[Dutch]

I've had OHM-RIDE for just under a year now. Although I'm one of those who keeps my cars clean and shiny I haven't done much in the way of "bling" or anything to specifically draw attention.

As a result the vast majority of people don't seem to notice it, or if they do nobody says anything.

However, I have noticed a somewhat specific "fan group" who not only notice the car, but often want to ask me some questions and that seems to be females in the mid-20-something range.

I have no idea why this specific group might be so interested but the ones that approach me really do have very specific and detailed questions and seem to have a LOT of enthusiasm for EV cars in general and the Volt in specific.

The other group seems to be young males who just got their learner permits and are hoping to talk their parents into buying them a "cool electric car"

Is anyone else having this sort of experience?

 

[no fumes]

Damn, I wish some females in their 20s would stop me! Maybe it is you and not the car, Dutch?
Only people who seem to pay attention to my car are other Volt drivers.

 

[Frankizoid]

Com'on Dutch, don't hide in the shadows, let's see a photo, lol.

 

[TripleTrucker]

My latest encounter was a lady who was getting into her Jetta diesel as I was getting out of my Volt. She complimented me on the car and let me know how unhappy she was that she wasn't nearly as "green" as she thought!

 

[Dutch]

Damn, I wish some females in their 20s would stop me! Maybe it is you and not the car, Dutch?
Only people who seem to pay attention to my car are other Volt drivers.

HAH, I should be so lucky.

Unfortunately I'm an OFWG so I suspect it is truly an interest in the car.

What we do have in the Shenandoah Valley is a lot of "green" types, especially the younger generation and the ladies I speak with definitely have prior knowledge of the Volt. At least it bodes well for the environment in general in terms of the next generation as custodians.

 

[username868]

Only people who seem to pay attention to my car are other Volt drivers.

My experience as well, gotten more than a few thumbs ups from fellow Volt drivers.

The flip side is true as well, my eyes can somehow always zoom in on a fellow Volt.

 

[wmwest74]

I don't know if its my engaging smile or that I'm a six-foot tall Black male; but I've never had the negative interactions some have posted. All of my public interactions have been positive with honest inquisitiveness.

I'm in the deep south so the interactions aren't with the stereotypical "green" types. My interactions can be summarized by:
- The blue collar guy gassing up his work truck who is looking for a fuel efficient vehicle for their child (or as a second vehicle) but wants to buy domestic.
- The millennial working the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru window who 'get's it' and ask "I bet you rarely have to buy gas"
- The proud retired GM factory worker who wants to get first hand knowledge about how the car is doing now that it's been out a few years.
- My Facebook friends who kick themselves for not having faith in GM and purchased something else three years ago. They hate to see my monthly fuel updates.
- The random stranger in Atlanta, GA who wonders how I got all the way from Memphis, TN in an electric car with only 40 miles of range. That turns into a full discussion on GM's range extending concept which always ends with them asking, "why doesn't other automakers do that?"

2009 Yukon Denali XL (family road trips)
2013 Chevy Volt "Crystal Red" (my commuter and any trip with 4 or less people)

 

[khalfyard]

I don't know if its my engaging smile or that I'm a six-foot tall Black male; but I've never had the negative interactions some have posted. All of my public interactions have been positive with honest inquisitiveness.

I'm in the deep south so the interactions aren't with the stereotypical "green" types. My interactions can be summarized by:
- The blue collar guy gassing up his work truck who is looking for a fuel efficient vehicle for their child (or as a second vehicle) but wants to buy domestic.
- The millennial working the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru window who 'get's it' and ask "I bet you rarely have to buy gas"
- The proud retired GM factory worker who wants to get first hand knowledge about how the car is doing now that it's been out a few years.
- My Facebook friends who kick themselves for not having faith in GM and purchased something else three years ago. They hate to see my monthly fuel updates.
- The random stranger in Atlanta, GA who wonders how I got all the way from Memphis, TN in an electric car with only 40 miles of range. That turns into a full discussion on GM's range extending concept which always ends with them asking, "why doesn't other automakers do that?"

+1 to all of this!

 

[16513]

Interesting post. If GM could just figure out a way to make Volt "the car to have" among yuppies and young couples with young or no kids, sales would take off. This is the very age group in the "these are not actors" ads, but even when a green car award is mentioned, the car never gets shown. Obviously GM has relegated this tech supercar/sales dud to a niche role. Hold on.... I love my Gen 2.

 

[novaks47]

Interesting post. If GM could just figure out a way to make Volt "the car to have" among yuppies and young couples with young or no kids, sales would take off. This is the very age group in the "these are not actors" ads, but even when a green car award is mentioned, the car never gets shown. Obviously GM has relegated this tech supercar/sales dud to a niche role. Hold on.... I love my Gen 2.

That'd be quite the feat at this point. That demographic knows only of Toyota, and Subaru wagons.

