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Chevy Volt discontinued: Chevrolet's last Volt rolls off the assembly line

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Re: Chevy Volt discontinued: Chevrolet's last Volt rolls off the assembly line

#91

Post by Baeocystin »

CydeWeys wrote: post #16
bsder wrote: post #7

It's a true shame, as GM finally got the little details right on both how the engine was put together as well as the interior fit and finish on the 2017 model. However, it was probably inevitable once batteries got good enough. Removing the combustion engine and replacing it with more batteries probably saves far too much money. The current problem I have with electric vehicles is simply that right now they are "5 ye…

Realistically speaking, how important is it that a car last 20 years? If it only lasts 10 years, which current EVs seem on track for, so what? You're not actually out that much on an annualized basis. And don't forget that years 11 through 20 on an ICE car are quite a bit more expensive maintenance-wise. Depending on how much you drive, two electric cars over 20 years might well be cheaper than one gasoline car lasti…

I drive a 20-year old Jeep, and frankly I don't see why I couldn't for another 20 if I felt like it. It's really nice to have dirt cheap insurance and no car payment. Lots of folks feel this way, too, because new cars are very expensive vs median income compared to how things were in the past.

Re: Chevy Volt discontinued: Chevrolet's last Volt rolls off the assembly line

#92

Post by avs733 »

chrisseaton wrote: post #27
avs733 wrote: post #18

>It's a true shame, as GM finally got the little details right on both how the engine was put together as well as the interior fit and finish on the 2017 model. Completely agree. I leased a first gen and am now leasing a second gen volt. I'm actually considering buying my current car at the end of the lease. As a bike commuter, it is my only vehicle, which is why I went the hybrid rather than full electric route. The…

> the shifter physical design was moronic The gear shifter? I thought electric cars didn't have those? I thought they were push-pedal-and-go like a go-kart?

https://gm-volt.com/2010/07/21/chevrolet-volt-shifter-narrow...

The version on prototypes was super super awkward. The production version still made you have to insert your hand into a hole to shift into or out of park.

I cut myself on the big plastic surround of that part of the console

Re: Chevy Volt discontinued: Chevrolet's last Volt rolls off the assembly line

#93

Post by whatshisface »

krrrh wrote: post #69
jdietrich wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

See page 42 of the source report. UBS and Munro predict a 33% reduction in battery costs due to broader industry pricing trends, with a further reduction of 10-25% on powertrain components due to economies of scale and technology improvements. The report argues that the Bolt is already profitable on a contribution basis (sale price - cost of goods sold), meaning that GM make money on every Bolt they sell. What makes…

If demand is so high it seems like they could achieve profitability just by raising the price.

Any barrel of oil you produce will find a buyer, but if you sell it for one dollar more than the market price the number of people interested in doing business with you will drop from millions to zero instantly. That's what it means for something to be a commodity. Cars are not quite as bad, but at the same time each car isn't exactly an artisan masterstroke with no substitute.

Re: Chevy Volt discontinued: Chevrolet's last Volt rolls off the assembly line

#94

Post by mrep »

ilikehurdles wrote: post #28
jaytaylor wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder what will change between now and 2025 to enable profitability on Bolts?

A military conflict or global crisis driving up the price of gasoline.

I highly doubt that. The US is now the largest producer of oil [0], it looks to keep growing, and "A 2016 conservative estimate set the total world resources of oil shale equivalent to yield of 6.05 trillion barrels (962 billion cubic metres) of shale oil, with the largest resource deposits in the United States accounting for more than 80% of the world total resource. For comparison, at the same time the world's proven oil reserves are estimated to be 1.6976 trillion barrels (269.90 billion cubic metres)" [1].

[0]: https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=37053

[1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_shale_reserves

Re: Chevy Volt discontinued: Chevrolet's last Volt rolls off the assembly line

#96

Post by cwyers »

rossdavidh wrote: post #24

Somehow, I am kind of reminded of GM's Saturn division. 1) make a concept 2) consumers like it 3) but GM can't make it cheaply enough, or sell it at a price that reflects it's cost 4) so they end the model and close the plant I have the impression that what is wrong with GM is not the Volt, or the old Saturn for that matter, but rather the people who run the company.

The story of Saturn is a lot more complicated than that, and it seems like corporate (and union) politics played a much bigger role than the profitability of the cars:

https://www.newsweek.com/how-gm-crushed-saturn-77093

Re: Chevy Volt discontinued: Chevrolet's last Volt rolls off the assembly line

#97

Post by byw »

gok wrote: post #70
hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Completely disagree. I have a Volt, and having a gas engine is not a "little benefit" to me. It's a huge benefit, despite the fact that one tank of gas lasts me about 6 months on average. I never have to worry about running out of electric charge and trying to find a charger, and I can go on long trips without having to worry about whether or not I have the range.

So why bother with an electric at all?

Regenerative braking, significantly simpler drivetrain, pure electric for the cities.

Only problem I have is they use normal car engines as range extenders. Could've gone with a simpler/cheaper wankel or microturbine optimized for high RPM, but I guess it's quicker to slap on an engine you already have.

Re: Chevy Volt discontinued: Chevrolet's last Volt rolls off the assembly line

#98

Post by chaostheory »

brightball wrote: post #35
felipemnoa wrote: post #2

>>Sales averaged less than 20,000 per year, not enough to sustain the costly undertaking. That to me sounds like a decent number. I guess they were selling them at a loss.

They also never advertised it at all. The only people who knew about them either researched them or heard about them from word of mouth. The total absense of advertising for a vehicle that so many people loved has always reeked of lack of commitment from one side of the house. That doesn’t even factor in how Chevy dealerships would actively try to talk you out of them.

They did do an initial advertising blitz but it was just terrible. I do not understand why they couldn’t do better commercials

Re: Chevy Volt discontinued: Chevrolet's last Volt rolls off the assembly line

#99

Post by rapsey »

mrep wrote: post #94
ilikehurdles wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A military conflict or global crisis driving up the price of gasoline.

I highly doubt that. The US is now the largest producer of oil [0], it looks to keep growing, and "A 2016 conservative estimate set the total world resources of oil shale equivalent to yield of 6.05 trillion barrels (962 billion cubic metres) of shale oil, with the largest resource deposits in the United States accounting for more than 80% of the world total resource. For comparison, at the same time the world's prov…

How are those two related? A panicked futures market during a war can drive up the price.

Re: Chevy Volt discontinued: Chevrolet's last Volt rolls off the assembly line

#100

Post by hollerith »

eMSF wrote: post #84
FraaJad wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

only in california. i paid 2.19/gallon last time I filled gas in midwest.

Yeah, only in California. (Anything below 6 USD/gal is quite cheap here.)

Uh, I live in California, and all the signs I see here say $3.something for gas.
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