Sorry but around here you've got to be faster than this. Larry's interview was posted last week.

 

Ha, serves me right. The comments were just posted today, though. Worth a read for a good debate on the Volt features.

 

I didn't see this last week, so it was new to me!

 

Here ya' go: http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?133106-Larry-Nitz-on-Autoline-After-Hours

 

•“Volts plug in on average 10 times per week, not 7. That surprised us. We figured a once a day charge but customers charge more"

"That suprised us?? Really??

•60% of volt customers only charge on 110v rather than 240v."


Maybe the other 40% who do charge @ 240 are the ones pushing up the more than once a day charging numbers
that was breaking news to GM. Personally the more and faster I can charge means the less gas I'll need to burn
on those days when a quick turn around at the plug gets me the few extra miles needed to get through the day.


Should 6.6 be an option? Tesla found this out when they assumed many would buy the lesser priced 40KW Model S But at the end of the day it seems more is better and plans to even offer it were scrapped as the majority antied up for the 85KW model because of it’s increaced capability! Whos to say that if 6.6 charging was avilable that the uptake would not pan out. I for one would LOVE to have at least 6.6 and am willing to pay a premium for it

If it is not an option in 2016 I think GM will be missing the mark. " 60% of drivers usage patterns covered is ok, so let's ignore the remaining 40% "
who have their wallets in hand looking for more??

 

•“Volts plug in on average 10 times per week, not 7. That surprised us. We figured a once a day charge but customers charge more"

"That suprised us?? Really??

I'm one of those 10+ times a week people. At least 2 times a day on work days (1 at the office in the morning, 1 at home at night) but some days it's more (like today, 1 at the office, 1 here at the local cafe where I'm using the L2 EVSE, and 1 at home - when I get there).

This is how the car's meant to be used, isn't it? The whole point of this game is to NOT use the range extender. I drive 75+ miles a [work]day and I last bought gas in April, so I'm playing the game pretty well right now.

 

"•There is a customer who drove 10,000 miles and only used 33 gallons of gasoline"

I do not know why they picked this one.

I am at 21K miles and only used 16 gallons of gas. A good chunk of it to burn off stale gas and ERDTLT.
I see a lot of others have used even less gas than my Volt.

My 2 wishes / requirements for the GEN 2 Volt to get my money are more electric range and 6.6 KWh or higher charging. The 6.6 Kwh charging, so it might actually be close to worth it to use a public charging station. I can't tell how many times I could have charged, but did not because it would be cheaper to use gas than pay the hourly rate to only charge at 3.3KWh. GM, please add 6.6KWh or higher charging capability! Please do not disappoint us loyal Volt owners! I would get a Volt Gen 2 and give my current Volt to my son.

 

If V2.0 is only offered with a 3.3KW charger then my 2013 was the only Volt I will have bought. I spend an hour a day plugged in and bored (unfortunately no at work charging). My GAS Anxiety is huge. But I do love being able to travel with it.

 

InsideEV's seemed to be implying that they felt this meant no DC fast charging for Volt 2.0. Personally I wouldn't have an issue with that. However having 6.6KW Level 2 AC charging I think should be a base standard to take advantage of charging stations. Especially as most pay stations are uneconomical to use when limited to a 3.3KW charging rate.

To me better in every way appears to mean more EV range, better CS gas mileage and more space/better packaged.

 

My guess is the next Volt will have 6.6kW charging. It just makes sense given the infrastructure and public price structures for charging.

I agree with you that it won't have DC fast charging. Why should it? The range extender is specifically to negate this need, and having that option available would likely add confusion to a car many uninitiated people already struggle to understand... of course that changes once they have the car for an extended test drive.

 

I'm approaching 96% of my mileage from the grid after 13 months and 8500 miles. I do ALL of my charging at home with a CC Lvel II EVSE. When I need to travel beyond my AER of 45 miles I have no qualms over the gas generator kicking on (which is yielding 39+ MPG).

Based on my past, current and future driving habits I figure my 2013 Volt will exceed 98% all battery by Christmas.

