Anyone know what the current wait time is to get a Volt?

[KeiJidosha]

Check this out. Volt available at dealerships - mostly with a markup over msrp.

http://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchresults.action?stkTyp=N&AmbMkNm=Chevrolet&AmbMdNm=Volt&AmbMkId=20053&AmbMdId=35025&cpo=&mkId=20053&mdId=35025&minp=0&prMx=&rd=100000&zc=91008&alMkId=20053&alMdId=35025&searchSource=TRAIL_HEAD

Check out the happy owners! Yikes!!

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail.jsp?tab=specs&tabToOpen=consumerreviews&paId=&listingId=56789991&recnum=&actLog=&tracktype=newcc

"You have to plug this car in!?!? The said it was an electric car. No, its a hybrid. No, its a plug-in hybrid. A regular 6 cylinder is able to get better mileage than this. So much for a "green" company car."

etc, etc... This goes to customer education and buyer qualification.

 

[Train]

Anyone can go on that forum, Edmunds, whatever and say they're unhappy with a car. Whether or not they actually own the car, that's a different story. This is the internet. There is no way of verifying any of these posts and issues to be actually true. Many will write these to disparage and discredit other cars and car companies. It's done all the time with all kinds of products.

Not saying that there are not unhappy owners. Just saying that a salt shaker needs to be at the table when reading some of these.

 

[DaveEV]

My Volt arrived at my dealers today and I pick it up tomorrow.

Congrats - let us know how you like it!

 

[Boomer23]

Anyone can go on that forum, Edmunds, whatever and say they're unhappy with a car. Whether or not they actually own the car, that's a different story. This is the internet. There is no way of verifying any of these posts and issues to be actually true. Many will write these to disparage and discredit other cars and car companies. It's done all the time with all kinds of products.

Not saying that there are not unhappy owners. Just saying that a salt shaker needs to be at the table when reading some of these.

I agree with you that we have no idea whether these comments are just from "haters" on the internet or whether they come from real Volt owners. But reading the comments, aside from the first one, which is obviously just a general hater, the rest sound too detailed and complete for me to dismiss them. I'm voting that the rest are real.

I do think that the people who take the effort to write these comments are the ones who are really dissatisfied or the ones who are really ecstatic. You usually don't get the folks who are pretty happy or mildly unhappy. Note also that one of the comments is glowing.

 

[LBCev]

Not that I'm getting cold feet about the LEAF, but there are several Southern CA dealerships showing a Volt available with no waiting and - apparently - little to no mark-up. With comparable lease terms, I wonder how many would consider riding with a gas generator? My regular commute is about 35mi/day so I'm sure that I could pull all electric driving the majority of the time. Of course I would have to change my tag to LBCphev . Pondering...

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/searc...se&systime=&sownerid=562662&rdm=1295889151309

 

[Jimmydreams]

Several dealerships have Volts sitting on their lot? That tells me that GM missed the mark (and that it's overpriced, but maybe that's just me) and the public is taking a pass.

In the end, the Volt is an overpriced hybrid. If they were flying off the lots, I'd be saying that it's a hybrid that people want. Volts sitting around says something completely different...... :?

 

[GeorgeParrott]

OK, we have now had our Volt for about 10 days and have recorded just over 420 miles on the odometer. I have used it for most of my play commuting (going to campus to check my mail and meet a student or two, since I am NOT teaching this semester at all), and for other personal errands around town. In that 420 total miles, the display reports that I have used a total of ...0.43 gallons of fuel and the rest of the mileage was ALL ELECTRIC powered. I am getting consistently 37-41 miles on a charge, and that has been plenty for all but 2 of my various daily totals. I should also mention that our Coulomb chargepoint was installed TOTALLY FREE as Sacramento is one of the Volt-related DOT sponsored metro areas.

We will be taking a longer trip next week from Sacramento to Daly City (just south of San Francisco proper), and the Volt will be able to make that journey easily with its transition from EV to ICE supplemental power.

We got our Volt for MSRP from Fairfield Chevrolet (salesman Danny Austin was very responsive and helpful), and so far I am MOST impressed. There are things that should be changed (no range sensitive unlocking; tacky door trim; no hatch window wiper to note the obvious), but it is an engineering masterpiece in terms of smoothness of the drivetrain.

