Gen 2 Chevrolet Volt PHEV (2016+) MSRP $33,995

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silverone said:
Volt has to have gas in the tank for normal operation. Goes into "reduced power mode" when out of gas, limiting the EV output to half, approximately 55kW.

Many thanks for the thorough answer to my questions - it is much appreciated!

Would you say the Volt is still reasonably driveable when in this reduced power mode? I'm thinking it is not.

It strikes me as kind of odd that it limits EV power when there is no gas in a fully charged car, but maybe that is one of the ways it protects the battery from excessive degradation and keeps the engine happy.

My primary concern is in avoiding the case where someone has the car out, uses up all the gas and doesn't refill it. I would hate to trade "battery range anxiety" for "gas anxiety". One of the best parts about the Leaf is being able to refuel at home and not having to play the "who left the car empty?!!" game. :)

Also, having gone through the gas shortage's of 70's and the excessively high prices of a few years ago, I'm determined to not be at the mercy of the fuel pump.

The Volt otherwise seems like a good value and well thought out.
 
OakLeaf said:
Would you say the Volt is still reasonably driveable when in this reduced power mode? I'm thinking it is not.

It strikes me as kind of odd that it limits EV power when there is no gas in a fully charged car, but maybe that is one of the ways it protects the battery from excessive degradation and keeps the engine happy.

Volt is reasonably driveable in that reduced power mode at most speeds, but it is difficult to get to that mode under normal conditions. You need to think of the Volt as Electric first, then gas if needed. If you keep a minimum amount of gas in the tank (about 1.5 gallons), you can drive EV at full capability for as long as your charge holds out, and you probably make it back to a plug. If for some reason you go through the battery and subsequently run out of fuel, you will only be in reduced propulsion mode for a half mile or so until the car stops altogether since you'll be down below the lower threshold of SOC.

There are ways to inhibit ICE starts if needed, but they are only used by some of the more extreme drivers.

There are plenty of warnings on low fuel. There's really little to no warning on low SOC before the ICE starts.
 
silverone said:
If you keep a minimum amount of gas in the tank (about 1.5 gallons), you can drive EV at full capability for as long as your charge holds out, and you probably make it back to a plug. If for some reason you go through the battery and subsequently run out of fuel, you will only be in reduced propulsion mode for a half mile or so until the car stops altogether since you'll be down below the lower threshold of SOC.

Thanks for the additional details!

Myself, it's not too much trouble to keep an eye on the gas and fill it when necessary, but my better half has trouble with this concept sometimes... :roll: Just trying to get a feel for how much of an issue it is for the Volt to be run as an EV only if no gas were available.

The Volts EV range is actually about the same as our Leaf at this point, so we should remain mostly electrically powered.

Thanks again!!
 
Of course everyone is different, but I've only put gas in my car about a half dozen times in 40,000+ miles on my Gen 1 Volt. I've gone over 11,000 miles on a tank of gas once, and routinely get over 4,000 miles per tank, but it all depends on your use pattern.

If you're used to the range of your Leaf, I don't think you'll be going for gas more than a few times a year.
 
@EVNow, interested to hear your review,

Sp0fVrD.jpg
 
TomT said:
All I know is that it was a cool 48 degrees (about as cold as it typically gets here) and windy for our test drive, but the cabin stayed a nice warm 70 and the engine never started...

LeftieBiker said:
How well does the electric cabin heater perform in the Volt? I hate the idea of forced engine starts (the Prius PHEV is really bad in this way), but if the start temp can be set to 15F, that isn't quite so bad...
It's good to know that hybrid makers are getting away from using ICE heat for heating. It's one of the reasons that has pushed me away from owning a hybrid or PHEV.

Today it's mid May and it's snowing. Since a lot of my work I do is at night I run the heater most days. So since I run the heater pretty much each day for 9 months out of the year, if I decide to get a hybrid or PHEV I'd like one that doesn't run the engine to provide heat. That would kind of defeat the purpose.

On the Leaf I don't have to worry about burning gasoline to make heat.
 
IssacZachary said:
TomT said:
All I know is that it was a cool 48 degrees (about as cold as it typically gets here) and windy for our test drive, but the cabin stayed a nice warm 70 and the engine never started...

