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GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

wsj.com

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Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#11

Post by searine »

jameskilton wrote: post #6

As a 2017 Volt owner, this makes me sad. If they so choose, there could be a huge market for plug-in hybrids, where you get all the benefit of EV for local transit but you still have the fuel backup for long range trips. The infrastructure for a fully EV fleet just isn't there yet to assuage range anxiety, though they are working hard on it. Plug-in Hybrids are the perfect stepping stone to help a society learn how t…

I wouldn't be surprised if the Volt comes back in a few years as a full EV sedan.

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#12

Post by yardie »

Someone1234 wrote: post #2

To fully electric. As the article says, both companies produced these as regulatory compliance vehicles. Now they're shifted that effort over to electric because the incentives are better for them. The only companies trying to make hybrids for real are Toyota and Honda. Everyone else is just pumping out low effort compliance vehicles. It is hardly surprising that these vehicles haven't been hugely successful. I'd lov…

> both companies produced these as regulatory compliance vehicles.

At one point I was completely fascinated with the Fiat 500e. Here was an electric car that was stylish, quirky, and could be had on the used market at a great price. But as I got further into it I realized that FCA hated producing this car. Its only reason to exist is to allow them to produce more pollutant vehicles as a regulatory balance. And if it did have a future there would be the barest minimum invested into it. So I'm back to looking at Teslas, even though I haven't liked the styling since the Lotus designed Roadster.

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#13

Post by Someone1234 »

j2bax wrote: post #9
Someone1234 wrote: post #2

To fully electric. As the article says, both companies produced these as regulatory compliance vehicles. Now they're shifted that effort over to electric because the incentives are better for them. The only companies trying to make hybrids for real are Toyota and Honda. Everyone else is just pumping out low effort compliance vehicles. It is hardly surprising that these vehicles haven't been hugely successful. I'd lov…

Not sure what your mileage needs are, but I recently picked up an off lease 2016 eGolf with 33k miles for $12,500 from the VW dealer as my commuter. Gets about 80 miles to a charge in town/city driving, more than enough for my daily commute. Wife drives the long range ICE family vehicle. Some day I hope to be able to affordably replace that as well!

My mileage needs are low.

Unfortunately they don't/didn't ever sell the e-Golf here. Looking at used car sites the nearest ones are in California (about a two day drive). Still might be worth the drive at those prices (although charging it to get it home might require some pre-planning).

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#14

Post by hnModsRDanger »

lukifer wrote: post #3

> Later, [GM] found some success with the Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid that runs on electric power but also has a backup gas engine. The car was too expensive, though... As a happy Volt owner (I've yet to met one who didn't love theirs), I can't help but wonder if "expensive" is code for "lost service revenue because the thing is too dang low maintenance and reliable". ;)

As someone in automotive, if anything breaks on your car, it's worst case scenario.

In 2019, people don't want their cars to break at all. Even a trivial matter might have you lose a customer.

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#15

Post by hnModsRDanger »

cowmix wrote: post #8
jameskilton wrote: post #6

As a 2017 Volt owner, this makes me sad. If they so choose, there could be a huge market for plug-in hybrids, where you get all the benefit of EV for local transit but you still have the fuel backup for long range trips. The infrastructure for a fully EV fleet just isn't there yet to assuage range anxiety, though they are working hard on it. Plug-in Hybrids are the perfect stepping stone to help a society learn how t…

All my fellow Volt owners who have gone Tesla don't have any range anxiety issues. People that went Bolt have SOME but mostly they are happy with their path too.

The difference is that, with GM, you expect your car to move you.

With Tesla, you are showing off that you bought a luxury vehicle.

It's surveying a different question.

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#16

Post by btilly »

lukifer wrote: post #3

> Later, [GM] found some success with the Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid that runs on electric power but also has a backup gas engine. The car was too expensive, though... As a happy Volt owner (I've yet to met one who didn't love theirs), I can't help but wonder if "expensive" is code for "lost service revenue because the thing is too dang low maintenance and reliable". ;)

No. Expensive is code for, "We lost money selling them, and only bothered because we got tax write-offs."

In short, expensive means expensive. They cost a lot to make.

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#17

Post by jseliger »

btilly wrote: post #16
lukifer wrote: post #3

> Later, [GM] found some success with the Chevy Volt, a plug-in hybrid that runs on electric power but also has a backup gas engine. The car was too expensive, though... As a happy Volt owner (I've yet to met one who didn't love theirs), I can't help but wonder if "expensive" is code for "lost service revenue because the thing is too dang low maintenance and reliable". ;)

No. Expensive is code for, "We lost money selling them, and only bothered because we got tax write-offs." In short, expensive means expensive. They cost a lot to make.

The Volt was also conceived in the late 2000s when gas prices were high. It was partially a hedge against skyrocketing gas prices. Between the first major oil price crisis in the '70s and today, people reliably buy bigger, more polluting cars when oil is cheap and smaller, less polluting cars when oil is expensive.

Fracking may have semi-permanently put a cap on the cost of oil, which is horrific from a global warming standpoint but does seem to have altered what cars most people purchase.

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#19

Post by seabrookmx »

yardie wrote: post #12
Someone1234 wrote: post #2

To fully electric. As the article says, both companies produced these as regulatory compliance vehicles. Now they're shifted that effort over to electric because the incentives are better for them. The only companies trying to make hybrids for real are Toyota and Honda. Everyone else is just pumping out low effort compliance vehicles. It is hardly surprising that these vehicles haven't been hugely successful. I'd lov…

> both companies produced these as regulatory compliance vehicles. At one point I was completely fascinated with the Fiat 500e. Here was an electric car that was stylish, quirky, and could be had on the used market at a great price. But as I got further into it I realized that FCA hated producing this car. Its only reason to exist is to allow them to produce more pollutant vehicles as a regulatory balance. And if it…

> Lotus designed Roadster

One of these passed me on the highway the other day. I've only seen a handful of Lotus in my life and never a Tesla Roadster.. it really is a beautiful little car. Pretty small (and impractical for cargo/passengers I'd imagine) though.

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#20

Post by floatrock »

searine wrote: post #11
jameskilton wrote: post #6

As a 2017 Volt owner, this makes me sad. If they so choose, there could be a huge market for plug-in hybrids, where you get all the benefit of EV for local transit but you still have the fuel backup for long range trips. The infrastructure for a fully EV fleet just isn't there yet to assuage range anxiety, though they are working hard on it. Plug-in Hybrids are the perfect stepping stone to help a society learn how t…

I wouldn't be surprised if the Volt comes back in a few years as a full EV sedan.

Hopefully not as the "Volt". It's a shame the car didn't work out, but the Bolt/Volt naming thing was a source of endless confusion.
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