Prius Plug-in and Volt EREV Analysis

On GM-Volt.com, there is a quality analysis between the cost of driving a 2013 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid (PHV) vs the 2012 Chevrolet Volt Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV). The bottom line from the analysis is: 

"for low mileage trips (less than 16 miles), the Prius PHV is less expensive........ For intermediate distance trips (between 16 and 65 miles), the Volt is the clear winner.......For long distances (greater than 65 to 75 miles), the Prius PHV again gains the advantage."

Of course, cost isn't the only reason people buy cars, even efficient cars. I personally prefer the Volt because of the better-than-Prius drive feel and styling. It fits my commute much better because my commute is ~25 miles per day, well within the Volt's battery-only range and optimal efficiency window as described above (16 to 65 miles). Plus I still have the option to use the car for longer weekend and vacation trips that a Nissan Leaf would not have the range to deliver.

The bottom line is: I am happy to see more Electric Vehicles on the road. The more the merrier. 

To read the whole article, click here.

Volt Sales Hit a Record!

Bob Lutz was right. The Volt sales in March hit a new record. March US sales were 2,289. This is fantastic news! The trend for the Volt looks good too. The other mainstream electric car, the Nissan Leaf, did not fare as well. The Leaf trend is clearly down since a high in July 2011. I heard on one blog that the Leaf is focusing in Europe and Japan, so US sales are constrained. I wish my source, AutoBlogGreen reported international sales with their US sales reports so I'd have the whole picture.



Another first! The Volt has surpassed the Nissan Leaf in cumulative sales. I have nothing against the Leaf -- I like the car and hope to see it sell millions -- but I kind of route for the "home team" of GM since it is a US company.


GM even announced it will resume production one week early in this article. No more production hold!

UPDATE: AutoBlogGreen produces a great spreadsheet every month on sales of green cars like the Volt, Leaf and Prius. Shows lots of growth for Volts, Leafs and Prius for March. See below.

GM Chairman & CEO's Opening Remarks in Front of Congress

Dan Akerson, GM Chairman & CEO, did a masterful job in his opening remarks in front of Congress. He outlined how the Volt was created, the amazing list of awards it has won, and how customers love it. He also said it was never designed to be a political punching bag. But that didn't stop Congress from punching. The members don't listen to anything, they just come with their own testimony for the TV cameras. This Congress is such a joke.

You can read the opening statement here.

Also, GM has a new ad on the Volt, hoping to stem the tide of all the negativity. You can see it here.

GM modifies Volts to alleviate concerns over fires

GM is really handling this situation well. They are fixing the issue (or really a non-issue) where a severe side impact can cause coolant to leak into the battery causing a fire. The reason I characterize it as a non-issue is that the fire started 3 weeks after the crash AND the battery was not discharged per recommended safety procedures after a terrible accident.

This is another reason I'm proud to own a Chevy Volt. With this kind of great customer service, I should buy GM stock too. Furthermore, I think GM is doing a great service to the acceptance of electric cars, in general, with this response.

Read much more about GM's great customer support, including a video detailing the fix, here.

GM sold more Volts in the car's first year than Toyota sold Prius's or Honda sold Insights in their 1st year of production

1500+ Volts sold in December. Even with the misinformed reports on Chevy Volt fires. Can the Volt continue to grow like the Prius did? I hope so.

Click here to read the article

Volt compared to Prius -- from someone who owned both

This article does a great job comparing the Volt and the Prius. It is well written and entertaining too. Take a look.

Click here to read the article

Two Weeks with My Volt and Why I Chose It

Two Weeks with My Volt and Why I Chose It

Tuesday, 20 December 2011 10:32 Mike Witteman, Chevrolet Volt Owner

I’ve been a proud owner of my Chevy Volt for 2 weeks. I love the car. I have a friend who bought a Nissan Leaf and he says he “smiles every time he drives it.” That is the way I feel. Driving on electricity instead of gas is wonderful in so many ways. The performance. The lack of emissions. The quietness.

The car is comfortable and has so many features you could never name them all. The OnStar service with the iPhone app that updates you on the Volts status (battery charge, fuel, tire pressure, charging status) is fantastic. It even lets you remote start the car. The surprise feature is pre-loaded navigation -- you just put in a destination address in your iPhone app and the car has the navigation to that destination downloaded for your next drive.

The charging is easy. Just plug it in every night. I only have a 120V plug so it takes a while to charge. I can charge at work, too, so I’m wired up well. I found out I can get a free 240V Blink charger through Ecotality who has a DOE grant to study charging patterns and their effect on the grid. That is a nice bonus.