LeftieBiker said:
How well does the electric cabin heater perform in the Volt? I hate the idea of forced engine starts (the Prius PHEV is really bad in this way), but if the start temp can be set to 15F, that isn't quite so bad...
It's good to know that hybrid makers are getting away from using ICE heat for heating. It's one of the reasons that has pushed me away from owning a hybrid or PHEV.

Today it's mid May and it's snowing. Since a lot of my work I do is at night I run the heater most days. So since I run the heater pretty much each day for 9 months out of the year, if I decide to get a hybrid or PHEV I'd like one that doesn't run the engine to provide heat. That would kind of defeat the purpose.

On the Leaf I don't have to worry about burning gasoline to make heat.
+1
It's also why I ended up getting a Leaf, never have to try and trick things to keep the engine from coming on!
I remember when I went to look at electric type cars it was winter and all the cars I drove would never run on battery, they all started the ICE for my whole trip! All I could think of was if I wanted a car that could run on battery I wanted it to run on battery, even if it meant not as much heat or even none. I remember researching various forums where members were tricking the cars into not running the ICE and thought I didn't want to purchase a new vehicle only to have to start tinkering with it day one :lol:
It sounds like the new Prius plug in(Prime) will be better in this respect and having a heatpump it will be much more efficient in warmer(20s and above) temps :)
Our old Prius has no heat without the ICE, when cool as soon as you turn on the climate control for heat, the engine starts :x this is not the case for cooling though.
 
jjeff said:
warmer(20s and above) temps :)

Leave it to a guy from MN to consider 20s "warmer" temps ;)

I also fall into this camp. Though not MN, Syracuse still gets cold in the winter. My friend's Volt will run the engine for about three months of the year, even when never going farther than 20 miles in a day. He gets ERDTT rage (Engine Running Due To Temperature). His car sits in a warm insulated garage, so the car starts out warm. Often he makes it 99% of the way to work only to have the measured temperature drop below 15F as he is pulling into the parking lot. The engine literally turns on right as he pulls into a parking spot and turns off the car. He gets so angry, and often vents to me. I just smile because my Leaf doesn't have that problem :D
 
Via IEVS, if we could only get it here earlier:
Report: GM Considers Ending Chevrolet Volt In Favor Of Plug-In Crossover
http://insideevs.com/report-gm-considers-ending-chevrolet-volt-in-favor-of-plug-in-crossover/

It is no secret that the passenger car segment is dying in the US. Now according to a new report, GM is considering removing six passenger cars from the US market after 2020, and one of them is the Chevrolet Volt. And while we would be sad to see one of the “original” plug-in offerings for this generation of electric vehicles leave the market place (first launched in December of 2010), it would not be anytime soon as the 2nd generation Volt only just arrived in the Fall of 2015.

GM originally considered offering a utility version of the 1st generation Volt, perhaps the 3rd generation Voltec platform will indeed see this change. The current Chevrolet Volt is said to stick around until at least 2022, and if it were to be discounted [Sic.], the Volt would be replaced with a new extended range, plug-in crossover model. . . .
OTOH, Ford's definitely got a PHEV Escape in the works, supposedly for the 2019 MY, and I'd personally prefer a smaller battery pack than the Volt's, to gain room and save weight/cost. 1/2 the current pack size would do nicely.
 
GRA said:
Via IEVS, if we could only get it here earlier:
Report: GM Considers Ending Chevrolet Volt In Favor Of Plug-In Crossover
http://insideevs.com/report-gm-considers-ending-chevrolet-volt-in-favor-of-plug-in-crossover/

It is no secret that the passenger car segment is dying in the US. Now according to a new report, GM is considering removing six passenger cars from the US market after 2020, and one of them is the Chevrolet Volt. And while we would be sad to see one of the “original” plug-in offerings for this generation of electric vehicles leave the market place (first launched in December of 2010), it would not be anytime soon as the 2nd generation Volt only just arrived in the Fall of 2015.

