Honda has finally jumped into the ring with its very own pure EV production offering.
At the LA Autoshow, the Japanese automaker unveiled the Honda Fit EV concept. The electric version of the popular car will have lithium ion batteries and a 100 mile driving range. More importantly, Honda is committed to bring the vehicle to market. It will go into production in 2012 for both the US and Japanese markets.
Styling will be based on the current Honda Fit and likewise has room for 5 passengers and cargo. The production model will differ in appearance to the concept shown this week.
The vehicle’s high density coaxial motor is the same one that’s used in the Honda Clarity fuel cell vehicle and will offer a top speed of 90 mph. Honda say the 100 mile EV range is based in the US LA4 cycle and will actually be reduced to 70 miles after EPA adjustment.
The Fit EV has three driving modes; normal, sport and economy which were derived from the settings of the current CR-Z hybrid. Economy mode will increase range by 17% compared to normal mode, and 25% compared to sport mode. In sport mode the car will accelerate similarly to an ICE Fit with a 2.0 L engine.
Like other EVs the Fit EV will have a driving efficiency coaching gauge on the dash and an alert telling the driver to turn off accessory loads like AC for when range become critically low. The Fit EV will also offer connected features like satellite navigation and a charging station finder as well as mobile apps for remote charge monitoring, notification alerts, and remote cabin conditioning.
Charging from depleted to full is expected to take 12 hours at 120-v and 6 hours at 240-v.
In addition to demonstrating the pure EV, Honda also announced it would begin producing a plugin hybrid as well in 2012. Though no vehicle was displayed, the drivetrain was outlined.
It will consist of two electric motors, a gas engine, and a 6 kwh lithium-ion battery. Three driving states are utilized; electric only, combined gas-electric and gas engine only. The vehicle will be capable of from 10-15 miles electric only, with a top pure electric speed of 62 mph. The engine is a 4-cylinder 2.0 L Atkinson with CVT.
To support these electrification efforts Honda will begin an advanced technology demonstration program later this year in which Google will be a partner.
Though a little late to the party Honda has finally admitted electric cars are a good idea, a long cry from the CEOs denouncement of GMs plans for the Volt back in 2007. Now all the top five US market automakers have officially announced production electric car programs, and a world without oil moves closer still.
Source (Honda)
This entry was posted on Sunday, November 21st, 2010 at 8:47 am and is filed under BEV, Competitors, PHEV. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
+14
Nov 21st, 2010 (8:51 am)The more, the merrier! We just keep getting more & more manufacturers confirming they believe the electrification of automobiles is the future of automobiles. And Honda has the experience of the Clarity’s drive train, so perhaps they can meet their goal of being in production by 2012.
Ohhh, and I can’t resist saying this car is pretty well styled!
—at least it doesn’t look like a catfish! ;o)
.
+13
Nov 21st, 2010 (8:53 am)It looks like Honda had to fire Fukui to finally get in the BEV/EREV game. It is amazing just how clueless he looked. He makes Lutz look like a visionary. Well, I guess Lutz was a visionary, but Lutz did say rather stupid stuff from time to time. Both Honda and Toyota have dragged their feet on this, and Ford has done little better. It sure seems that Nissan and GM have the early lead, I hope they both build on it quickly. More EREV models (MPV5/6passenger) and reducing the MSRP in the 2012 models would be a nice start…
I can’t wait for the battery pack prices to drop to the point where we have some BEV AER’s in the 160-200 mile range.
Nov 21st, 2010 (8:59 am)OMG, another Prius. Too bad Japan has a national speed limit of 62 mph (100 kph)
+11
Nov 21st, 2010 (9:03 am)The more the merrier! Competition is a great force to sharpen/improve the products available – though my totally unbiased view is that we have yet to see an actual competitor for the Volt. Let’s just hope that GM continues its sprint to provide “best in class” vehicles and broadens its offerings to maintain (or increase) the lead. JMO.
Be well and believe,
Tagamet
Let’s Just Get The VOLTS ‘ Wheels On The Road!!****NPNS
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (9:06 am)I disagree —this car looks MUCH BETTER than either the Prius OR the Leaf (ugh…I just threw up in my mouth)! BTW, what does Japan’s 100kph speed limit have to do with the price of tea in China (or the top speed of EVs to be sold in the US)? Hey that was my line, Tag: “The more the merrier”!
Nov 21st, 2010 (9:09 am)I think that’s why the HSD was designed to top out at only 62 mph (100 kph) all electric.
+3
Nov 21st, 2010 (9:17 am)You have to paddle pretty hard to catch a wave that has already gone by. I don’t see it happening with these two concepts: a lesser Leaf and a lesser Volt. The PHEV may take some sales from the plug-in Prius however, depending on how they implement the concept. 70 mile real world, BOL BEV is a lesser than car, similar to the iMiEV but a little less than the Leaf. It will have win on price and only be chasing the BEV small city run about market. I don’t think the price as first priority will be a large part of the BEV small city run-a-bout nor will this market be that big to begin with (at least in the US). The Leaf and RAV4 are larger and with more range. It looks good for the Volt and Model S (if Tesla can deliver on it). They both look to have no real direct competition for the near term.