And I am still waiting for my Glacier Pearl LEAF SL with the quick charge port and floor mats, but my Aug. 31 order for that still shows "February 2011", so maybe, just maybe THAT will be soon nestled in the home garage with the Volt.

 

[evnow]

Several dealerships have Volts sitting on their lot? That tells me that GM missed the mark (and that it's overpriced, but maybe that's just me) and the public is taking a pass.

This is something I don't understand. If you read gm-volt - they act as if 2011 is completely sold out. Yet we constantly see news of volts waiting for customers in some CA dealers.

I think the main reason is the way the ordering was done. If it was centralized, like in Nissan, Volts would have found the owners easily and the otherway round. Now people have to call various dealers and figure out where the volts are. There are some users who are on the waitlist at some dealers - while Volts wait for customers at others.

BTW, the Volt salesman from Singh Chevrolet posts at gm-volt. He was earlier posting that he has along wait list - surprised he has a Volt now waiting in the showroom.

ps : This is what Lyle says ...

A GM spokesperson was unable to tell reporters how many orders for the Volt GM currently has. Though the number ix presumed to be very high, the company has been careful to keep that information confidential.

 

[DaveEV]

In that 420 total miles, the display reports that I have used a total of ...0.43 gallons of fuel and the rest of the mileage was ALL ELECTRIC powered. I am getting consistently 37-41 miles on a charge, and that has been plenty for all but 2 of my various daily totals.

Sounds like if you were driving the LEAF you'd have gotten away without burning any fuel at all.

I should also mention that our Coulomb chargepoint was installed TOTALLY FREE as Sacramento is one of the Volt-related DOT sponsored metro areas.

Nice. I'm getting a (nearly free) EVSE as well - my estimate exceeded what the EV Project by about $50.

We will be taking a longer trip next week from Sacramento to Daly City (just south of San Francisco proper), and the Volt will be able to make that journey easily with its transition from EV to ICE supplemental power.

Just over 100 miles which is out of the LEAFs range unless you can drive below 55 mph. Let us know how much gas you burn on that trip and if you're able to charge up before your return trip.

And I am still waiting for my Glacier Pearl LEAF SL with the quick charge port and floor mats, but my Aug. 31 order for that still shows "February 2011", so maybe, just maybe THAT will be soon nestled in the home garage with the Volt.

Shouldn't be long now!

 

[DaveEV]

This is something I don't understand. If you read gm-volt - they act as if 2011 is completely sold out. Yet we constantly see news of volts waiting for customers in some CA dealers.

If you search cars.com - it says that there are 95 Volts in dealer lots spread across the country with the cheapest one being $40,020. I suspect that's a teaser price as most have their starting price at just over $41k.

But still - $41k - $7.5k = $33.5 - or the starting price of the LEAF. For $7500 you can get a nice used 4 cyl which will return 30 mpg+ for those long trips. Or rent a Prius and do better than the Volt.

For example, on a 200 mile trip, the Volt lets say that the battery gets you 35 miles after which you get 40 mpg, so you've burned 12 kWh and 4.1 gallons of fuel. On the same trip the Prius at 45 mpg will burn 4.4 gallons or less than 10% more, in essence a wash.

If the Volt were in the mid $20s after credits/rebates I'd consider one for the 2nd car - but with a Prius in the garage it's very difficult to justify unless I regularly took very long trips.

Now, a Prius with even 12 miles of plug-in range would be great - the additional cost and weight would be nominal and most of the time it would significantly reduce our gas consumption, except for those long trips so we wouldn't need to rent a different car.

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

It's a slippery slope..

I could get a Volt, since my commute is within its EV range.

But then I might as well get a cheaper Plug-in Prius next year, which has a proven design and much better MPG on the fuel.

But the plug-in range is so short as to not matter, so I might as well just get a regular Prius.

But if I do the math, then I'm really not saving any money over my current car.

And then I've come full circle.

 

[Jimmydreams]

I should also mention that our Coulomb chargepoint was installed TOTALLY FREE as Sacramento is one of the Volt-related DOT sponsored metro areas.