GM originally considered offering a utility version of the 1st generation Volt, perhaps the 3rd generation Voltec platform will indeed see this change. The current Chevrolet Volt is said to stick around until at least 2022, and if it were to be discounted [Sic.], the Volt would be replaced with a new extended range, plug-in crossover model. . . .
OTOH, Ford's definitely got a PHEV Escape in the works, supposedly for the 2019 MY, and I'd personally prefer a smaller battery pack than the Volt's, to gain room and save weight/cost. 1/2 the current pack size would do nicely.

Half the pack of a Volt in PHEV Escape? You'd be lucky to get 20 miles AER! Anything less then 40 -50 miles AER seems pointless to me in a PHEV. I had the first gen Volt and got around 38 miles AER, wasn't nearly enough when you factor in winter, heater use, strong headwinds and freeway speeds. I found myself constantly burning gas, which is what I was trying to avoid in the first place. Plus once you get spoiled by the silky smooth EV drive it's like nails on a chalkboard when that loud vibrating ICE kicks in! Now after driving a BEV for almost 2 years I could never go back to a PHEV unless it had an AER equal to or greater then a 30kwh Leaf. Most people don't consider the driving experience of pure EV over ICE, it's just so much more "refined". Now when I drive the girlfriends Malibu it's like driving a tractor!
 
rcm4453 said:
GRA said:
Via IEVS, if we could only get it here earlier:
Report: GM Considers Ending Chevrolet Volt In Favor Of Plug-In Crossover
http://insideevs.com/report-gm-considers-ending-chevrolet-volt-in-favor-of-plug-in-crossover/

It is no secret that the passenger car segment is dying in the US. Now according to a new report, GM is considering removing six passenger cars from the US market after 2020, and one of them is the Chevrolet Volt. And while we would be sad to see one of the “original” plug-in offerings for this generation of electric vehicles leave the market place (first launched in December of 2010), it would not be anytime soon as the 2nd generation Volt only just arrived in the Fall of 2015.

GM originally considered offering a utility version of the 1st generation Volt, perhaps the 3rd generation Voltec platform will indeed see this change. The current Chevrolet Volt is said to stick around until at least 2022, and if it were to be discounted [Sic.], the Volt would be replaced with a new extended range, plug-in crossover model. . . .
OTOH, Ford's definitely got a PHEV Escape in the works, supposedly for the 2019 MY, and I'd personally prefer a smaller battery pack than the Volt's, to gain room and save weight/cost. 1/2 the current pack size would do nicely.

Half the pack of a Volt in PHEV Escape? You'd be lucky to get 20 miles AER! Anything less then 40 -50 miles AER seems pointless to me in a PHEV. I had the first gen Volt and got around 38 miles AER, wasn't nearly enough when you factor in winter, heater use, strong headwinds and freeway speeds. I found myself constantly burning gas, which is what I was trying to avoid in the first place. Plus once you get spoiled by the silky smooth EV drive it's like nails on a chalkboard when that loud vibrating ICE kicks in! Now after driving a BEV for almost 2 years I could never go back to a PHEV unless it had an AER equal to or greater then a 30kwh Leaf. Most people don't consider the driving experience of pure EV over ICE, it's just so much more "refined". Now when I drive the girlfriends Malibu it's like driving a tractor!
I somewhat agree, but as Toyota says with the Prius Prime "22 miles will accommodate 51% of its customers' daily driving range" so if 51% is good enough, why try and exceed customers needs :roll:
I believe the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV has a 16+kwh battery which is supposed to give it a ~ 30 mile EV only range, the Prius Prime only has a 8.8kwh battery. I also like the longer range afforded by the Volt, just wish it were a larger vehicle, even if that meant compromising some range or preferably had a larger battery :)
 
Guess GM isn't really committed to electrification. Of course, anyone who remembers the EV1 debacle already knows that.

What they should be doing is developing Volt versions of their successful models, including the SUVs. The weak selling legacy ICEVs should be discontinued, not the other way around. So they think they will strengthen GM by discarding a product that directly aligns with the future of how automotive transportation will work? Guess they can bury their head in the sand. Yes, the shift has been slow, but it is still a clear long-term trend. Moving counter to that does not bode well for GM. Guess they will need another bail out or two in the next decade.