+10
Nov 21st, 2010 (9:26 am)New idea for Volt commercial:
Show a customer struggling with deciding between a Prius and a 320i. Perhaps have a green devil on one shoulder and a red devil on the other bickering in each ear for their favorite. The green one extolls the reduction in consumption and emissons. The red one extolls the luxury and performance. They each redicule the other’s likes. Then the customer sees the Volt and the devils embrace, each extolling their views as they apply to the Volt.
+4
Nov 21st, 2010 (9:28 am)These latest BEV’s have one thing in common, and that is range. 100 miles will have owners screaming for more range, but who will accommodate them? One article has a clue and here is the quote:
“Not to be outdone, Toyota showed off its new, electric RAV4, which will be available next year. The automaker will pay $60 million for Tesla Motors to develop powertrain components for the vehicle. Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said separately that he would be disappointed if the RAV4 didn’t have a range of 150 miles, which is significantly higher than the 100-mile range that Toyota has said it would get.”
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-autoshow-notebook-20101118,0,3637952.story
Other than the superior range capability of the GM Volt, the latest BEV manufacturers seem to be stuck in a rut. That’s just where their vehicles may be if they don’t take Musk’s advice and build in more range.
+15
Nov 21st, 2010 (9:43 am)Sorry Honda but I’m saying fail. I’m glad that they are at least trying, but this isn’t nearly good enough to compete with what will be on the market soon.
This car achieved a 100 mile range using the EPA LA-4 cycle, the MINI-E did 156 miles using the same LA-4 cycle and real world testing proved that that only translated to 100-110 miles. So expect 65-70 miles per charge in this car which will be drastically lower than a LEAF or a Focus EV which will be the fits two main competitors. This may fly in Tokyo but not anywhere in the US except the most congested, urban cities we have and even then, why buy this if there are at lease two better BEV options?
+6
Nov 21st, 2010 (9:46 am)It’s about time that Honda jumped into the BEV fray. Honda makes excellent IC engines and generators. I couldn’t beleive they didn’t see an application for them in cars. The styling is nice, but if past designs hold, it will be small for all you big guys out there. Jumping in now makes them seem like a “me too” company and it’ll take a few years to catch up.
This announcement just makes the Volt seem all the more deserving of this years awards. Congratulations again to the GM team!!
Awaiting delivery of VIN #63!
+3
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:02 am)Yes, I like it! There is definitely a place for cars with 70 mile ranges. So many people rarely go more than 20 miles in a day. Just a few years ago people around here, San Diego coast, were driving modified golf carts around town just to avoid using gas. I asked one about it and he said he had to stay near home because he couldn’t go faster than 25mph and outside town you had to be able to go 40mph. The other Honda offering with the 2 electric motors and the gas engine will be competition for the Volt on technology but not styling.
I have only owned Hondas since 1984 (3 total). I currently drive a 93 Civic. At 240,000 miles, that bad boy starts up every morning without any pause, amazing. This will be replaced by my long awaited Volt which was confirmed built last week (#135).
Honda jumping in is obviously a very good thing for the environment, for fuel independence and to just push the technology to get better and better through competition.
+24
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:05 am)I see nothing close to as good as a Volt.
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:14 am)The Honda Hybrid Plug in seems even more of a clone of the Prius PHV than the Volt. At least the Volt had a significantly larger battery. Two motors, top EV speed 62, etc, etc.
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:27 am)It is wise for Honda to leverage their drivetrain from the Clarity FCV. The more of these PHEV’s they sell, the cheaper the Clarity gets. Finally, a major automaker puts a CVT in their alt propulsion vehicle.
Ford is likely to license their PHEV tech, just as they licensed their hybrid tech.
+4
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:27 am)More Japanese EVs will help their national drivers and their environment, so this is good news for their local markets. But if those cars have more local demand, then less will come to the U.S., where the Volt will domain. This is another warning to GM that more Volts and Voltec models have to come into our market before the Japanese play catch up and manufacture more of their EVs that will satisfy their local market and sell the surplus to us.
Although GM wants to gain international market share with the Ampera, they have to fulfill our local needs first. GM may be a slimmed down “elephant” (due to its size and slowness to move), but when that “elephant” gains speed, they can trample all of the foreign competitors. Only those crazy imported car fanatics will continue to support those foreign competitors.
This is one more reason GM has to start early (with the teen drivers) and move faster.
Raymond
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:28 am)They’ll have to fire-sale price these to sell many. Now that the GM IPO is done, I hope GM puts the pedal to the metal with their electric programs.
