[bro1999]

No, not my Volt, but all Volts once the Gen 2 production run is over. Bummer.
http://www.autoline.tv/journal/?p=52781

 

[flankspeed8]

I will believe it when I see it officially released by GM. A lot can change and this is still several years away.

 

[El Dobro]

It's just a name. I'm sure the concept will live on.

 

[PrivatePilot]

I too will believe it when I see it, but a focus on pure electric is risky - range anxiety is still a huge thing, and for some who are not willing to hyper-plan longer road trips around charging infrastructure, a make it or break it decision with regards to dipping their toes in the EV market.

My brother in law is a great example right now - looking at a Volt for the simple fact that they know they can drive it anywhere without concern. They considered a Bolt, but even with it's range...longer trips were something they were not willing to gamble with.

The market in general is still very cool to pure EV's - one only need look at any EV related comment thread on Facebook to see that the overwhelming majority of the public still hold a lot of misconceptions about them, and the "stranded on the side of the road with a dead battery" vision many have is still a very real risk for many average Joe's who may consider an EV, but are not the deepest thinkers when it comes to planning trips.

Pure electric IS the way of the future, don't get me wrong, but the Voltec platform is a stepping stone that many will appreciate during the baby-step phases of EV acceptance in the greater masses.

 

[bro1999]

I will believe it when I see it officially released by GM. A lot can change and this is still several years away.

True, but manufacturers often plan products years in advance. Or in this case, the probable end of one.

 

[volt11]

That report says 2022. Kind of makes sense to me. I would like to see it live on with like twice the battery capacity, and in larger vehicles than the too-compact-for-many-people Volt.

 

[Steverino]

Old news. The plan is to replace it a year later.

 

[dannycamps]

I will say that until we reach a point where charging stations are close to being as ubiquitous as traditional gas stations and charging times can be measured in minutes vs. hours, EV adoption will continue to lag behind combustion engines.

I think larger gas chains (perhaps those with eateries) should invest in adding some EV charging spots. There are a number of "Royal Farms" stations which have EV chargers available for use.

 

[O'Dell]

Well, I'll just keep my 2017 longer. So far, it's been practically perfect.

 

[Jmaj]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Volt ends before GM's tax credit eligibility. Honda has a full load of EV tax credits and a brand new PHEV. How's the Volt going to compete against that and similar vehicles?

 

[bjrosen]

The Volt is a small sedan and small sedans aren't popular so it's not surprising that the GM doesn't plan on doing another Volt. That doesn't mean that Voltec is dead. GM is promising 20 EVs in the next few years, I wouldn't be surprised if half of them were Voltec instead of Boltecs. A BEV Silverado, GM's best selling vehicle, will require a huge battery. A Voltec Silverado or Suburban will make more sense for maybe the next 10 years then a pure EV. When batteries get to 4X the energy density of today's batteries it will be time to switch to pure electric for every vehicle but not before then.

BTW I like the Volt's size because it's easy so easy to park and I don't care about cargo space (if it's to big to fit in the Volt I would rather have it delivered), but I'm in a distinct minority. I hope that they release a small BEV sedan as part of their next generation BEV group. I hate trucks, SUVs and CUVs, and I'll never buy one so if that's all they build I'll go elsewhere for my next car.

 

[Fred_B]

The Volt is a small sedan and small sedans aren't popular so it's not surprising that the GM doesn't plan on doing another Volt. That doesn't mean that Voltec is dead. GM is promising 20 EVs in the next few years, I wouldn't be surprised if half of them were Voltec instead of Boltecs. A BEV Silverado, GM's best selling vehicle, will require a huge battery. A Voltec Silverado or Suburban will make more sense for maybe the next 10 years then a pure EV. When batteries get to 4X the energy density of today's batteries it will be time to switch to pure electric for every vehicle but not before then.

BTW I like the Volt's size because it's easy so easy to park and I don't care about cargo space (if it's to big to fit in the Volt I would rather have it delivered), but I'm in a distinct minority. I hope that they release a small BEV sedan as part of their next generation BEV group. I hate trucks, SUVs and CUVs, and I'll never buy one so if that's all they build I'll go elsewhere for my next car.