I believe you've mentioned this about a dozen times already. But....uh....at $10,000 higher sticker price than the Leaf, don't kid yourself; your Coulomb chargepoint was not free. You just didn't pay for it separately.

We will be taking a longer trip next week from Sacramento to Daly City (just south of San Francisco proper), and the Volt will be able to make that journey easily with its transition from EV to ICE supplemental power.

Wait a sec...so your Volt differs from a hybrid how, exactly?

We got our Volt for MSRP from Fairfield Chevrolet (salesman Danny Austin was very responsive and helpful), and so far I am MOST impressed.

Congrats. I got my Leaf for $1,000 UNDER MSRP, and so far, I am MOST impressed.

but it is an engineering masterpiece in terms of smoothness of the drivetrain.

So is the Leaf. And I can expect MUCH less maintenance on my drivetrain since it's nowhere near as complicated. But, one is an EV and one is a hybrid, so I guess the comparison is invalid....

[/sarcasm off]

 

[evnow]

Not that I'm getting cold feet about the LEAF, but there are several Southern CA dealerships showing a Volt available with no waiting and - apparently - little to no mark-up. With comparable lease terms, I wonder how many would consider riding with a gas generator? My regular commute is about 35mi/day so I'm sure that I could pull all electric driving the majority of the time. Of course I would have to change my tag to LBCphev . Pondering...

autotrader-volt

Has anyone called any of the dealers to check ? I wonder wherther this is like the mistakenly listed Leafs ...

 

[palmermd]

Has anyone called any of the dealers to check ? I wonder wherther this is like the mistakenly listed Leafs ...

I have, and the ones near me, some are dealer demo cars that are not really for sale right now, they are keeping them on the lot so there is a test drive car available, but there are also some available that are not sold and not demo units.

I test drove a couple of weeks ago. Very nice car. It had a bit more noise than I was expecting, but I think that is because of the hatchback design and the fact that there is no divider from the trunk portion of the hatchback to the passenger section. There is a gap between the back seats and there was no cargo cover installed on the one I drove. I understand that there is some sort of divider available, and I bet it helps with the noise quite a bit. The other surprising thing was the lack of power passing on the freeway. Going from 55-75 to pass another car was very sluggish. However going from 35-55 was quite fast, much more like I was expecting of the car. Overall I really liked the car. Fit and finish is quite good for a Chevrolet. Ride and handling was good with the exception of passing power which was ok, just not what I was expecting from an EV. Noise was not bad either, but hatch design allowed for a bit more noise than I would expect from a $45k car. And there lies the rub, I just can't get myself to pay $45k for a hybrid car that is not that great. I can almost buy a LEAF and a used Prius for the cost of this car. If the price was a bit lower, or the car had gobs of power and a super silent ride, I could justify a higher price, but as it sits there seems to be no benefit to justify the higher price.

 

[hobbyguy]

Is the Volt selling less than expected or are they making lots of them
http://gm-volt.com/2011/01/27/gm-announces-nationwide-chevy-volt-rollout-plan/

 

[EVDRIVER]

Somehow I think if there were the same number of LEAFS there would be none sitting idle and still a wait list.

 

[evnow]

Is the Volt selling less than expected or are they making lots of them
http://gm-volt.com/2011/01/27/gm-announces-nationwide-chevy-volt-rollout-plan/

This has always been their plan - to distribute nationwide this year. BTW, looks like they will be expanding to other states only with MY2012 as well.

 

[garrytman]

I just searched on cars.com within 100 miles of me (central CT) there are 30 Volts listed for sale at dealerships. $41K (base cloth interior) to 45K (leather and options) You can have one anytime you want to pony up the dough.

 

[GeorgeParrott]

@jimmydreams,

I actually have my Volt, and I agree it is a hybrid, which I don't think is negative at all. Different functions and tradeoffs with one technology vs. another. I further agree that the Volt was/is horribly overpriced to BUY, but the lease terms make it quite close to the cost of the LEAF.