+3
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:33 am)+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:38 am)I hope GM is working hard on their Chevy Cruze BEV.
http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/news/news_detail.brand_gm.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2010/Sept/0918_korea
http://media.gm.com/content/Pages/news/us/en/2010/Sept/0918_korea/_jcr_content/rightpar/sectioncontainer_0/par/download/file.res/Cruze%20BEV_static.jpg
I hope the Cruze is optimally tweaked and designed to be an excellent BEV that can compete with the EVs coming from Honda, Toyota, and Hyundai. Everyone knows that Honda, Toyota and Hyundai are capable of catching up on electric car technology in a hurry. GM needs to make sure they STAY ahead of them with their electric car technology. They better not take anything for granted and get complacent.
I just saw pictures of the new Hyundai Sonata Hybrid a few days ago.
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1010_2011_hyundai_sonata_hybrid/index.html
Gotta admit, the exterior design looks pretty good. GM needs to recruit the very best exterior designers they can get their hands on. Let’s face it, the “coolness factor” of the exterior and interior DOES matter.
+3
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:52 am)There’s probably a decent sized market in America for some people who are willing to live with “range anxiety”. For places like Hawaii and Puerto Rico, a BEV is just fine. The people there can’t go on long road trips that have a large variety of destinations that might not have charging infrastructure. Overseas, there’s probably plenty of places where a BEV is all people will need. There’s a lot of island nations out there like Taiwan, Singapore and in Indonesia you know. GM needs to get their share of those sales.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_island_countries
Once we have “economies of scale” and the batteries get cheaper, lighter, more energy density and so forth we could see affordable 200 mile range electric cars. I think once you get up to 200 miles of range for a car priced in the $20,000 range, you’ll REALLY start to see BEVs get popular.
Electric cars with batteries that can be charged up in 5-10 minutes and still last a long time will be a game changer too. With quick charging, having a huge battery with 200 miles of range isn’t as much of a big deal … assuming you have charging infrastructure everywhere.
I bet those island nations will be a good place to see how BEVs will work with charging infrastructure as convenient as gas stations are today. Those places are where “Better Place” and the charger companies should focus on. It’s a good place for “pilot projects”. Places like Singapore, Taiwan, and Hawaii have people with plenty of money and are probably willing to try electric cars.
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:53 am)Despite how GM can clearly see demand is much higher than their supply, until Oil gets over $100 a barrel, GM will surely want to keep demand higher than supply. They will be able to make plenty per vehicle and manage the ramping up of their volumes in a more efficient manner.
As much as we’d like GM to have 3 EREV and a couple BEV models for sale in 2 years with a combined million units per year, its going to take 5 years and 100+/barrel oil for that to happen.
The 2008 oil spike was the wakeup call to get where we are today with all these EVs coming to market, but it will take the next oil spike to bring up the demand, ramped up production continued technological improvemets, and economies of scale needed to allow EREV/BEVs to surpass regular old passenger ICE cars in units sold.
+5
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:58 am)Honda and Nissan are ignoring the big picture and appear disconnected from the consumer.
Honda has the ability to deliver a very attractive and competitive EV. As Honda enters the Fiat, Versa, Mini Cooper market. They will gain experience in EV manufacture. But will also be wasting time.
The Versa buyer knows what they are getting. A basic small vehicle which provides modest acceleration. With the advantage of good MPG, low initial cost, and moderate repair cost. Tossing a Fit EV into this group may seem like a good idea to Honda. But is actually far outside mainstream demand.
A consumer typically spends $30k on a small gasoline crossover. And $40 on a 20mpg SUV. History shows that Toyota saw good demand with their RAV4 EV. Is Honda really planning on devoting resources to enter the $28k electric micro car market? Or will Honda get serious with a $40k CR-EV?
Why are former customers of Honda looking at buying a Volt from GM? It’s because Honda offers 30mpg $25k Accords. Just like they have for decades. Same goes for BMW at $50k.
If a manufacturer is serious about challenging the Volt. They need to get an extended range crossover on the road within 2 years. And follow it up with an extended range SUV the year after. An electric Nissan Z sports car isn’t going to do it. Too far outside mainstream.
Consumers like comfortable, heavy, safe, powerful vehicles. And require a high MPG rating to offset rising prices at the gas pump. The electric Fit misses the target in all areas accept fuel efficiency.
=D-Volt
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (11:17 am)The Honda Fit reminds me of the original Civic sold in the US. The Civic was small, extremely economical and reliable, but underpowered with little utility. The Fit is still a small vehicle in footprint but not in utility. It remains just as underpowered as the original Civic.
The EV variants are just right for the go slow crowd. It’s not quite right for the suburban roads but endearing to be driven within it’s limits. I would buy one over a Leaf in a heartbeat but not over a Volt.
If the plugin version would be priced similarly to the PHEV Prius, then why bother? For a few bucks more, buy a Volt and the need to plug in every 15 miles to go EV is forgotten. The BEV Fit would work better but still, a 70 mile range limits the car to too little on the road driving utility.
Until batteries get cheaper, the Voltec PHEV40 (or greater) is the way to go in this country.
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (11:24 am)Of course they had to do an about face.
