GM has touted the 2011 Chevrolet Volt as a plug-in electric and you can clearly see the claim by GM that the Volt is powered only by electricity in the video below. Are they trying to lead us down the garden path? Some within the auto industry say that claims are misleading and wonder what makes the Volt, that has a gasoline engine, different from a hybrid like the Prius. The Volt's 1.4 liter gasoline engine is supposed to extend the drive and operate the drive system until the battery can be recharged. Electric cars don't have gasoline engines, right? So, it's a hybrid? According to U.S. News & World Reports, GM defends its claim by saying that the gasoline engine can't power the wheels independently of the electric motor.
Doesn't it seem like a gasoline engine assist would be something that an automaker would prefer to highlight rather than gloss over? The New York Times reports that a GM executive explains that the gasoline engine wasn't publicized to protect the technology while patents were being obtained.
Do you think that GM is playing word games or do you think the media is stirring up unwarranted controversy? Or are you simply confused?
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Comments: 11
Its almost as if they want to fail, again.
If I understand correctly, and what I find interesting about it, is that is uses electricity exclusively for the first 40 miles or so, then switches to gas only when the batteries are too low to run longer distances. Since the average commute is less than 40 miles for the majority of drivers in normal usage between charges, the gasoline engine may end up being used very infrequently. It gives the ability to commute daily on electricity, yet has the range for longer trips that a gasoline powered car has such as on vacations etc.
The big drawback is price of course, as well as no history as to how it will perform in the long run, reliability, etc. yet. Guess we'll see....
I hope that prices will come down for plug ins. They do have potential to reduce our use of gasoline for transportation. Gasoline trnsportation made sense 40 years ago. in the current situation of middle east politics, climate change, and balance of payments, it does not make sense any more. We are doing it because it used to make sense, not because it does now.