GM is ending production of the Chevy Volt(theverge.com)
theverge.com
GM is ending production of the Chevy Volt
https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/26/18112536/gm-layoffs-factory-closing-ending-production-chevy-volt
8 comments
Previous discussion: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18530413.
I owned a 2017 Chevrolet Volt for a little over a year. It was a great car and it is the main reason I ended up buying the Tesla Model 3. The Volt was my training wheels move into an EV, I had the full benefits of an EV with the safety of never have range issues.
I just got addicted to the EV part and found myself always trying to better my range. My commute is roughly 54 miles round trip which is in line with the EPA 53 miles range the Volt has. In mild weather, say 55F+ I could make that trip and have six to ten miles to spare. Winter with temperatures near freezing or below I fell back on the gasoline motor.
However also notice that GM is doing away with its platform mate, the Chevrolet Cruze, and that is the bigger story. Ford already state they are dropping many of their sedans and GM is dropping the Cruze as well as the Impala, the later is from the plant closing in Canada.
I just got addicted to the EV part and found myself always trying to better my range. My commute is roughly 54 miles round trip which is in line with the EPA 53 miles range the Volt has. In mild weather, say 55F+ I could make that trip and have six to ten miles to spare. Winter with temperatures near freezing or below I fell back on the gasoline motor.
However also notice that GM is doing away with its platform mate, the Chevrolet Cruze, and that is the bigger story. Ford already state they are dropping many of their sedans and GM is dropping the Cruze as well as the Impala, the later is from the plant closing in Canada.
Yes, I suspect the dropping of the Volt is more about no longer having a platform to build that specific model on.
I haven't dug into the news, but I'd be surprised if we've seen the end of the Voltec hybrid powertrain - we'll probably just see it in cute-utes.
I haven't dug into the news, but I'd be surprised if we've seen the end of the Voltec hybrid powertrain - we'll probably just see it in cute-utes.
More to do with only selling about 300 per month, and sales dropping year over year.
I think the success of pure EV vehicles is making PHEVs increasingly irrelevant—especially for sedans, where obtaining a 200+ mile range is becoming more and more economical.
I'm been looking for an attractive affordable electric SUV for a while, and while the upcoming Kona Electric looks promising, it still has some glaring issues, like being an only front-wheel drive SUV. It's been reported that Ford is going to make an electric Escape, so I guess we'll see if they can match the range of Hyundai.
That is a shame. When my old car died I wanted to buy one but I was living in an apartment without a garage. I went with a Prius instead. I don't drive much and not very far, so I'd likely be in their ideal use case of someone who mostly uses the battery with the occasional need for the generator to charge it back up. I always thought it was a superior system to both short range EVs like the Leaf, and conventional hybrids like the Prius.