That is precisely why I didn't trust them enough to go with the Volt in 2013 and instead went with Leaf. Granted, a large part of the decision was my commute was easily covered by the Leaf and I didn't see the need to lug around an ICE and fuel tank, etc. But now that my commute is much longer, I've often thought about a Volt. But I was still suspicious of the company and their quality reputation.
 
jjeff said:
rcm4453 said:
GRA said:
Via IEVS, if we could only get it here earlier: http://insideevs.com/report-gm-considers-ending-chevrolet-volt-in-favor-of-plug-in-crossover/


OTOH, Ford's definitely got a PHEV Escape in the works, supposedly for the 2019 MY, and I'd personally prefer a smaller battery pack than the Volt's, to gain room and save weight/cost. 1/2 the current pack size would do nicely.

Half the pack of a Volt in PHEV Escape? You'd be lucky to get 20 miles AER! Anything less then 40 -50 miles AER seems pointless to me in a PHEV. I had the first gen Volt and got around 38 miles AER, wasn't nearly enough when you factor in winter, heater use, strong headwinds and freeway speeds. I found myself constantly burning gas, which is what I was trying to avoid in the first place. Plus once you get spoiled by the silky smooth EV drive it's like nails on a chalkboard when that loud vibrating ICE kicks in! Now after driving a BEV for almost 2 years I could never go back to a PHEV unless it had an AER equal to or greater then a 30kwh Leaf. Most people don't consider the driving experience of pure EV over ICE, it's just so much more "refined". Now when I drive the girlfriends Malibu it's like driving a tractor!
I somewhat agree, but as Toyota says with the Prius Prime "22 miles will accommodate 51% of its customers' daily driving range" so if 51% is good enough, why try and exceed customers needs :roll:
I believe the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV has a 16+kwh battery which is supposed to give it a ~ 30 mile EV only range, the Prius Prime only has a 8.8kwh battery. I also like the longer range afforded by the Volt, just wish it were a larger vehicle, even if that meant compromising some range or preferably had a larger battery :)


Here's the problem with only having 22 miles of AER, what are you getting when it's 10 below in January on the freeway going 70mph with the heat on? I don't know maybe I'm different but wouldn't someone's reason for buying a PHEV be to enjoy the EV drive and not be buying gas all the time? Otherwise why not just buy a hybrid or plain ICE if you don't really care about the EV drive aspect? All having the Volt did for me was make me crave more EV drive and less ICE drive, once you get a taste of pure EV driving you don't want the ICE EVER kicking in! With 22 miles AER the ICE will always be kicking in, making it pointless to buying the PHEV in the first place. If a PHEV has around 100 miles AER it makes more sense as 99% of your daily driving would be in pure EV mode with the ICE only needed for road trips.
 
rcm4453 said:
jjeff said:
rcm4453 said:
Half the pack of a Volt in PHEV Escape? You'd be lucky to get 20 miles AER! Anything less then 40 -50 miles AER seems pointless to me in a PHEV. I had the first gen Volt and got around 38 miles AER, wasn't nearly enough when you factor in winter, heater use, strong headwinds and freeway speeds. I found myself constantly burning gas, which is what I was trying to avoid in the first place. Plus once you get spoiled by the silky smooth EV drive it's like nails on a chalkboard when that loud vibrating ICE kicks in! Now after driving a BEV for almost 2 years I could never go back to a PHEV unless it had an AER equal to or greater then a 30kwh Leaf. Most people don't consider the driving experience of pure EV over ICE, it's just so much more "refined". Now when I drive the girlfriends Malibu it's like driving a tractor!
I somewhat agree, but as Toyota says with the Prius Prime "22 miles will accommodate 51% of its customers' daily driving range" so if 51% is good enough, why try and exceed customers needs :roll:
I believe the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV has a 16+kwh battery which is supposed to give it a ~ 30 mile EV only range, the Prius Prime only has a 8.8kwh battery. I also like the longer range afforded by the Volt, just wish it were a larger vehicle, even if that meant compromising some range or preferably had a larger battery :)
Here's the problem with only having 22 miles of AER, what are you getting when it's 10 below in January on the freeway going 70mph with the heat on? I don't know maybe I'm different but wouldn't someone's reason for buying a PHEV be to enjoy the EV drive and not be buying gas all the time? Otherwise why not just buy a hybrid or plain ICE if you don't really care about the EV drive aspect? All having the Volt did for me was make me crave more EV drive and less ICE drive, once you get a taste of pure EV driving you don't want the ICE EVER kicking in! With 22 miles AER the ICE will always be kicking in, making it pointless to buying the PHEV in the first place. If a PHEV has around 100 miles AER it makes more sense as 99% of your daily driving would be in pure EV mode with the ICE only needed for road trips.
Here's the way I see it. The biggest barrier to mass acceptance of PEVs is their price, so providing the smallest AER at the lowest cost and least hassle, which still covers at least half of the population and which is large enough that most people will plug them in, is what's needed to get PEVs to cross the chasm to mainstream consumers.