Looks like they are copying Toyota almost exactly by using a tiny 6 kWh battery pack (3 – 4 kWh usable) to give an amazing 10 – 15 miles of AER. Wow (sarcastic).
All that and only two years behind!
Oops…
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (11:33 am)The styling of the Fit is decent enough, and using an existing body cuts out development time, but using an existing ICE body for an EV won’t give you the efficiency you want. For an ICE the big issue is weight. For an EV it’s aerodynamics. As a consequence, the ICE body, which is designed to minimize one thing, just won’t be as aerodynamic you’d like it to be. Using the current Fit body for an EV presents the same issues as using the ICE Focus body for the Focus EV. It’s OK but not want you want. You may not like the styling of the Leaf — it doesn’t bother me in the “leaf” — but you can’t question its practical and technological advantages.
+3
Nov 21st, 2010 (11:38 am)I think one big advantage that the the Chevy Cruze BEV will have vs. the Honda Fit BEV is where you FIT the darned battery. Where on the Honda Fit are they going to cram their battery? I bet the battery will eat up a lot of space in the back. People with a Honda Fit need all the space they can get.
With the Cruze EV, GM mounts the battery on the underbody like they do with the Volt. Mounting it there saves trunk space and makes the handling of the Cruze better because it balances the front/rear weight distribution. It looks like GM is ahead of everyone else in the design of their chassis for mounting batteries.
http://media.gm.com/content/media/us/en/news/news_detail.brand_gm.html/content/Pages/news/us/en/2010/Sept/0918_korea
I hope GM continues to work hard on designing the perfect form factor for the battery and where it gets mounted. That handling and oversteer/understeer and body roll stuff is important. People want a no-compromise electric car as much as possible. People want all the best stuff you can get from IC engine cars along with the best aspects of EVs.
Nov 21st, 2010 (11:46 am)Tom, the Leaf has a range of 100 miles on the LA4 cycle. Once the 30% adjustment factor is applied, wouldn’t the Leaf have the same 70 mile range as the Fit EV? IOW if the EV Fit has the EXACT same range as the Leaf on LA4, why are you suggesting it will have a much shorter real world range? When I first read the press release this week about the Fit my first thought was that the range of the Leaf’s EPA sticker was going to read 70 miles.
The implication of this BTW is that, since most people like about a 50% range buffer, the Leaf won’t have a practical range any greater than the Volt’s, which is an interesting way to look at the situation.
Nov 21st, 2010 (11:58 am)Yeah, he sure was clueless. Here’s the quote from the article:
“”My feeling is that the kind of plug-in hybrid currently proposed by different auto makers can be best described as a battery electric vehicle equipped with an unnecessary fuel engine and fuel tank,” Mr. Fukui told a group of journalists Tuesday at the company’s research and development center here, north of Tokyo. He said he was referring to plug-in hybrids such as the Chevy Volt. “Assuming that we can come up with a really high-performing battery that we are working on currently, I think a battery electric vehicle [that uses such battery technology] would actually be a plus from an environmental point of view.”"
To paraphrase:
“I can’t wait for the battery pack prices to drop to the point where we have some BEV AER’s in the 160-200 mile range”
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (12:33 pm)The Plugin looks cool, Every one is coming to skateboards.
I do expect V2 Volt with change the battery and ICE designs
for a better space management and more efficiency.
Nov 21st, 2010 (12:40 pm)And yet the Leaf can get well over 100 miles under certain situations and does seem to get about 100 miles.
The Volt is set to get a range of 30 from the EPA, but we know it often does better.
The only thing that is unique here is that Honda is actually being honest about the range ratings rather than just giving the highest number they think they can “get away with”.
+3
Nov 21st, 2010 (12:42 pm)All of these 100mpc EVs are too small for most Americans. Once we get a Malibu-sized EV with 200mpc we will have more mass-market appeal.
That’s not to say that these cars won’t sell. I think they will. These early cars will lead the way. However, with gas prices stable, the limited range, the limited capability and EVs priced way more than ICE vehicles, the market penetration will be pretty small for some time. Just look at the market for hybrids.
The Volt is pretty close to Malibu in size so that it won’t be shunned by people needing a comfortable long-range EV. I think of Volt more as a Malibu EV than a Cruze EV.
/btw, I saw a Prius the other day towing a low very-aerodynamic trailer that was labeled with “U-Haul” logo. It looked like a large turtle shell about 5′ in diameter but elongated. Might be a prototype. If I see one again, I’ll try to get pix.
+6
Nov 21st, 2010 (12:44 pm)It looks like someday soon, even Riverside and San Bernardino counties will be smog free!
[We're in this valley surrounded on 3 sides by mountains and all of the smog from LA and Orange counties blows in and stops right on our heads...]
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (12:53 pm)Don’t forget the high school and college students!
CorvetteGuy, help us here.
How many cars do you sell to families for their kids to commute short distances to school?
While I saw only one reference in comments above to a $28,000 Fit EV, if Honda can get this car below $25,000(with tax credit?)–CorvetteGuy, does that make this a ‘seller?’