 

[Dutch]

Actually the thing I think would sell like mad is a tall, boxy, body like the Kia Seoul with an EV chassis.

Older folks, and I'm on the cusp of including myself in that, like vehicles that are easy to get into and out of, provide above average visibility, and are QUIET and low maintenance.

The Bolt EV is a move in that direction, the Volt not so much.

I mean, I LOVE my Volt, but after an hour drive my right hip HATES getting out of the drivers seat <sigh>.

 

[Aseras]

Interesting post. If GM could just figure out a way to make Volt "the car to have" among yuppies and young couples with young or no kids, sales would take off. This is the very age group in the "these are not actors" ads, but even when a green car award is mentioned, the car never gets shown. Obviously GM has relegated this tech supercar/sales dud to a niche role. Hold on.... I love my Gen 2.

What they need to do is make a plug in hybrid silverado/tahoe/sierra/yukon slap 2-3 volt/bolt batteries under the bed/back and give it AWD and a city range of 40-100 miles EV, and a small diesel engine for the generator for the highway. There's a reason trains are diesel electric. It IS the most efficient and most powerful combination you can have right now.

Give it a ton of torque for towing, AWD and make it get 40 mpg and it'll sell like mad
Those trucks already sell for 45-60k. Even at tesla prices they'd move if you removed the range anxiety and gave them utility.

 

[Aseras]

Actually the thing I think would sell like mad is a tall, boxy, body like the Kia Seoul with an EV chassis.

Older folks, and I'm on the cusp of including myself in that, like vehicles that are easy to get into and out of, provide above average visibility, and are QUIET and low maintenance.

The Bolt EV is a move in that direction, the Volt not so much.

I mean, I LOVE my Volt, but after an hour drive my right hip HATES getting out of the drivers seat <sigh>.

There IS a Kia Soul EV. They are just rare.

http://www.kia.com/us/en/vehicle/soul-ev/2016

 

[Ztirffritz]

I live in the 'red' 2/3 of Washington state. The first time that I plugged in at a public charging point (the only one in town) a good 'ole boy in his old Ford pickup parked next to me and and we ended up talking about the Volt for a good 10-20 minutes. Yakima County has fewer than 75 EVs registered in the county. That means people rarely see Volts, or any other EV for that matter. He thought that the Volt was discontinued after the first year because he never heard about them again after they were released. He left being pretty impressed and said he thought it might be a good car for his wife.

 

[Loboc]

Since I haul around my 17-yr-old granddaughter (and friends) in the ELR, I get a lot of 'cool car' comments. When I open the center dash secret compartment (it has an iPhone cord already plugged to the back-lit USB port) I get oooohs and aaaahs. Most don't know it's an EV until they notice the no-noise component. What really gets them is live OnStar chat with a rep or voice commands.

I hear a lot of talk about EVs in general from this crowd even if they don't usually know ELR is an EV. My granddaughter is a huge advocate of EVs in general. Hoping my influence had at least some small push in that direction.

This is the generation we need to talk to about the tech. GM probably needs to promote BoltEV to this newest-driver group.

/they absolutely loathe my music.

 

[Fred_B]

I've never been asked anything about my Volt, except for one time. I was putting some gas in it (a rare occurrence) and was asked "I thought that was an electric car. Why are you putting gas in it?"

 

[El Dobro]

I've see people mouth the word Volt as I've driven by, but I don't recall anyone actually striking up a conversation about it.

 

[cyeung]

Who notices a Volt? People on a pull-off on Tail of the Dragon watching a Volt powering out of a turn with its tires making that mild chirping sound as if to say, "I am near the limits of my traction."

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Not many.
In our Gen 1 Volt I've had a few people ask about it.
I've had a couple of compliments on the look of the car.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Since I haul around my 17-yr-old granddaughter (and friends) in the ELR, I get a lot of 'cool car' comments. When I open the center dash secret compartment (it has an iPhone cord already plugged to the back-lit USB port) I get oooohs and aaaahs. Most don't know it's an EV until they notice the no-noise component. What really gets them is live OnStar chat with a rep or voice commands.

I hear a lot of talk about EVs in general from this crowd even if they don't usually know ELR is an EV. My granddaughter is a huge advocate of EVs in general. Hoping my influence had at least some small push in that direction.

This is the generation we need to talk to about the tech. GM probably needs to promote BoltEV to this newest-driver group.

Well, if they can actually get people to take a Lyft (I heard a commercial multiple times while listening to Pandora recently) they should end up experiencing one.

/they absolutely loathe my music.

It's OK. There is a general principle that people who don't like the same music as you are wrong. My wife and I have a passenger-plays rule, an agreement to skip anything each of us really hates, and a skip-2 rule that says that you can't play 2 consecutive songs by an artist the other doesn't like. This makes being wrong more bearable.