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Who notices a Volt?

7K views 41 replies 35 participants last post by  Synergy3214 
#1 ·
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" :rolleyes:

Is anyone else having this sort of experience?
 
#5 · (Edited)
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.
 
#4 ·
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!
 
#7 · (Edited)
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)
 
#8 ·
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!
 
#9 ·
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.
 
#11 ·
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>.
 
#14 ·
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.
 
#15 · (Edited)
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.
 
#20 · (Edited)
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.
 
#21 ·
Quite happily married at my three score and fifteen, I don't really need a babe magnet. but the only inquiry-type conversations I've had are with good looking young women, one of which seemed to be ready to buy a Volt after our conversation.

Forty-plus years ago, when I was single and had a brand new red Ferrari Dino 246GT in Southern California . . . Well, that was a different situation and story!
 
#23 ·
I pulled up next to a gen 1 red Volt yesterday and I was waiting to make a left turn. I looked at the nice lady in her car several times. She never noticed the black Volt right next to her. As I got my green arrow and made my turn, I saluted with the pedestrian horn. I have no idea if she saw my car after that.

So, VOLT OWNERS don't notice Volts. Pfffft!!
 
#27 ·
It comes down to one thing- advertising! If GM would have had any kind of ad campaign then people would have have an idea of what a Volt is. It's amazing they did all the "moon-shot" stuff initially then they went dark. Of course all of their ads are not very good- probably due to not having a Marketing Guru.
 
#30 ·
I've had my 2013 Volt for a little over a month and I've had impromptu half-hour conversations with neighbors who see me plug in, coworkers who see my Volt posts on FB, and a lengthy EV conversation with a guy who parked his EV RAV4 next to me. I didn't know EV RAV4s existed, let alone one like his into which he installed a supercharger port.
 
#32 ·
A couple of years ago I stopped with my new Volt at a rest stop on the NY Thruway. As I got out of the car, a guy caught my eye and said, "How do you like your Volt? Aren't you worried about it catching fire?"

All I could manage in response was "It's a great car!" I really couldn't talk more because the reason for my rest stop was a higher priority at the time.
 
#34 ·
I still remember the 1 guy that told me how my Volt actually cost $90k and that GM was getting all kinds of kickbacks from the government in order to sell it for 40k. I simply went, "Man, I got a helluva a deal buying a $90k for for $30k after the tax credit then!"
 
#36 ·
I still remember the 1 guy that told me how my Volt actually cost $90k and that GM was getting all kinds of kickbacks from the government in order to sell it for 40k. ...
HA, he fell for the oldest trick in the book. Believing what Faux News says. :eek:
 
#37 ·
My car used to get noticed and turned heads but the novelty of the Volt has definitely warn off over the last two years. I think there are enough of them around and enough awareness now and also enough competing products that most people don't pay attention any more. Also, as gas is down considerably, many are not thinking about how much that ol' ice vehicle is costing weekly anymore and cars like the Volt are out of mind.

I am just another car on the road now.

I suspect Teslas are still getting the look though!
 
#39 ·
I most often meet skeptics who inquire what happens when the battery pack needs replacement, assume that I cannot drive in snow with a Volt, fear running-out of range with a plug-in car, and tease me about not having heat in my car during cold snaps. I also get into arguments with those who get angry at the subsidies provided for electric vehicles, since they will not be able to afford a $70,000 car ~ which I respond with a listing of used Volts for about $15,000.
 
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