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (1:05 pm)The toyota RAV4-EV will be a much bigger hit cuz it will have virtually NO COMPETITION
WHy does honda want to compete head to head with the volt and the leaf? Better to go a different direction say an odessy plug -in or a honda pickup -plug-in
-4
Nov 21st, 2010 (1:26 pm)“More importantly, Honda is committed to bring the vehicle to market. It will go into production in 2012 for both the US and Japanese markets.”
Hey Lyle … why don’t you say what it will cost in each of these markets and compare to the VOLT in each market?
Your leaving out the most important information Lyle….
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (1:30 pm)Californians must make too much money! When I started driving I was lucky to get the old family car to drive to school and back.
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (1:34 pm)Ill probably wait for the Ford escape plug-in. No way am i sending $30,000 grand to japan for a toyota or a honda,and if GM cant See the market for electric SUVs it will come back to bite them in the butt. I cant stuff my 5 person family into a volt.
Nov 21st, 2010 (1:39 pm)That’s a big turnaround for Honda – better late than never. It’s just more market validation for the EREV idea.
BTW, I was thinking about some of the consequences of the huge demand that GM is seeing for the Volt. The obvious one is that economies of scale will be applied to batteries, driving down the cost. Besides that, though, is the fact that even more money will be plowed into battery technologies and chemistries, which has the potential of driving the costs down further and/pr improving battery performance.
On the ICE side, GM made the very rational decision to use a rather stock engine for the Volt, given that they had no way early on of judging how many Volts they would sell. Now, I expect that the budget for ICE development for the Voltec platform to go way up. I can’t wait to see what they’ll use in Volt 2.0 – it should be interesting! Perhaps we’ll see some type of rotary engine – Wankel, Libralato, Radial Vane – or something like the OPOC engine from Ecomotors.
+4
Nov 21st, 2010 (1:41 pm)For some reason, the phrase “Too Little….Too Late” comes to mind when I see what the competition is scrambling to come up with now!
Way back when….when I first heard about the Volt concept….I said those words about GM and the Volt……only because I did not believe that GM would actually follow through with this fantastic idea….and I knew that GM was “on the ropes” financially. I am very happy now to have been proven wrong by GM and the entire Volt team. Not only did GM follow through….but they “way over delivered”…..developing a car like nothing else the world has ever seen.
I’m afraid it’s going to take a little while for the poor competition to catch up….if they ever do. Go Go VOLT…..Go Go GM!
Nov 21st, 2010 (1:43 pm)Eco,
all I can say is that I was willing to give my 17 year old daughter my Mom’s 8 year old Buick after my Mom passed away, but my X insisted on trading it in and buying her a brand new Jetta in the low 20′s.
Go to the parking lot at my Bergen County High School and see that Bimmers are more common than GMs.
If Honda can do an effective price under $25,000, my gut says this can sell.
But we need CorvetteGuy to wade in on this.
Nov 21st, 2010 (1:46 pm)College campuses could use the GEM cars to get around for some of the larger campuses out there. But an EV price is too high for some real-world college students’ budgets. Maybe the Harvard/MIT types to get around Boston, but in rural (ie. most-of) America, used Civics or Buicks are more the type you’ll find. Sure, some students drive newer cars but they’re the rarity.
In my College days of the 1980s – my typical ride was my bicycle to commute the 2-3 miles to school and back. As a cyclist, rides were 30-50 miles after school. But in the winter, the car served its purpose. I can think of days when I would have loved an electric motorcycle. Think of those students who live 100 miles+ from home at college. a 100mpc BEV will not cut it to get home unless they stop en-route to charge. A BEV of low-price and SmartCar/FIT size would work out – or like I said above, the GEM car which may be the way to go for a “community car” which could be enabled with ride-share rentals.
Nov 21st, 2010 (1:54 pm)Hey CG,
Do you have a higher resolution photo you could share of the “The American Electric Car”? I’d like to use that as my desktop background at work.
join thE REVolution
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (1:57 pm)“Consumers like comfortable, heavy, safe, powerful vehicles. And require a high MPG rating to offset rising prices at the gas pump. The electric Fit misses the target in all areas accept fuel efficiency.” Dave K
The majority of commuters who live in America’s big cities are simply not interested in rolling couches anymore. The younger generation is much more progressive and is not encumbered with the fallacy that big is better. In this ever changing economy, the large cities will dominate this attitude because of higher wage opportunities and a more simplified and elegant use of resources.
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (1:57 pm)bt,
I’ve never sold new Hondas, but I have friends who do. I’m sure a $25-28,000 Electric Fit would sell well, just like a $25-28,000 Electric Cruze would. I don’t think the prime market is college-age kids, but I’m sure there are a few parents who would consider getting their kids one. I’ve personally sold several V8 Camaro SS models to families that just hands the keys over to their college kid because they say they deserve it. Yay for them.
I think the sub-$30,000 market for an electric or voltec car is ready now. They just need to build them.