As GM noted some years back, a 20 mile AER covers the routine daily driving needs of 50% of U.S. drivers (35 miles covered 75%, and 40 miles 78%; Toyota's apparently claiming 22 miles AER covers 51%, so the numbers are in general agreement). So what's going to have the greatest impact - providing more AER to the 1% of the population who want to drive as much electrically as they can (and are willing and able to afford a car that allows them to do so), or getting as many people as possible into PEVs as early as possible? There will still be PHEVs with longer AERs for those who need it, but they will be too expensive (for now) for many people. The lowest cost PHEV is the one with the smallest battery that meets someone's routine range requirements, with a bit excess to allow for degradation. Right now, a Volt pack probably costs around $215/kWh ($145/kWh at cell level), so the 18.4 kWh pack should cost about $3,956, and you can knock 1/3rd - 1/2 off for the 1/2 size pack, depending on whether or not the BoP costs drop proportionately. As manufacturing costs typically make up about 50% of MSRP, the price reduction will be about double that.

As battery prices come down and energy densities improve, AER will increase for the same price/weight/space allowing those who need it to afford more, those who don't to afford the cars for the first time (e.g. the Prime), and/or people who are now used to plugging in can switch to BEVs if their needs are met by them.

A 20-30 mile AER PHEV has the following benefits compared to one with longer range (if it isn't needed):

  • Covers routine daily driving needs of 50% to maybe 65%? of U.S. drivers.

    Thousands cheaper than a PHEV with twice the AER, which will be particularly critical once the subsidies expire. Also, can be fully charged overnight using only L1, which saves buyers even more money through not needing to buy an L2 EVSE (say $500) and even more money and a lot of hassle if they need to upgrade their electrical system, even assuming any of that's an option for them (for most renters it isn't).

    A couple of hundred lbs. lighter, which should boost efficiency and/or performance in both EV and hybrid modes.

    Less space taken up by the battery, so more room for people/cargo.

The Ford Fusion and C-Max Energis, despite being half-assed implementations of 20-mile AER PHEVs, sell quite well - in fact, together they typically sell about the same and sometimes better than the Volt, both because they're cheaper and because they offer 5 seats. I have a friend who's on his second Fusion Energi, and he informs me his routine driving is all on the battery - clearly its AER is a good fit for him (as he's 6'4" a Volt is too small, even if he needed the extra AER). The A3 e-Tron also sells reasonably well, despite being considerably more expensive and rated with only a 17 mile AER (although it usually seems to manage 20 or a bit more IRL per owners), and the Golf GTE is a best seller where it's offered with its 31 mile AER (probably NEDC, so say low 20s EPA). As I've said before I expect the 25-mile AER Prius Prime will probably be the top seller among PHEVs (and maybe all PEVs, depending on how quickly the Model 3's production ramps up) this year in the U.S., because its base price is $6k less than the Volt's. There is no question the market for 20-30 mile AER PHEVs is there, but what's lacking is a reasonably affordable AWD CUV PHEV, which is where the biggest market is now. But we know that where such a car (the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV ) is for sale, it's the best selling PHEV, and often the best selling PEV overall, despite its modest performance.

