I’ve heard about a dozen times on talk radio that the Chevy Volt is “$10,000 more than the Leaf, which goes 125 miles… while the Volt only goes 40 miles.”
And, every time, I want to pull my hair out. Worse, I know one of two of these talk radio hosts is doing it on purpose; they know darn well the Volt goes 40 miles on electricity, and then another 320 miles on gasoline. Leaf does not. But, because GM is Government Motors, some on talk radio use Volt as a halo car… to attack government ownership of American auto.
Ends don’t justify the means here, but that won’t stop people from intentionally lying about the Volt. So, GM has to step in and nullify that themselves.
Yes, I’ve heard GM is trying to trademark Range Anxiety ahead of a massive PR blitz. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s enough.
GM must, and yes I say must, quickly and strongly emphasize in ads that Volt does what I emphasized in the paragraphs above. That should constitute a major part of their advertising, and that should be the only thing communicated in many of the ads.
Americans are already getting a false impression about Volt. Negative first impressions can destroy superior products. GM cannot and must not let this happen with the Volt, or when Volt is actually economical for most customers… they’ll go for a plug-in Prius instead.
I wasn’t aware that the volt even had a gasoline motor – so it’s not truly an electric car – it’s another damn hybrid!
years ago Chevy made the E-10 (electric S-10 pickup) – this is my ideal vehicle – especially if you could outfit it with a diesel generator for those long trips to keep the batteries charged – and perhaps a tonneau cover made of solar panels to charge the batteries when there is no place to plug in – or during sunny day trips! wish there was a way to get Chevy this information – as I’d buy an electric truck in a heart beat over an electric car any day!!!!
CHEVY ARE YOU LISTENING???? being back the E10 as a colorado-E or something – and leave out the gasoline engine!!!!
Chris, unfortunately, you’ve fallen into the second most common misconception about the Volt.
The Volt is all electric. It runs the first 40 miles on electricity, and then recharges its battery with a gas-electric engine.
It is not a hybrid nor is it a plug-in hybrid. You can drive on all-electricity when it is convenient and drive on gasoline for long trips. This gives you the range of a normal car, without using a drop of gasoline on your commute to work.
This is another thing that GM must act quickly to explain to people… or the Volt will fail.
I have to correct my last comment. GM has since admitted that the Volt is partially a hybrid.
At 70 MPH and above, the gas engine does provide auxiliary power to the drivetrain. This is done to help ensure an average 50 miles of all-electric driving per full charge.