Posted on 8/20/2008 7:00:50 PM | | Votes: 2   

Are you suggesting the Zen is the way to go? Maybe if you are in the market for a golf cart, this Volt is head and shoulders above the Zen! I like to drive faster than 40mph! And further than the zen could ever take me.

— truckmen (View Profile)

Posted on 8/23/2008 2:52:35 AM | | Votes: 1   

They question the Volt because it's "Promises" have constantly been revised. GM has been teasing the public with mere glimpse of their concept electric car to try and salvage any public interest, almost like a marketing ploy. Toyota has their own electric car in the works though it hasn't been as highly publicized as the Volt, it's still coming. I mean, think about it.. GM isn't doing good at all and they have really been hurting (stocks) as of late. Toyota on the other hand isn't doing great either, but they're nowhere near as bad a shape as GM is.

I see quite a few post about people using different logic's like driving the Volt only 40 miles for the day to ensure that you don't use a drop of gasoline is ridiculous. I'm not going to plan my day around 40 miles or any amount of mileage for that matter. I'd rather drive the Proven Prius, than pin my hopes on what still remains a concept.

— Lemonade (View Profile)

Posted on 8/20/2008 8:03:01 PM | | Votes: 1   

Lemonade I have to question what you are saying GM hasn't change ANY promises of the Volt. They said it would get 40 miles on electric charge only. They said it will have an onboard ICE used to provide electricity to motor once the batteries reach a specified level. Once the decision to produce it was made the date of production in 2010 was set, and it hasn't been changed since. So tell me what has changed about what GM has said in respect to the Volt?

GM hasn't been teasing anything, it has been showing off a concept car (like every company does when one turns out to be a hit), and it is a hybrid NOT an electric vehicle. You can call it marketing but just like Toyota has done w/ the Lexus LA-F concept they are showing a concept that has garnered tremendous interest amongst the general public. Unlike Toyota GM has been sharing updates to the development of this highly anticipated car. Its great that Toyota has an electric car in the works but what does that have to do with GM's new hybrid technology?

GM or Toyota's success or failure doesn't really depend on concept cars or the buzz they generate. The overhead and sales are what determines stock prices and either profitability or the lack there of. In GMs case the mistakes of the past are hitting them like a ton of bricks.

I understand liking proven technology over something new but hey wasn't the Synerdrive system new at one point? Didn't it pan out? Isn't the same thing happening with GM's RWD and FWD 2mode hybrids?

— 91z4me (View Profile)

Posted on 8/20/2008 11:10:21 PM | | Votes: -1   

"Lemonade I have to question what you are saying GM hasn't change ANY promises of the Volt."

I'm sorry, but wasn't this car promised to get around 600 miles between fill ups?

"The Volt will be able to travel 40 miles on a full charge, and a small gasoline engine will recharge the batteries to keep it rolling on longer trips. GM says the vehicle will get the equivalent of 150 miles per gallon." (AP-Associated Press)

So, what's up with this 360 miles between fill ups?

— Lemonade (View Profile)

Posted on 8/21/2008 1:36:10 AM | | Votes: 3   

Are you kidding me?? Those 2 mode Hybrids are a complete joke. Didn't any of these Automakers learn from the failed Honda Accord Hybrid? Let's be real, the MPG is what really attracts people to Hybrids while the low emissions (Green) is just an added bonus. Although the Accord didn't use the 2 mode Hybrid, the increase in MPG wasn't drastic enough to lure in as many buyers to declare it a success. It's the same concept with these 2 mode Hybrids built in to these guzzlers. When will these people ever learn?

And just to emphasize on one of your earlier post about the Volt having the #1 technology and MPG.. What exactly are you implying? Do you think GM is the only one working on a plug in Hybrid?

I like how you mention how GM has been sharing updates about the Volt with the General public. Of course they are going to share information on this high-profile car because "the entire company's future could rest on it." (AP-Associated Press)

Toyota's future doesn't rely on any particular model.

— Lemonade (View Profile)

Posted on 8/21/2008 1:54:54 AM | | Votes: 3   

damanilikco,

You're joking, right? a mild hybrid vs a full hybrid? Why are you comparing the different sizes of the Full Size SUV and the Prius? Would it be fair if I were to bring up the fact that there are people out there that can get up to 80+ MPG (depending on driving habits) on their Prius, can't say the same about the 2 mode SUV's or cars.

— Lemonade (View Profile)

Posted on 8/21/2008 3:53:27 PM | | Votes: 2   

damanikkkco,

Once again I know you've been fooled again by GM's marketing ploy's about the 2 mode Hybrid SUV getting UP TO 50% better fuel economy. Why don't they just come out and say that it get's 30 mpg instead of "beating around the bush"? Because they know how much of a hit they would take due to all the disappointments they will face when the consumers realize that they have to drive like old ladies to achieve such gas mileage.

— Lemonade (View Profile)

Posted on 8/21/2008 3:59:59 PM | | Votes: 2   

Lemonade, You are over looking the good points far to much. I am not talking about the RWD two mode system found in the GMT900 cars I am talking about the two mode FWD system found in the Vue greenline. It yields supriseing performance AND economy for a 3.6 L V6. And the reason that GM promotes the 50% improvement in economy is that NO other hybrid system on the planet will increase economy 50%! If the Toyota Synerdrive were that efficient the Camry hybrid would reach over 60 mpg, which it certainly does not.

As for the hypermilers reaching obscene numbers, great for them. But what about people that drive in a normal fashion?

— 91z4me (View Profile)

Posted on 8/21/2008 4:48:42 PM | | Votes: 0   

91z4me,

Don't forget that GM's infamous 2 mode Hybrid was also co-produced by Chrysler and BMW.

AGAIN! GM says that it gets an improvement of "UP TO" 50%, so in order to get those results I'm sure Hypermiling will utilized in that case. You show me an article or anything that proves a GM vehicle with 50% improvement in MPG while driving under normal conditions. The highest I've seen in an article for the Tahoe is the 2 mode Hybrid returning 22.9 MPG which is about a 15% improvement from the gasoline model.

The Saturn Green Line models get about 32 MPG which is 1 mile better than the 4 Cyl Camry.

Bottom line is that the Prius still makes a lot more economical sense than (NOT YET) Volt.

— Lemonade (View Profile)

Posted on 8/21/2008 8:16:47 PM | | Votes: 2   

Not to mention GM's portion of the $25 billion they're asking the Governement for. I hope they sell quite a few of them at $30,000...or the Average american will be paying for the bailout.

— 800over (View Profile)

Posted on 8/23/2008 12:17:29 PM | | Votes: 1   

It's not two door. It's a four door hatch back. As for the batteries, I saw the same interview. The batteries are already proven technology in many of our everyday items, like cell phones. The difference is they are substantially bigger and they needed to design them to be larger, which they already did. Don't miss quote an interview that others may have watched.

— komododave (View Profile)

Posted on 8/23/2008 7:18:10 PM | | Votes: 1