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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

#61

Post by happycube »

ecpottinger wrote: post #41
MegaButts wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you a product manager, a marketer, an accountant, an engineer, or what? I've often been surprised to find out how the sausage is made in most businesses where I quickly learned making the best product is rarely a goal (and sometimes this is actually the right decision since you should focus on "good enough" for most applications) and that planned obsolescence is a real thing. In the case of autos, many of the dea…

All I can say, as a person who has been interested in electric cars for some time, when I went to my local GM dealer I was surprised at how much lies he used to try and discourage me from buying a Bolt. Worse, when he started saying there were no local charger available he refuse to do a web search to prove his point since the last time I looked there were plenty available locally. I just walked out, on the other han…

That kinda dealer/salesman would've hated you for paying cash as well...

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#62

Post by yardie »

rconti wrote: post #46
yardie wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

Why does it matter to you, as the consumer, that FCA hated producing the car? It's still cheap to buy and operate.

Because I want them to do better.

As an environmentalist this vehicle goes against my ethics. It exists to allow them to sell more pollutant vehicles in California. It's all sizzle and no steak. There are better EVs out there. Most car manufacturers will take customer feedback to incorporate into newer models. FCA is having none of that with the 500e. They aren't interested in customer feedback just government CAFE regs.

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#63

Post by WorldMaker »

rootusrootus wrote: post #34
searine wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

I would rather they upsized it slightly. The Volt is essentially a Cruze body with a different drivetrain, and it is pretty small. I looked at buying one but banging my head on the roof on my way to sit down made me rethink the plan. It doesn't even need to be that much bigger, maybe just taller. A Prius, by comparison, is pretty spacious.

The Gen 1 Volt wasn't just a Cruze body and was a hatchback closer to the "cross-over" territory that is currently all the rage for them. For cost cutting GM moved the Gen 2 Volt into a Cruze body, and then GM killed the Gen 2 Volt for not being a cross-over or hatchback.

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#64

Post by elorant »

jedberg wrote: post #58

I'm trying to replace my 2012 SUV with another SUV. I've been looking all over for a plug in hybrid SUV, and there aren't any good ones. I want the plug in hybrid because 95% of the time we do less than 30 miles locally, but once in a while we drive a couple hundred. I would be fine with an all electric SUV with a decent range, but those don't exist either. The model X is not sufficient, and is also terrible for ever…

Mitsubishi has a plugin hybrid SUV. It's called Outlander PHEV.

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#65

Post by malyk »

jedberg wrote: post #58

I'm trying to replace my 2012 SUV with another SUV. I've been looking all over for a plug in hybrid SUV, and there aren't any good ones. I want the plug in hybrid because 95% of the time we do less than 30 miles locally, but once in a while we drive a couple hundred. I would be fine with an all electric SUV with a decent range, but those don't exist either. The model X is not sufficient, and is also terrible for ever…

Yeah, this is what I don't understand, but maybe it's because my wife and I are a one car and mostly public transit oriented family.

What I want: A hybrid electric with ~40 miles of battery and a 300mi gas tank for longer trips

What Auto Manufacturers assume (I'm guessing): 2 car households where one is 100% electric and the other 100% gas.

Seems to me like the plug in hybrid is the best of all worlds. Everyone can use battery for all the short trips we do and we don't make any compromises for our long distance needs.

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#67

Post by kube-system »

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". ;)

Did they mean expensive to produce, or an expensive price tag (or both)? The Volt was a good car, but it was a $17,000 premium over something like the Prius when it launched. Even with price cuts for later model years, it was still not an easy sell for a buyer focused on economy.

I think it would have sold a lot better if they had positioned it as a more upscale vehicle to match the asking price, or at least had given it some other value proposition beyond economy. I've never been able to figure out exactly who the target market for the Volt was.

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#68

Post by sho_hn »

jedberg wrote: post #58

I'm trying to replace my 2012 SUV with another SUV. I've been looking all over for a plug in hybrid SUV, and there aren't any good ones. I want the plug in hybrid because 95% of the time we do less than 30 miles locally, but once in a while we drive a couple hundred. I would be fine with an all electric SUV with a decent range, but those don't exist either. The model X is not sufficient, and is also terrible for ever…

How do you feel about the EQC?

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#69

Post by dawnerd »

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!

You can get a 2019 eGolf for about the same price. Dealers are willing to negotiate big time.

I got mine almost two months ago for 10k off msrp + state and federal.

Re: GM, Volkswagen Say Goodbye to Hybrid Vehicles

#70

Post by dawnerd »

flyingfences wrote: post #53
rootusrootus wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At a supercharger/equivalent. We're getting to the point where EVs have enough range that they can be charged on nearly the same schedule as a gas car is refueled.

Recharging after the same intervals isn't enough. How long does it take to charge? Do I have to spend an hour standing around at the "pump" each week, whereas a gas pump takes two minutes?

DC fast charging is pretty fast to be fair. If you change your habits you likely wouldn't notice. Charge up while shopping or eating.
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