+3
Nov 21st, 2010 (2:00 pm)The more the better.
An article at http://www.product-reviews.net/2010/11/10/2011-electric-cars-and-future-hybrid-concepts/ suggests that the MPV5 will be the next EREV for GM to produce:
join thE REVolution
-5
Nov 21st, 2010 (2:09 pm)No scramble. Roughly 2 years after rollout of the third generation hybrids was the plan all along. Believing those designs that had not been in the works until recently is evidence of greenwashing.
Look back. Notice how all the automakers have been waiting for the very same thing, high-volume production of lithium based automotive-grade batteries. Now that they are becoming realistic, those plans can finally be put into motive.
Too late doesn’t make sense anyway. For that to be true, Volt would already have to be a top-seller. In reality, the “too little, too slowly” is still very much a concern. The industry leaders will be those automakers which achieve mainstream sales for a profit without relying on a tax credit. And it’s quite likely more than one configuration will achieve that.
Until then, it’s just spin.
Nov 21st, 2010 (2:09 pm)Given a choice between a Honda Fit at 30mpg or a Honda CR-EREV at 126 mpg or a Suburban EV80. Still think the younger generation wants to drive a Versa, Fit, or Civic full time? Everyone likes to option to be able to haul belongings. Most simply can’t afford to drive one @ less than 24mpg.
Pencil and crayon box 1965 ($3), hand held calculator 1970 ($35), Pentium 1 home computer 1995 ($2300), Athlon Barton 3200+ home computer 2005 ($900), AMD Phenom II notebook 2010 ($700). Times are changing. Here come the EV.
=D-Volt
Nov 21st, 2010 (2:10 pm)The real question in my mind is whether or not a 100 mile BEV is going to sell in the US market.
Outside of a few early adopters I say not until there is a supporting infrastructure. I personally can’t see paying more than $1,000 dollars for a car that can never go more than 50 miles from my house. That’s not a car, it’s more like a scooter.
The current technology BEVs are all coming to market about the same time and they will either sink or swim together. I’m thinking sink, but that’s just my opinion. They are not ready for primetime.
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (2:12 pm)“The vehicle will be capable of from 10-15 miles electric only, with a top pure electric speed of 62 mph. ”
——————–
I don’t understand the point of this car.
-2
Nov 21st, 2010 (2:19 pm)What do you mean? Not too different from the Volt just has a smaller battery. It will still save a lot of gas in daily commuting and still offer unlimited range when refueled with gasoline. For the foreseeable future EREV is the only viable electrification of the automobile.
Nov 21st, 2010 (2:23 pm)CG,
I didn’t mean to suggest you had sold Hondas. I was just talking about the sub $25k market for new cars to college/HS kids, and I think with your Camero remark you kind of answered me.
In effect, there is a market.
It seems to me a lot of these kids are getting the Scions, the Fits, the Cubes, etc.(if you take out the Cameros and the Bimmers)–all brand new, at least in the pricey ‘burbs, and I just don’t see any reason why ‘hi tech’ plugged in kids wouldn’t want an EV Fit when they’re not driving all that much.
As to earlier comment on long college drives, at least in the East, State U’s aren’t all that far from population centers(and they are, afterall, the biggest schools in state, enrollment-wise).
Take Rutgers, even Penn State, Ohio State, the Massachusetts, CT, RI and rest of New England schools.
UVA, Delaware, West Virginia, Maryland.
Even Gainesville, my alma mater UF, is within a hundred miles easy of Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville, and of course the south Florida schools likely get most of their students from that end of the state.
Georgia is close to Atlanta, UNC to Durham/Raleigh. I could go on and on.
If I were the Honda marketing department, I would be focusing on that market, not those of us posted here who are looking for a roomier experience and likely middle-aged or above.
Nov 21st, 2010 (2:24 pm)Seriously, there are upper middle class kids everywhere that have nice parents that buy them cars to use for their busy teenage lives. And no they are not all going out DWI-ing and having sex in those cars. A lot of them have jobs and club sports teams and whatever to get to and from in addition to school.
In my case back in 78 my Dad in KY bought a Ford Courier and let me and my brothers use it. I bought it off of him when it was 6 yrs old for $800 (what a deal!) and drove it across the country to start a life in CA with my new wife. I intend to let my daughter take my 93 Civic back to college if she wants it after I get the Volt. But my wife doesn’t trust it since it’s so old. Parents are nice to their kids to the extent they can be all over the world.
-Book
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (2:30 pm)You’re right, of course, that a 4-passenger car won’t work for5 people. IF you have one vehicle.
However, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average family size is currently 3.14 people. The days of 2.3 children has passed. We also have three cars per household.
My family has four houses in the DFW area. The number of people is: One, Two, Three and Six respectively. 7 of these 12 are adults. We also have 10 cars and trucks. Every single one of these four households can use a Volt as one of their vehicles.