There have been a lot of news on the Volt since I bought it. On the bad news side, the fire from the crash test has been reported a lot. I read about it before I bought my Volt. I think a lot about safety. There is a risk the Volt can catch fire if it is in a very severe crash (one that would total the car) AND the battery isn’t discharged (which is standard procedure after a crash) AND you wait 2 or 3 weeks. That didn’t sound scary to me. I’m much more worried about gas fires in cars. That is something that happens 33 times a day in the US.

On the good press side, Consumer Reports says Volt owners are more satisfied than any other car owners. I can see why. The Porsche 911 is #2. Also, Consumer Reports says the Volt costs only 3.8 cents a mile to drive on electricity. Much less than other cars. I attached the article to my blog: witteblog.tumblr.com

Finally, the whole notion of the “extended range” is awesome. Twice I drove somewhere that used more battery than I originally planned. Once I drove the kids to school, drove to work, then drove to a dinner party and was in a huge traffic jam. The traffic jam and very cold temperatures used up power. During my trip home, on the last mile, the generator went on and saved me. What an awesome feature! I love having an electric car with no range anxiety.

The bottom line is I love this car. I’m going to go out and wash it now.

Here is what I said when I choose to buy the Volt:

It took me a while to choose, but I picked the Chevy Volt as my next electric car. The ability to go beyond the electric range with the generator, the styling, the current availability, and the nice interior were major factors in my decision. You can see my post below on my impressions when I test drove the Volt at witteblog.tumblr.com

I often go up to the San Juan Islands and need a car that can make the 270 mile trip from Portland, Oregon to Anacortes, Washington where you catch the ferry. Making multiple stops to recharge doesn’t sound like fun. Having the Volt generator sounded much better. So range was central to my decision.

I like the way the Volt looks and love the new Blue Topaz paint available for the 2012 model. The interior leather seats are comfortable and look great. My only wish was the back seat was a bit more roomy.

I love the Tesla Model S. It looks so cool and is roomy. However, you can only get the $80k model in 2012. And I just don’t like the idea of the laptop batteries. Maybe I’m susceptible to the Nissan and Chevy hype, but it seems like batteries made for automobiles are better and will have longer life. When you make batteries you make tradeoffs between how long they last and how much energy they store. Laptop batteries focus on lots of energy density and can live with a relatively short life. Auto batteries go for long life and many recharge cycles.

The Nissan Leaf is so nice and the price is great, but the range stopped me. I need to be able to go farther quite a few times a year. I like how you sit up high in the car, but I don’t like the exterior styling. I was also concerned about the white interior with my kids in the back.

So I’ve ordered my Volt and can’t wait to get it! It took me a while to find a dealer that would sell it at MSRP. Carr Chevrolet in Beaverton, Oregon is where I signed over my $3k deposit.

I picked the Chevy Volt for my next car

It took me a while to choose, but I picked the Chevy Volt as my next electric car. The ability to go beyond the electric range with the generator, the styling, the current availability, and the nice interior were major factors in my decision. You can see my post below on my impressions when I test drove the Volt at witteblog.tumblr.com

I often go up to the San Juan Islands and need a car that can make the 270 mile trip from Portland, Oregon to Anacortes, Washington where you catch the ferry. Making multiple stops to recharge doesn’t sound like fun. Having the Volt generator sounded much better. So range was central to my decision.

I like the way the Volt looks and love the new Blue Topaz paint available for the 2012 model. The interior leather seats are comfortable and look great. My only wish was the back seat was a bit more roomy.

I love the Tesla Model S. It looks so cool and is roomy. However, you can only get the $80k model in 2012. And I just don’t like the idea of the laptop batteries. Maybe I’m susceptible to the Nissan and Chevy hype, but it seems like batteries made for automobiles are better and will have longer life. When you make batteries you make tradeoffs between how long they last and how much energy they store. Laptop batteries focus on lots of energy density and can live with a relatively short life. Auto batteries go for long life and many recharge cycles.

The Nissan Leaf is so nice and the price is great, but the range stopped me. I need to be able to go farther quite a few times a year. I like how you sit up high in the car, but I don’t like the exterior styling. I was also concerned about the white interior with my kids in the back.

So I’ve ordered my Volt and can’t wait to get it! It took me a while to find a dealer that would sell it at MSRP. Carr Chevrolet in Beaverton, Oregon is where I signed over my $3k deposit.