Why the Chevy Volt will sell much better in 2012
Chevy Volt sales will spike in 2012.
HOV lane access will trump non-existent fire worries
Everyone that follows Chevy Volt and plug-in news closely knows that the fire concerns around the Volt’s battery pack have been blown out of proportion. I think even the politicians leading the charge in the Congressional investigation into the Volt know the Volt is safe. This is about politics and the NHTSA’s handling of its Volt crash testing.
Still, the Volt’s image has been tarnished and it is affecting sales in some areas, but 2012 will be a much better year for Volt sales than was 2011.
Why will Volt sales be better in 2012?
Greater distribution will certainly help, but just as with hybrids, there are only a few real key markets for plug-in sales today, and that shouts loud and clear, California! And since the 2012 Volt will soon qualify for HOV, or carpool lane, access in California, interest will jump especially when coupled with all the tax incentives.
Unfortunately, however, I doubt greater distribution and HOV access will be enough to achieve GM’s 45,000 US sale’s goal for 2012. Even if the battery fire had never ignited, GM’s sale’s goals for this year seemed overly lofty without significantly more government help and fleet sales — which I’m not fully counting out just yet. The numbers, however, just won’t add up if based on individual retail sales.
Personally, I’d be impressed with anything over 30,000, which I believe is possible.
Next year will be a much better year for the Volt, but unless Iran can shut down the Straits of Hormuz for an extended period of time, consumers need a bit more time and a few price reductions before a real big uptick in plug-in sales is possible.
The reasons why smart people do not buy Electric or Hybrid cars are: Batteries are expensive, short lived, efficiency isn’t 100 % and the electricity is not free. Going electric you won’t decrease Air Pollution because 50 % of the electricity is produced by burning COAL. By the way a Jetta Diesel, TDI for $23000 makes 40MPG. With a full tank of Chevy Volt, driving non-stop, you make 37MPG, plus $3 or more, the price of electricity you charged 16.0-kW-hr lithium-ion, the hefty $10000 of the 750-pound battery pack.
KP,
In AZ, they have ended their HOV access for any new hybrids or EV’s. The only way I could get HOV access was if I had transferred a license plate from an existing vehicle that qualified for HOV access under the old program.
When Obama was elected, he took Gov. Janet Napolitano to be head of homeland security and Jan Brewer replaced her. Since then, hard core conservatives have been in charge. They have been steadily eliminating these types of programs that were implemented under Gov. Napolitano. HOV access for new hybrids and EV’s ended in 2010. In 2011 they eliminated photo radar. Last week they eliminated the CA emissions standards.
Motorcycles still qualify for HOV access in AZ.
Luckily for me, I live in central Phoenix and don’t have to deal with bumper to bumper traffic at rush hour. I’m opposite the flow of traffic.
Larry,
Partial charging works fine. I can charge it for less than the full time without issue. I have done this a few times when I came home for only an hour or two, then went back out.
Downsides? The biggest downside is the cost.
Other downsides?
- The console panel is not that user friendly. If it were a PC I would say it was a Microsoft product, not an Apple product.
- Not having the 5th seat is an issue occasionally, but not that often for me. It could be for others.
- The seats are not power seats. If the Volt is supposed to compete with BMW & Lexus, you would expect power seats. They are heated seats however, which can save power and increase range.
- The XM radio antenna is not that strong. I do lose connection when going under bridges sometimes. I have seen better performance from other vehicles with built in XM.
- The front grill is pretty low and scrapes the ground often. GM offers an alternative grill for free that is a little higher. I haven’t decided if I want this or not as it may decrease the range slightly.
- The hatchback occasionally doesn’t close properly. You need to make sure to slam it.
- There is no spare tire. There is an on board tire pump, and the tires have two layers. A lot of new vehicles are coming like this to save weight. I have ON Star road side assistance if it gets too bad….
All in all, these are pretty minor issues though…
Good to hear positive stories about the Volt. In states that get their electricity from renewable forms, electric vehicles should be aloud in HOV regardless of number of passengers.
Thinking in terms of mileage per rider is a better concept for HOV acceptance to my way of thinking. 2 riders in a truck getting 15 mpg is still only 30 mpgpp compared with one in a Prius getting 50 mpg (and 50 mpgpp). My 45 mpg motorcycle is a legit HOV vehicle here in PA. Make an HOV access sticker part of the annual registration process for a vehicle. Its color or number could indicate the number of passengers required for HOV use. Dealers could advertise that as part a sales pitch to move more fuel efficient car sales. “What’s it worth to you to shave 10-15 minutes off your drive time each way every day?”
thanks for the update Smurf. VERY exciting hear an actual owner experience.
How about the downsides? there has to be some…
on the recharge.. dumb question.. It’s cool you can recharge in 4 hours. Does that mean you could get 1/2 charge in 2 hours?
I’m glad you used the crystal red one in the photo. It looks so much better than silver in my opinion.
Volt Update:
After nearly two months, I’ve put 1500 miles on the Volt. The only gasoline miles were the road trip I took to Tucson. The engine has not engaged once in the month of January. My official mileage is 250+ mpg.
I’ve been playing around with putting the Volt in “L” instead of “D”. In this mode, the regenerative breaking kicks in harder as soon as you ease up on the accelerator. It gives you “one pedal driving”, and improved range. The Tesla roadster operates in a similar fashion. It takes some getting used to. I haven’t decided if I prefer this to “D” which operates more like a traditional car.
I got my 240V blink charging station installed this weekend. I got this free as part of a research project. (Another perk for being an early adopter). Now the Volt charges in 4 hours.
I went on a business trip last week in Wisconsin and rented a Jeep Liberty. I was really pleased when I got back. I really missed the smooth and quiet ride of the Volt.
My wife drove the Volt while I was away. She gets it now. She also feels it was worth the extra money. She told me every time she went out, people were asking her about it…