Now going forward if I ever replace my 2013 Volt with another EV it will most likely be a BEV where super fast charging is a must.

But for now our 2013 Volt is the perfect bridge vehicle for my familiy. Oh and I easily travel 70 to 90 miles in a single day since I can recharge quickly at home on weekends. And even going to downtown St Louis depending on the weather I can still make it on my AER of 45 miles. So I'm not not going places to avoid using gas, I just live in a nice and compact locale where the Volt excels.

 

6.6 charging

I wonder if GM is still concerned that 6.6kw charing will degrade the battery unacceptably faster than 3.3kw. Tesla and Nissan don't seem concerned. For those who change cars every 3 to 4 years it's no issue. However, GM has to be thinking about possible warranty issues at the 6 or 7 year mark. I don't know if the evidence is clear yet.

 

I wonder if GM is still concerned that 6.6kw charing will degrade the battery unacceptably faster than 3.3kw. Tesla and Nissan don't seem concerned. For those who change cars every 3 to 4 years it's no issue. However, GM has to be thinking about possible warranty issues at the 6 or 7 year mark. I don't know if the evidence is clear yet.

6.6kW/17.1kWh ~= 0.386C. Flat, highway speed driving is something like 12-15kW so close to 1C, and hills mean even higher C rates.

So, the answer is no, it won't be a problem. They went for 3.3kW charging because 3.3kW is all that's necessary for overnight charging and 3.3kW saves money, space and weight. Similarly, the current Spark EV only has 3.3kW charging because they re-used what they had.

If they are serious about PEV, and at all serious about releasing a BEV in the future, they'll understand that they need 6.6kW+ charging systems anyway. Also, since the Volt 1 was released, power electronics have already become cheaper, smaller and lighter, which means 6.6kW should be easier.

Also, if they take a look at the market I hope they will understand that people like the EV experience and they don't burn gasoline for fun.

Putting that together, I'm hoping that Volt 2 will at the very least have an "Extreme EV" option package available, including 6.6kW charging, heated rear seats and a lower ERDTT setting, that will really make the Volt an EREV.

 

GM should not only looking at the statics of the a very small group of people that actually bought a Volt, because it is obvious that most people will drive most miles on electric, as they knew that would be the case before they bought it! They should look at data instead why this, many times larger, group did NOT buy a Volt... and find ways to improve the Volt (and marketing) to get these people to buy the Volt gen 2!

Personally I think the Volt is the best car I have driven in the last 30 years, it drives even better than a Tesla Model S, only the EV range and charging speed of the Tesla is way better, two reasons to still consider a Model S for my next car.

Paul

 

Agreed + 10 (Well ..... except driving better than a Model S.)

 

I'm pretty sure my dream of an SS version will remain just that...may have to hold out for a used Model S or new Model E.

 

I dont think you will see a performance model until electric vehicles are more commonplace and a commodity.

 

For Volt 2 GM should have talked to people like me - who could have bought a Volt but didn't. That is how one expands the market.

Give me a 5-seater Volt CUV I'll buy it.

 

Even if that CUV has the same battery, costs more and drives 20 miles on a charge?

 

Given how well Ford's Energi twins are selling I think a CUV with 20 miles of highway AER and 30 miles of city AER would do fine if the battery didn't compromise passenger and cargo room.

 

Better in every way? That's lower price, 6.6kW charging, more AER and better CS mileage otherwise no Gen-2 for me.

 

"It's our best iPhone ever" says Apple every single year.

 

Of course it is. What should they say? "Last year's iPhone was way better"?

 

Lol the apple comment ...

Will wait on 4 wheel vectoring and hopefully one day in wheel motors on all four wheels.
New transmission efficiency is nice but what is with a chain drive differential - not my idea of efficient,

Motor is still a 4Cly 1.5 L - good choise.

 

What is this 2011? You do not need an electrician to install an expensive stand alone l2 charger any more. I use an evse upgraded panasonic that can be bought for around $600 and is portable. It does L1 and L2 and plugs into a very simple and cheap 220 outlet. I bought the breaker and outlet for less than $40 at home depot.