http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/11/shocker-chevy-says-volts-gas-engine-can-power-the-wheels-its/ "Interesting news from General Motors today that's resulted in some puzzled expressions at Engadget HQ. We've learned that the Volt, which Chevrolet has been making quite a fuss about calling an "extended range electric vehicle," is actually just a traditional hybrid with some... potentially misleading marketing behind it. Since the concept stage the company has been saying how the onboard internal combustion engine was just to charge the batteries, that only the electric motors (there are two) are actually connected to the drivetrain. Indeed that's what we were told in person when we test drove the thing back in March. We're now learning that is not the case, that the Volt's gasoline engine can directly provide power to the wheels in concert with the electric motors. Is that a problem? In terms of efficiency the answer is "apparently not," as we're guessing the car would not have been designed this way if it weren't the most frugal way to go. So, why all the deception? Why insist this isn't just a hybrid when it apparently is? When the company went looking for a government bailout it was in part awarded one because of the innovation shown in the Volt. Now that we're learning the Volt is basically just a plug-in hybrid with a bigger than average battery pack (Popular Mechanics is finding 30-odd miles of purely electric range), we're left wondering: where's the innovation?"
Agreed, i leased a brand new cavalier Z24 when i was going to university and you would expect something like that to be a cheap piece of shit, but by the time i was done driving it 4 years later i had fixed almost every screw on the car, seats wouldnt go back or foreword, side panels falling off, mirrors falling off, engine breaking down regularly, Hell my automatic keys even stopped working at one point, My electronic windows stopped rolling up or down at one point...it was the biggest dud car i have ever seen, with other friends cars included. I had friends who drove 10 year old cars that had less problems then this piece, and the thing was bran new. I will never understand why those things were so popular with young people, i guess it goes back to the old saying, You can shear a sheep many times, but skin him only once, Chev seems to have missed this message, and most of the american manufacturing sector seems to have missed this message. I would imagine there are alot of people willing to tolerate a somewhat shitty car, but the second you go through something like i had with this car, there is no way i would even consider it. Couple all that with the fact that Chev is stealing our money to give to union thugs, who can not live without government dollars and i want nothing to do with them, ever again. I leased a Taurus after that and it wasnt the greatest car, but atleast the thing wasnt falling apart the entire time i drove it. If ford put out something decent that i actually felt like driving i might consider it again, just cause they avoided bailouts but they pretty much produce the same pieces of shit, only a little better.
The piece has been updated, it is just good engineering, apparently providing a limp home mode: "The Motor Trend story we've linked to provides the cleanest explanation differentiating Chevy's technology from that used by Toyota on the Prius. Basically, the Volt's ICE is coupled to the ring gear within the transmission, which at highway speed (we're hearing reports of between 60 and 70mph) spins up to provide direct mechanical power when the batteries are near depleted. This is important because this is exactly when electric motors are least efficient. Again, this is also contrary to what we were told before, that the ICE would only spin up on-demand to provide extra juice to the electric motor."
The Duramax diesel trucks also have a good reputation and their 1/2 gasoline trucks are good also. And if you want a diesel pickup American made is your only option.
Agreed. After a handful of American and a Volvo, I prefer good Japanese cars, which are usually built here anyway...