Comments on: The Chevy Volt May Have a “Calculate Most Efficient Route” Navigation Mode

By: Dan Petit

Dan Petit — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:31:01 +0000

An EXTREMELY HELPFUL feature that would absolutely capture my sale for the ONSTAR option would be “traffic-jam assessment and avoidance”. The time savings in avoiding accident-traffic-jams would really save valuable time, kilowatts, and deep-cycle counts.
Letting me program preferences for ONSTAR to say,

“Mr. Petit, your apparent route currently has a traffic jam if you remain on your current heading”. “It seems your location would cause you a 20 to 30 minute delay” if you need to stay on route IH-35 Northbound.” (A smooth automated voice would be OK). (Voice selection would be critical so that it would not be surprising or irritating or distracting).

Dan Petit, Austin, TX

By: Ed from PA

Ed from PA — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:50:50 +0000

Christopher….

Apparently, with all the misfortunes you mention…. owning a Volt is just like owning a Mac. (No upgrades without $$$)

(In either case… I like my Mac AND the Volt still holds my interest! {Not that I was the one mentioned in your post.})

By: Christopher Price

Christopher Price — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 09:20:45 +0000

#12 I find it hilarious that you drew Macintosh into a debate about hardware upgradability.

Apple has historically had the worst, most hindered, upgrade capacity of any computer company. Try and upgrade the graphics card on your iMac.

Even the iMac that had an upgradable graphics card slot, got blocked by Apple from working.

Unless you spend $2500+ for a Mac, it can’t be upgraded easily. I seriously doubt the Volt will let you upgrade the hardware, swap out the ICE for a different unit, expand the gas tank and/or batteries, etc.

By: Rashiid Amul

Rashiid Amul — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 09:07:08 +0000

The article states,
The Chevy Volt May Have a “Calculate Most Efficient Route” Navigation Mode

————-
This can be a very helpful feature. If I had access to this feature, I would most likely use it. Of course “the most efficient route” can mean different things to different people. Does the “most efficient route” mean distance, or time, or energy, etc?

By: Jscott1000

Jscott1000 — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:15:05 +0000

Also, Since Toyota, Chrysler and Ford do not have On-Star it’s a huge marketing edge for GM to say their plug in hybrid is better because it’s optimized by On Star.

The average person that has driven an On-Star equipped vehicle will swear by it. This board is an oasis of haters of the system.

By: Jscott1000

Jscott1000 — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:08:29 +0000

I don’t understand all the On Star haters. If you can afford a $40,000 car what is another $200/year?

On Star is much more than a GPS. Can a GPS unlock your doors if you lock in your keys? Can a GPS send you an email if your tires are going flat? Can a GPS remind you that it’s time to change your oil?

On Star is already integrated into all the major systems of the car. It is a bit of a pain to have another bill to deal with, but they have multi-year plans and I’m sure you can roll it into the price of the car.

By: RonH

RonH — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 14:25:25 +0000

If the OnStar center(s) also have access to speeds and travel times on ALL roadways — not just freeways as today — I would expect route/charge optimization to be viable. If not, terrain-based info only (hills, etc.) would create minimal value/benefit for the effort. Check out what is happening in Toronto with IntelliOne.

By: zag

zag — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 09:06:30 +0000

Ce modèle est attractif avec la possibilité de rouler 1000 km et en électrique pour les parcours habituels.
je suis en attente de voir le modèle en vente, en France.

By: Eric E

Eric E — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 04:37:54 +0000

While still plugged in, I want to “pre-heat” the interior of my Volt in the winter from inside my home or hotel from any web enabled device.

Like say…my I-Phone.

I certainly DON’T want another Key-Fob!

By: CharlieP

CharlieP — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 02:38:59 +0000

Some very interesting viewpoints above – and a few by folks who seem to be off their meds this week.

It looks like the car’s operation could be maximized with something like an OnStar link. Next best would be a GPS system which would plan charging based on the drivers inputs – like destination. A simpler but less efficient method would be to allow the driver to set the general charging parameters, like “maximize charging” or “minimize charging”", but it might be called “long distance drive” or “short distance drive” instead.

My guess is that GM will probably push the more “automatic” systems, like the OnStar. Most Americans do not like to think or make decisions. That’s also the reason an automatic charging hook-up may be a good feature from a marketing viewpoint.