The only way to settle the argument over which will sell in greater numbers would be to produce such a car while offering two different battery sizes/AERs. If GM were to offer a Voltec-based small AWD CUV with the choice of say 4 seats/50 mile AER/40 mpg Hwy for a base MSRP of say $35k, or an otherwise identical one with 5 seats/26 mile AER/42 mpg HWY for $31k, which do you think would have a bigger market? I'd love to see some company give people the option, but if a single company doesn't, different companies undoubtedly will provide such competition.
 
^^^ well said :)
If/when our current regular Prius('07) needs to be replaced(we generally like to get 10+ years out of our cars) we'll strongly think of the Prime.
Sure coming from a Leaf I'd prefer more EV range, but it's minimal EV range should meet my wife's daily commute, even in colder temps(~16 mile RT) and yet being a Prius it will still get great hwy MPG(I'd hope for 50 mpg).
Personally, if I could pay say $2-4k more for a larger battery, say like the Volt, we'd probably go for it, although not at the expense of much cargo room, still want the versatility and storage capacity of the regular Prius.
 
GRA said:
rcm4453 said:
jjeff said:
I somewhat agree, but as Toyota says with the Prius Prime "22 miles will accommodate 51% of its customers' daily driving range" so if 51% is good enough, why try and exceed customers needs :roll:
I believe the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV has a 16+kwh battery which is supposed to give it a ~ 30 mile EV only range, the Prius Prime only has a 8.8kwh battery. I also like the longer range afforded by the Volt, just wish it were a larger vehicle, even if that meant compromising some range or preferably had a larger battery :)
Here's the problem with only having 22 miles of AER, what are you getting when it's 10 below in January on the freeway going 70mph with the heat on? I don't know maybe I'm different but wouldn't someone's reason for buying a PHEV be to enjoy the EV drive and not be buying gas all the time? Otherwise why not just buy a hybrid or plain ICE if you don't really care about the EV drive aspect? All having the Volt did for me was make me crave more EV drive and less ICE drive, once you get a taste of pure EV driving you don't want the ICE EVER kicking in! With 22 miles AER the ICE will always be kicking in, making it pointless to buying the PHEV in the first place. If a PHEV has around 100 miles AER it makes more sense as 99% of your daily driving would be in pure EV mode with the ICE only needed for road trips.
Here's the way I see it. The biggest barrier to mass acceptance of PEVs is their price, so providing the smallest AER at the lowest cost and least hassle, which still covers at least half of the population and which is large enough that most people will plug them in, is what's needed to get PEVs to cross the chasm to mainstream consumers.

As GM noted some years back, a 20 mile AER covers the routine daily driving needs of 50% of U.S. drivers (35 miles covered 75%, and 40 miles 78%; Toyota's apparently claiming 22 miles AER covers 51%, so the numbers are in general agreement). So what's going to have the greatest impact - providing more AER to the 1% of the population who want to drive as much electrically as they can (and are willing and able to afford a car that allows them to do so), or getting as many people as possible into PEVs as early as possible? There will still be PHEVs with longer AERs for those who need it, but they will be too expensive (for now) for many people. The lowest cost PHEV is the one with the smallest battery that meets someone's routine range requirements, with a bit excess to allow for degradation. Right now, a Volt pack probably costs around $215/kWh ($145/kWh at cell level), so the 18.4 kWh pack should cost about $3,956, and you can knock 1/3rd - 1/2 off for the 1/2 size pack, depending on whether or not the BoP costs drop proportionately. As manufacturing costs typically make up about 50% of MSRP, the price reduction will be about double that.

As battery prices come down and energy densities improve, AER will increase for the same price/weight/space allowing those who need it to afford more, those who don't to afford the cars for the first time (e.g. the Prime), and/or people who are now used to plugging in can switch to BEVs if their needs are met by them.

A 20-30 mile AER PHEV has the following benefits compared to one with longer range (if it isn't needed):

  • Covers routine daily driving needs of 50% to maybe 65%? of U.S. drivers.

    Thousands cheaper than a PHEV with twice the AER, which will be particularly critical once the subsidies expire. Also, can be fully charged overnight using only L1, which saves buyers even more money through not needing to buy an L2 EVSE (say $500) and even more money and a lot of hassle if they need to upgrade their electrical system, even assuming any of that's an option for them (for most renters it isn't).

