New article comparing Volt and 2010 prius

22907 Views 48 Replies 19 Participants Last post by nhrabill, Apr 23, 2008

pnieder

Discussion Starter · Apr 10, 2008

I wrote this:

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/the-great-hybrid-showdown-chevrolet-volt-vs-toyota-prius/

and welcome any feedback (as soon as I put on my fire-proof suit). Paul

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As one of the "eager cadre of early adopters", I was disappointed in several of your ill-informed assumptions. The two most egregious are the sticker price of 44K and the AER in the 20's. Once those assumptions were made, there was no hope that you could come to an accurate conclusion.
I do admire the Cajones it took to post your article here.
God Bless (duck and cover)
Tagamet

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Tagamet

· #4 · Apr 10, 2008 (Edited)

pnieder said:
"Ill-informed": Straight from the father of the Volt (Lutz): "it should sell for $48k, possibly $40k (at a loss)" What are you assuming the price will be, and what are you basing it on?

"Ill-informed": GM has confirmed the range will be "closer to 32 miles" at highway speed driving. Drive like most folks on the freeway (10 over the limit), with the A/C and audio on, and let's see if that 32 mile range doesn't quickly melt into the twenties (or less).

ILL-INFORMED as in not current. I could quote the Pope that the Earth was the center of the Universe, but given that that is not what he currently espouses, I'd consider relying on the quotes from the past as ill-informed and ill-advised. Even for a nacient pseudo-journalist.

And probably MOST ill-advised was the idea of writing an article to compare two vehicles which are still in development.

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Tagamet

· #10 · Apr 11, 2008

And you were doing so well...

until the finale where you showed your obvious bias:
"I didn't anticipate how this article would come out; I approached it objectively, and frankly, I was shocked and surprised; as I said, I was an early Volt enthusiast. But I don't see a lot of objectivity here at this site. Many here seem to think that the Volt will be the Messiah, coming no less from the man (Lutz) who says that Global Warming "is a crock of ****". And who also says that "hybrids make no economic sense".

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Tagamet

· #12 · Apr 11, 2008

pnieder said:
...
The last time he sucked my in (partially) was when he announced the Volt. As the facts (and Lutz's BS) have unfolded, I ran out of patience.

That's about as clear an admission of guilt as I've ever heard.
Thanks.

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Tagamet

· #28 · Apr 12, 2008

pnieder said:
One thing is clear; there's no doubt the Volt won't come anywhere near its 40 mile range on the highway. On this site elsewhere there is a posting with info from GM about the energy requirements of the Volt: 8kwh in the city, 25kwh on the highway, and 30kwh @65mph with a slight degree of uphill. If the Volt's battery has an 8kwh usable capacity (between 80% and 30% SOC), then that information tells us clearly: in the city, that 8kwh gives about an hour range = 30-40 some miles. But that 25-30kwh requirement at highway speed = 16 miles!

Would anyone correct me if I'm wrong, please?

PAUL ! All we've done is correct you. All it brings is another feeble attempt on your part to change issues to find something, anything, that you wrote correctly.
On the last round you omitted any regenerative braking and the fact that the aerodynamic drag has been substantially reduced (which improves most of the figures). Add to that the END OF LIFE battery numbers you quote, and... Oh never mind. You win.
God Bless,
Tag