Here’s the breakdown:
Highlander (could be a Volt)
Taurus (could be a Volt) and Blazer
Impala and Magnum (either or both could be a Volt) and Ram 1500
Durango and Ranger (either or both could be a Volt) and Silverado and F150
Conclusion: Need to buy six Volts!
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (2:45 pm)What I see here in a major metropolitan area, is that people tend to rent vehicles rather that buy…if they need a large hauler for moving etc. They rent. Even if they just need a small car to commute for a day, they rent. There are many more options in cities than ownership. It does not lock the consumer into a fixed and usually cumbersome asset.
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (3:07 pm)Just came across this old article from the WSJ.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119304912491266963.html
Funny read as it really puts things in perspective during 2007 when GM said “we’re doing the Volt!”. My my how things change. Volt must have been a tough sell at the time but it’s starting to look like it was worth it
My favorite quote from the article was “Toyota’s Mr. Asakura expressed skepticism about the concept of a plug-in hybrid car that would run only on battery power for 40 miles, the idea central to the Chevrolet Volt concept. Batteries powerful enough to achieve that would fill up the trunk of a car, he said.”
Just my .02 here but I don’t thing ppl will dig the 10-15 miles rang on these mild EV drive trains. If I’m going to trade $$, weight, speed, convenience then I have to get something in return. Thats where the Volt comes in. I trade some of that but get something I REALLY want… no gas 314 days out of the year!!!
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (3:10 pm)DonC,
I’m going more on the charging time than the LA-4 cycle test. The Fit will undoubtedly have a much smaller battery than the LEAF, and since it wasn’t designed as an EV like the LEAF was, I can’t believe it is more efficient.
The Leaf takes 20 hours to charge on 120v, and 8 hours on 220v using a wimpy 3.3kW onboard charger. The fit will take 6 hours to charge @120v and 12 hours @220v. Honda is obviously using the same 3.3 kW to charge level two, as you can see when you compare the 120v charge time to the 220v charge time. If they were charging 6.6kW, it would be much faster than 2x as fast at 120v charging.
So if you look at the charge times, you can see the fit will have a battery somewhere between the volts 16kwH pack and the LEAFS 24kWh, probably around 18 kWh.
Unless Honda managed to cut the weight significantly or increase the efficiency dramatically, this car will not go nearly as far as a LEAF will. Personally, I think they have to come in at $5,000 less than a LEAF for it to gain much traction, and I’m one of the minority here that believes a pure BEV can work fine for many, many people.
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (3:34 pm)It seems like a waste of time. Why would I bother plugging in my car for 10 miles of range, and then also have to fill the gas tank all of the time. I understand a BEV. And I understand a PHEV like the Volt with 40 miles of EV range. But I dont understand this version of a PHEV.
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (3:35 pm)Correction on the above post: The Fit will take 12 hours to charge @120v and 6 hours @220v, I accidentally reversed them in the post.
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (3:41 pm)My point exactly! Seems like way too much trouble, oh and while we’re at it lets pay a bit more for this “option”.
Nope, sorry, go big or go home
Nov 21st, 2010 (3:57 pm)I agree, their lifestyle has conformed to the use of vehicles with limited hauling capacity. Look at all the Civics on the road. Honda Civics have two things going for them. They are dependable and at 30mpg fairly cheap to run . When gas pump prices were under $2 a gallon. Crossovers and SUV were by far the vehicle of choice. Close behind were vehicles of all kinds rated over 200hp.
Your point is people tend to buy small light cars which attain 30mpg because they like them. My point is that given the option of much better mpg in a larger vehicle. People of all ages will gravitate toward triple digit mpg with the option to haul belongings.
The extended range Volt is strong on comfort, power, and mpg. And features a hatchback design for hauling. It’s also the 2011 Car Of The year. GM, Korea, or China will soon offer an EREV truck. Supply will not meet demand for several years. This will temporarily support a high MSRP. We won’t see true demand until lease returns and 5-8 year old models appear in the Trade Express magazines across the USA. Honestly, who will want an 8 year old Civic with pump prices at $4? Who won’t want a 150mpg vehicle in 2018?
NPNS
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (4:27 pm)My daughter is a college commuter. Right now she drives my Civic but it’s getting cold out there. My Pontiac SUV is what she wants in the crappy weather. Fuel economy matters to her but so does safety. The AWD in the winter has no substitute. As much as I show her how to handle any FWD vehicle in the snow, AWD tops it for traction and stability. She’s paying $2.80/gal for gas and knows how to drive the SUV for 21 mpg.
Too bad GM canned the Vue hybrid. It would have been an excellent vehicle to have in the driveway until the MPV5 finally comes along. As far as the Fit BEV/PHEV goes, the more the merrier, but it’s not enough of anything to be a better fit than the Volt in my driveway.
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (4:28 pm)Here is a hi-res copy of the image. You can scale it and crop it for your particular monitor:
http://www.allnewchevyvolt.com/HI_RES_1.jpg
-1
Nov 21st, 2010 (5:24 pm)If the E-REV thing catches on there will probably be different ranges for different people. If your daily commute is 10 miles then plugging in for 10 miles of EV range would be very much worth it and an E-REV 40 might be overkill.