    A couple of hundred lbs. lighter, which should boost efficiency and/or performance in both EV and hybrid modes.

    Less space taken up by the battery, so more room for people/cargo.

The Ford Fusion and C-Max Energis, despite being half-assed implementations of 20-mile AER PHEVs, sell quite well - in fact, together they typically sell about the same and sometimes better than the Volt, both because they're cheaper and because they offer 5 seats. I have a friend who's on his second Fusion Energi, and he informs me his routine driving is all on the battery - clearly its AER is a good fit for him (as he's 6'4" a Volt is too small, even if he needed the extra AER). The A3 e-Tron also sells reasonably well, despite being considerably more expensive and rated with only a 17 mile AER (although it usually seems to manage 20 or a bit more IRL per owners), and the Golf GTE is a best seller where it's offered with its 31 mile AER (probably NEDC, so say low 20s EPA). As I've said before I expect the 25-mile AER Prius Prime will probably be the top seller among PHEVs (and maybe all PEVs, depending on how quickly the Model 3's production ramps up) this year in the U.S., because its base price is $6k less than the Volt's. There is no question the market for 20-30 mile AER PHEVs is there, but what's lacking is a reasonably affordable AWD CUV PHEV, which is where the biggest market is now. But we know that where such a car (the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV ) is for sale, it's the best selling PHEV, and often the best selling PEV overall, despite its modest performance.

The only way to settle the argument over which will sell in greater numbers would be to produce such a car while offering two different battery sizes/AERs. If GM were to offer a Voltec-based small AWD CUV with the choice of say 4 seats/50 mile AER/40 mpg Hwy for a base MSRP of say $35k, or an otherwise identical one with 5 seats/26 mile AER/42 mpg HWY for $31k, which do you think would have a bigger market? I'd love to see some company give people the option, but if a single company doesn't, different companies undoubtedly will provide such competition.

Agreed -- we just traded our Prius V for an off-lease CMax Energi (our other car is a Leaf) because we wanted to drive electric as much as possible -- but as devoted as I am to that with a young family and wife who makes unpredictable road trips for work, it's not yet sensible enough to move to all-electric. As is, with the CMax we predict 2/3rds of our driving will be all-electric, up from 1/3 when we had the Leaf and the Prius.
 
I'm not surprised the Volt will be killed but I would be really surprised if the Voltec drivetrain is not retained and used in most of GM's vehicles to provide both hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles in addition to their BEVs.
 
LKK said:
I'm not surprised the Volt will be killed but I would be really surprised if the Voltec drivetrain is not retained and used in most of GM's vehicles to provide both hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles in addition to their BEVs.
Now that might be a vehicle I'd be interested in :)
I like the Volt's drivetrain but totally dislike the Volt design. Actually, I like the look of the Volt on the outside, just way too cramped on the inside :( Put the Volt drivetrain in something larger and I'd be all over it!
 
Via GCR:
2019 Chevy Volt gets higher prices with more equipment
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1118443_2019-chevy-volt-gets-higher-prices-with-more-equipment

. . . The price of the base Volt LT model will go up $300 to $34,395, including destination and before any applicable federal or state tax breaks. The top-level Volt Premier will cost $38,995, before incentives, which is $550 more than a 2018.

For the extra $300, the base Volt gets new regenerative braking software and a "Low" range in the shifter that gives much stronger regen than the car had before. Chevy adopted the program from the Bolt EV.

The updated Volt also gets new software in the center screen that will allow drivers to better monitor how the car is using electricity. It breaks out usage for climate control and lights, as well as driving efficiency.

Finally, a new tire-fill system sets off a chime when the tires reach their recommended pressure.

The 2019 Volt Premier also gets a standard power driver's seat and a faster, 7.2-kw onboard charger, which can bring recharge times down to 2.5 hours on Level 2. Both of these features are optional on the LT.

The Driver Confidence II package, which offers adaptive cruise control, now also offers a setting to switch back to standard cruise control.

The Qi wireless charger that comes packaged with the navigation system has been relocated where it's easier to reach in front of the shifter.
 
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