Image Courtesy Wikipedia

I love the idea of the Chevy Volt on a lot of levels.  I think first it’s about time a major American car company gets towards the front of the idea curve.  I also like the concept that this car runs on electricity primarily.  Hybrids can be great, for example my last post on the VW 1L, but at the end of the day, even some gas is not no gas.  Finally the car was originally designed to be practical, yet edgy, to appeal to a younger crowd.  The kind of crowd that can really push a movement such as this.

Unfortunately what’s good in theory isn’t always the same in practice.

Before I continue… I am not saying the Volt is not a good first step.  I think this car is great in getting the American mindset in a place where conservation is a good thing.  I’m just pointing out that GM may have nto gone far enough in some regards.

The first issue is the distance the Volt can go on a charge - 40 miles.  This is not a practical distance.  Commuters, the people in most desparate need for a break on fuel consumption, typically drive 40 miles or more in most cases.  So you’re stuck relying on gas for some of your journey.  The car does get good fuel mileage after the charge is out, estimated at 50 mpg, but still, it starts to defeat the purpose if you have a long commute and your goal is to not use gas.   So you’re thinking “Andy, even if you drive 65 miles / day, you are using half a gallon of gas only”.  Well, not really, since 50mpg is I’m sure at the top end.  But that’s not the point.  Many people will not have the ability to recharge every day.  Sure, someone who owns a house and has a garage wired for electricity probably won’t have much of a problem, but the people that are geared to buy this, younger, potentially apartment-dwelling individuals, may only be able to charge once a week.  The Tesla roadster, in comparison, can go 200 miles on a charge.  Granted the car is around $100k and has no gas tank, but hey, I didn’t ask the Volt to get me to 60 miles an hour faster than 99% of production vehicles out there either.

My second issue is in vehicle design… the prototype was cool, edgy, something the young generation wants to drive.  The young generation, a very influential group.  These are the people that are hungry for change, or want to be different, and make their mark.  This is the group that will change the mindset of fuel economy and sources in the years to come.  However the image of the prototype didn’t last, and the Volt has been scaled back to a slightly better designed Civic.  I think the car is still good looking, but it’s not making a statement anymore.  It doesn’t stand out from the crowd like it should.  It makes it less different.  That’s one reason people got a Prius, you know that crazy looking thing is not a normal car, and you’re like “Oh, he’s got a Prius”.

Finally the pricepoint is something I wish could have been lowered.  $30k base buys you a lot of car, and I think is a bit high for it to make a huge impact on our roads.  If it could have started around $22k, I think that puts it in a lot more people’s budget, making the impact huge, especially younger people.

So again, I’m quite happy to see GM come out with something different, a breath of fresh air.  I think the idea is incredible.  But I think as they developed it they may have lost sight of what the mission should have been.  Where really good is good enough.  I hope really good will be good enough for this to catch on.  If not, the whole effort will be wasted.