And I AM getting a LEAF too. I am eager and enthusiastic about that version of drivetrain engineering; and as of yesterday I finally have at least an approximate ETA for my LEAF with "February 18, 2011" now showing on my dashboard and also reported to me by my North Bay Nissan dealership.

What is interesting to me is the vitriol that is shown by some on this forum towards anything other than a "pure EV." For many people, at least for the next 3-10 years, there will simply NOT be big enough batteries, frequent enough public chargepoints, and low enough entry costs for "pure EV designs" to meet their total transport needs.

For our dual career, no kids, family driving, I compute that around 15,000 total miles per year would be chopped up in segments small enough that BOTH the Volt and the LEAF would always be in their total EV range. HOWEVER, based on our past patterns, we need about a 12-24 times a year where we are driving at least 125 miles in one unbroken flow, so even the wonderful LEAF cannot manage that without breaking for at least a "quick charge" and that delays such a trip inconveniently. In addition, we typically have done a few "road trips" where we might be driving around 300 miles to some regional destination, which once again is beyond LEAF convenient range. Sure, perhaps a optioned battery Tesla S could even get to that distance, but such a package has an unknown price, but it would be at least $70,000 before credits and rebates. Further the charging time for such a huge battery pack would be quite extended under any technology that I have yet seen reported.

So, "pure EV technology" can and does meet around 75% of our total annual miles and in terms of "days of use," such EV format actually meets around 94%, but NOT 100% of our transport needs. I don't hold the Volt any kind of "final answer," but it is, for many of us, a most significant step toward a greener future, and with the GM supported lease program, it is actually quite reasonable as a complement to the LEAF purity. The big negative on the Volt, in my shopping experience, was finding a Chevy dealer who was not trying to gouge on price markup.

And I got MY LEAF for $1700 under MSRP!

 

[AndyH]

George,

You make valid points. Yes - the Volt is a hybrid. Yes, some will be able to use the range the Volt provides more often than others. Yes - the Leaf's 100 mile max range will not provide 100% of everyone's transportation needs.

Now for some 'buts'. There's nothing wrong with current battery tech and current tech absolutely can be used to provide more than 200 or 300 miles of pure EV range...at a price. And yes - a more diverse EVSE/charger deployment would help those that desire longer distance travel in EVs.

But...(gack...another but...) It's important to keep in mind that the Leaf is not designed for long-distance travel. It won't tow a boat or snomobile or ATV. It's not the best choice for a lawn service and their equipment transport needs. And Wal-Mart won't be using the Leaf anytime soon to haul Chinese electronics from one warehouse to another.

So - while you enjoy your Volt and wait for your Leaf, please don't try to lump all the pure-EV opinions or feelings into one group. - Some have already enjoyed pure EV 'quality time' and have vowed never to go back. You'll not be able to promote the Volt those of us in this group.
- Some have not yet experienced pure-EV life, but have decided to cross over from the dark side (go easy - tongue in cheek here!). Those of us already over the fence will not be tempted back with your Volt love.
- Some are on the fence and could go with either a hybrid, a PHEV, or an EV. I'll suggest those that are here are interested in the Leaf, which represents the EV part of their research. They'll also spend time on Prius sites and Volt sites for those parts of their research. So - you're not likely to find much 'Volt love' here even from those folks as they're not here to talk about the Volt.

As to what I consider to be the root of anti-Volt sentiment - and this is only guaranteed to apply to me - GM shot themselves in the foot when they recalled and crushed the EV1. They shot themselves in the foot with dealers when they cancelled dealer agreements when they were heading for bankruptcy. They shot themselves in the foot when they got financial support from the German government to save their Opel subsidiary and then backed out of the deal. They shot themselves in the foot when they trade-marked "range anxiety." They shot themselves in the foot when they swore up and down that the Volt was an electric car that just happened to have a generator to charge the battery when necessary. Then there's the small factors of a 4-seat hybrid that gets significantly worse fuel economy than the Prius and its 5-seat capability. And that price thing.

I guess if nothing else, positively identify your target before throwing that rock. And if it keeps welts off one of the MyNissanLeafers in one of the 'subgroups' I've listed above, feel free to target me. :lol:

Andy

I'm an EV...and I'm not going back.