For better or worse, the best evidence we have from GM on EVs is their past behavior on them, which included the requirement that every GM EV customer to have a special outlet wired into every charge location (to use their weird fast charging paddle with NO other options), negative marketing, restrictions on consumers and vehicle distribution and failure to sell even one of them. Based on this real world evidence, the burden is completely on GM to assuage my fears that they will do it all again. Every time they have gotten slack before, they have stabbed the consumer in the back. I’m all for fast charging, but let’s make sure that the Voly ALSO has what it takes to use the existing infrastructire which is already everywhere. So I fully intend to keep holding their feet to the fire on the Volt until I am driving my purchased one down my street. I’ll try to buy mine before you.

Last, you may missed that Dave G already clamed my fears a LITTLE with th epicture from this article:

http://gm-volt.com/2009/01/23/gm-qa-with-bob-kruse-on-the-chevy-volts-batteries/

Lets hope GM will go with common EXISTING plugs, of the sort that have served the USA 100 years! But you know THEY will try to set the “Standard” uncompatable with OTHER EV builders or us home converters? I mean, look at the silly paddle setup on the EV-1? You COULDN”T charge a homemade conversion ANYWAY with THAT setup? Hell! All we want is a 120 volt out let or a240 RV hookup, like you plug your Motorhome in to? Noooo That would be too easy? This “Charging Standard needs to be nipped in the bud!

Sorry, but I’ve been reading and posting to gm-volt.com for almost two years now and I’ve read similar GM conspiracy theories over and over and over again. People watch “Who Killed The Electric Car”, then they show up here breathing fire and assuming the worst. For example, the Volt is just a publicity stunt, the Volt will only be leased so GM can kill it, the Volt will require a leased battery so GM can kill it, the Volt will require OnStar, etc. The conspiracies keep coming, and so far none of them have been true. Back on topic…

The article says nothing about a special consumer-side plug. You honestly think GM is going to require every Volt customer to have a special outlet wired into every charge location? No, I don’t think the folks at GM are that incredibly stupid. Guess we’ll see.

This article is about GM preparing the public. Where I live, there are not millions of public outlets offering free or metered electricity. Most exterior outlets are on private residential/business property, and the owners of those outlets may or may not want me taking their electricity. Some may want to prevent it, and some may want to offer it as an enticement, and some may want to offer it as a metered service. Fast charging may also require new standards and hardware. That’s the “infrastructure” they’re talking about. Chances are most politicians and business owners do not know what’s coming, and that’s what this article is about. GM is just trying to educate the public so they are prepared, and I’d be willing to bet the Volt can charge from any standard 110V or 220V outlet.

So how about we wait for some evidence before we crucify poor GM.

http://gm-volt.com/2009/01/23/gm-qa-with-bob-kruse-on-the-chevy-volts-batteries/

I follow EVs and I totally missed that. Way to have it hidden on the back page (sorry, GM-Volt site).

How come no one set me straight?

Why isn’t GM screaming this from the rooftops (along with the hundreds of mile sof real world range, gas her up, go) instead of making people think there needs to be restrictive, special, new, massive infrastuture in place first and that the Volt runs out of batteries at 40 miles and then has to be recharged overnight (sadly, that’s what many people think after seeing GM’s marketing).

Are there already hundreds of million of existing electrical outlets in public places, businesses, at work, in shopping centers, etc., etc. (NOT just house garages, though most folks who could afford a Volt in the first year WILL own (or rent) houses with garages and/or outside outlets – simple socioeconomics there) that EV drivers just want to use now, as is?

No argument that EVs drivers want more outlets. You missed the point. GM appears to want there to be new, special charging stations which may require plugs that don’t work in existing electrical outlets, thus massively restricting EV use. We simply don’t know if that’s the case ot not, though, because GM refuses to show the consumer end of the plug(s).

What conspiracies? That’s out of left field. When GM is demanding that an entire nation creates new infrastructure before they will put their product on the road, it’s time to send them a reality check. The BYD plug in hybrids are already on the road and have multiple plugs that can work with:
1. regular existing outlets (like our 110)
AND
2. high charge but still common existing outlets (like our 220, for clothes dryers, stoves or air conditioners)
AND
3. super fast, new, special EV charging stations (what kind of electricity the Coloumb stations already in the San Francisco Bay area use, the type of plugs they have and are compatable with, etc. is all consumer critical, useful information missing from the article).

If GM plans to provide ALL 3 of those, I have nothing to say and will quit my whining. So…

SHOW US THE PLUG(S), GM….

“Does everyone own a house with garage to plug in at? No.” That is off topic and does not address the complaint.

“Will people with pure EVs (not just EREV) want more places to plug in at? Yes.” The new vehicle end plug shown in the picture coming off the charger is not clear whether it is a standard female outlet, only covered. This MUST be stated explicitly in articles and by GM, repeatedly, if consumers are not going to be scared off. If it is a standard plug, then I can use it on my existing EV. If it is not, then we have a problem, Houston. So far, all articles, GM PR, test drivers, etc. have been completely silent on this critical issue.

“Did the article mention anything about special EV plugs being required? No.” Neither does it mention that the consumer end plug(s) is (are) a standard plag that works with existing common 110 AND 220 outlets. Nor does it state whether the vehicle end cords from the charging stations have regular female outlets (110 for my EV is prefered by me personally, so I have time to finish my cell phone calls). The article neither confirms nor denies the critical question. We, the consumer, need to know the details, and set GM and cities right if they are getting it wrong. The charging stations pictures I have seen in other articles show only one cord, so I do not know whether to interpret that as being 110 for topping off or ???

“All this griping about conspiracies and bad decisions seems a little premature.” There are more EVs on the road every day worldwide, including the BYD F3DM. GM didn’t seem to think that making a PR release on this topic was premature, so why would you consider wanting useful information, critical for consumer use, to be premature?

Again, a little concrete information goes a long way in resolving uncertainy. Anyone at GM-Volt have any hard info on the consumer end plug(s)?