It's a small (but not a cramped econobox) sedan with a hatchback and fold-flat rear seats. It's very versatile, the perfect size for me. I hope they never stop making them. I have another 4 years until my Gen 1 battery warrranty expires, if they are making Volts until 2022 (at least) I will certainly buy another one before they stop making them.

 

[Bill Step]

replace the gas engine w/ a small diesel and grab a bunch of the vw people.hell,I'd be looking at that one.

 

[PrivatePilot]

replace the gas engine w/ a small diesel and grab a bunch of the vw people.hell,I'd be looking at that one.

Diesel has a lack of acceptance (for passenger cars at least) in North America that rivals EV's, unfortunately. People still equate them to the diesels of the 80's and 90's - dirty, smoky, impossible to start in the winter, and smelly.

VW's dieselgate didn't help that image one bit.

I always thought one of the dumbest things they did with the Smart Car was change the original diesel to a gasser (at the expensive of very significant loss in MPG), but that just goes to show you how poor the perception of diesel is over here when even a car built solely around it's tiny size and super efficiency...gives up a huge portion of that efficiency to simply appeal more to North American consumers.

Would I love to see a Voltec vehicle with a small (and super efficient and stellar MPG) diesel under the hood for the Rex? Absolutely...but I think GM knows that the already lukewarm acceptance of EV's could be further dinged by the diesel thing as well. Unfortunate, but true.

The only segment that "gets" diesel nowadays is the pickup truck crowd, specifically the pavement princess "I need a 1 Ton dually crewcab long box dually diesel to go to the grocery store for bread and milk" crowd. That crowd is the LAST segment of the population that will ever accept EV's in any way, shape, or form.

 

[Bill Step]

but how many vw diesels were sold?could all be potential consumers,plus the cruze diesel people.but I know what you mean about the mind set of the American people.

 

[bjrosen]

replace the gas engine w/ a small diesel and grab a bunch of the vw people.hell,I'd be looking at that one.

Why put a filthy diesel engine into a clean car like the Volt? I'm completely happy with the MPG of gas engine in the Volt, what I'm not happy about is how often I have to use it. If they were ever to do a Gen 3 Volt I'd want at least 120 miles of battery range, that would be a game changer because the Volt would be a true EV for 90% of the time instead of 56% (my lifetime figure). A range of 120 would make it possible to do 100% of local area trips on battery, I could go to Boston or Rockport or Portsmouth without having to recharge. Even longer range trips, Portland Maine or Newport RI for example, would be more than half electric. Ideally I'd like a BEV with 300 miles of winter range (that probably an EPA range of 500) but I don't think that is going to happen soon enough for me. Until that's possible a Voltec car is a desirable option, but only if they understand that it's primarily an electric car and that the ICE is there to give it flexibility, it's not there as an equal partner with the electric motors.

 

[hellsop]

Why put a filthy diesel engine into a clean car like the Volt?

Voltech diesel, properly tuned for the very small RPM range that the engine would run in and given clean fuel in the first place, would likely be cleaner than the equivalent gas engine. Diesels get dirty when the revs change, or when the fuel is contaminated or with poor formulation. And it would be entirely practical to set a Voltec system to run at 2500 RPM exactly. (Starting is no problem either. Got plenty of power for glow plugs if those even make sense, and no trouble turning the engine a bunch of times at full speed. Spin engine, start fuel flow, and it's ON, whether it wants to or not.)

 

[Bill Step]

Why put a filthy diesel engine .

and there in lies the problem,,last I saw,diesels are as clean and as quiet as a gasser.don't believe me,go stand beside some new diesels running.

 

[colchiro]

Voltech diesel, properly tuned for the very small RPM range that the engine would run in and given clean fuel in the first place, would likely be cleaner than the equivalent gas engine....

I can see people converting them to french fry oil....

 

[El Dobro]

I drove TDIs until I had enough of them and went to battery driven cars. I wouldn't go back to another diesel.