So as one of GM’s biggest gambles in history begins to roll out to the media masses, we begin to get polarizing opinions from different sides of the media such as Jalopnik.com and TheCarConnection.com. Some claim that its engineering genius (msnbc) whilst others are crying fowl over further revelations regarding it’s advanced powertrain. I decided to put together some information to help explain what this car will be able to do for it’s owners and explain ways you may be disappointed if you plan that family road trip around 230 mpg fairy tales.
What the Volt is:
an Electric Vehicle: What the car has shown so far is that it can go the estimated 30 – 50 miles on a full electric charge alone, based on driving conditions. To me this is the biggest claim they needed to support out of any of them. This means you “can” drive this car to work and back (for most Americans) , plug it in at night, and do the same thing the next day, never using fuel.
full of technology: The car has new features like the “chirping” noise that can be activated to let pedestrians know you are near, a fancy startup noise that helps to indicate the vehicle is on, an “Ipod” like center console interface, and a digital readout screen with space-like animations to display information on the powertrain and mileage.
What The Volt Isn’t:
a “purely” Electric Vehicle: The biggest uproar today was that revelations like this sentence from Motor Trend “after you deplete the 16-kW-hr battery and the engine switches on, a clutch connects the engine and generator to the planetary transmission so the engine can help turn the wheels directly above 70 mph..” This is shocking since the majority of the media and GM had portrayed it to have electric power only to the wheels and a generator to charge the batterys once they were depleted. In all honesty this is better for the driver because it allows the vehicle to accelerate like a normal car where other Hybrids or EV’s may not.
a 230 mpg “Super Machine”: This car is a step in the right direction in terms of battery technology and in gaining public perception and demand for a new type of electric vehicle. But with so much hype over the car at a time when GM was desperate to capture some good press and buzz, the unveiling has been tarnished by high hopes and unbelievable figures coming often from GM itself.
So What…
Did GM lie to the general public about the Volt?? No, they conveniently left out some details that would make others compare it to it’s competition. Every company does this in one form or another with it’s own marketing materials and press releases. Were they lying about the 230mpg?? well…. yes, the 230 mpg estimate was claimed after what GM saw from taking on the EPA cycle which does not accurately inform you on an electric car that could drive the entire test track on mostly electric power. But in reality people won’t buy this car because of its 40 mpg gasoline engine… they’ll buy it for the ability to charge and drive without gasoline to and from work…. and so far, it does that fantastically.
