There has been a lot of pure drivel about the Volt's engineering and performance over the last year. Motor Trend, however, can be counted on for an objective review, after test driving the 2011 Volt for one year and 26,000 miles. Here is its review that matches pretty well my sister's experience: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/alternative/1208_2011_chevrolet_volt_verdict/.
Kim Reynolds writes that, "...the real headline here is nothing ever went wrong with the car. Zip. Zero...it was breathtakingly reliable, given the Volt is...the biggest quantum jump in automotive technology in decades."
It's good to know that an American car company developed this cutting edge vehicle. Motor Trend says the price must come down for it to be a big commercial success and predicts it will.
Motor Trend ends its review by taking a big shot at the "political pundits" cheering for the car's failure and reminding them of the sales history of the Prius, the last car to make the kind of technology jump the Volt has made. The full Motor Trend review is well worth the few minutes it takes.
The Volt is a great concept, and the right car for many. I drive an all electric Nissan Leaf, perfect car for me. It has great power, and charging at home vs. a gas station costs less $, not to mention my time. No emissions, no fumes to breathe in. And yes, it really is no emissions. I have solar panels, and normally choose to charge during the day when solar is able to cover the car and all household needs. There is no rule I know of that says we have to burn oil forever. Oil companies can adapt to renewable energy or become the newest fossils on the planet.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment. Motor Trend obviously is well aware of the Leaf, another major technical advance or innovation. Yet, its reviewer views the Volt as the biggest technological jump. Interesting to me. I don't know enough about cars to know what might explain such a view. Markets are moving and responding to consumers like you. And when markets reach a tipping point the size and extent of change they create is huge and typically surprises.
DeleteThe Volt might be considered as "the biggest technical jump" because it's the first Plug-in hybrid. It's the first of it's kind that can be charged at home and used as a purely electric car around town--and, with it's gas engine, can travel across the country just like any other vehicle.
DeleteThe technology required to combine these two features is of a much higher level, I think, than that of the Leaf.
Thank you for the comment.
DeleteWhat the Volt has achieved is what gas cars have achieved 50 or 80 years ago: it runs without breaking down. Good for it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it can make economic sense when gas reaches $ 10-15 per gallon. Isn't going to happen any time, soon, as your other posts show.