GM has already hinted that future versions of the Volt might have LESS range. That doesn’t work for me, but for some it might allow entry into the field at significantly less cost.
I personally would prefer an E-REV100 that would allow me to drive to the other side of town and back without using any gas. Right now the 40 mile range Volt doesn’t provide enough range to be cost effective.
Nov 21st, 2010 (5:29 pm)It is only a matter of time before all car companies make these.
I hope they are all successful.
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (5:47 pm)If 40miles covers 80% of the driving public, what % does 10 miles cover? I dont see enough of a market for this car to make sense. I dont like the 62mph limit either, because even if my commute was 10 miles or less, if I go over 62, I start using gas again.
As battery costs go down, I see higher AER’s on PHEV’s coming, (even though GM said they would stick to 40miles and try to reduce cost instead). The only holdback w/the bigger AER’s and bigger batteries is charging time. At 120V, it takes all night to charge the Volt. If you had a Volt with an 80 mile range that you used everyday on your commute, at 120V it would take almost a full day to charge it.
-1
Nov 21st, 2010 (5:52 pm)Sure .. “it’s a Global market” ..
As long as you keep the Americans out of your markets while going to the big dumb USA to get the $7500 per car.. and suck billions out of the US market…. that’s the “global” markets FORD and GM have to try to make money in.
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (6:10 pm)OT. LOL!
Here’s a test drive for ya.
http://kroq.radio.com/2010/11/20/la-auto-show-update-electric-car-test-drive-chevy-volt/
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (6:46 pm)If the image is too big as a wallpaper, go to Properties, Desktop, and select “Stretch” instead of “Center”. The system will reduce the image to fit your resolution.
Thanks, Corvette Guy!!
Raymond
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (6:51 pm)The MPV5 isn’t as large as the Equinox, but it will fulfill the needs of Volt fans that want a small SUV instead of a sedan. I hope this will be ready for sale October 2011 as a 2012 model.
Raymond
Nov 21st, 2010 (7:12 pm)Sweet, thanks! First thing I’m going to do Monday is download this and set it as my desktop.
join thE REVolution
-5
Nov 21st, 2010 (7:17 pm)Whether or not an EREV 10 makes economic sense is something you or I cannot say with certainty. You say no, I say yes. Toyota and Honda say maybe. No one except GM has really jumped in and taken the plunge.
The 40 mile range was a number more or less pulled out of the air. But Lyle has shown that even people like him that drive considerably more than 40 miles receive huge benefit from electric miles. Give people the option to plug in at work and around town and suddenly an E-REV10 makes a lot of sense.
Whether or not the charging infrastructure materializes to make that feasible, no one can say, but for sure it’s cheaper to build a car with 10 miles of electric range versus 40.
Without the tax credit the Volt would be dead on arrival at $41K. I went to the Chevy website to configure a Volt and the tax credit is just a small fine print footnote. The price as negotiated and paid is well north of $40 thousand, a real buzz kill. Makes me want to buy a Corvette instead.
Not everyone on this site is adamant about getting off petroleum. That is just a small niche market. Most people are looking for value for their money.
Nov 21st, 2010 (7:42 pm)There are a lot of assumptions in there. I don’t agree with much of it at all, especially the sales guess. There’s some real world info out there that counters you’re opinions. Take a better look at premium vehicle sales in the Volt range and also remember that the car is priced and equipped to that market. No doubt that the Volt wouldn’t be equipped and priced in the +$40k if the tax dollars and the buyers weren’t there.
I’m not buying one yet, but I will.
Absolutely above the piddling PHEV15′s.
-6
Nov 21st, 2010 (7:44 pm)The competition is still wide open for the first pure serial EREV or SEV. This is probably the jewel in the crown and the elephant in the room that is being ignored due to inertia.
Nov 21st, 2010 (7:53 pm)Whether or not you agree with my opinions is irrelevant. My opinions are mine and I don’t have to justify them to you or anyone else. The market will decide whether or not E-Revs of all varieties are successful or not. Let’s check back in 5 years and see who was right.
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (8:12 pm)Or do you? I’m just asking for you to do a little research to back up the assumptions and not relegate the post to being just an opinion. There are plenty of editorials out there both pro and against the Volt and EV’s in general. But just as you say, GM is the first to jump in the water. I’m saying that the Volt is the best vehicle out there either in concept or field trials for the US market. The price could be better but it’s not as dramatic as you say.
There’s quite a bit of EV data in the GM archives that are relevant to the market today. The Volt is definitely not a random venture from a startup company.
Nov 21st, 2010 (8:30 pm)Yeah. I have it as a wallpaper on my workstation too.
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (8:34 pm)Sounds about right, except I don’t care much about BEVs.
+2
Nov 21st, 2010 (8:41 pm)A 10 mile electric vehicle? I believe the public will become bored with plugging in for 10 miles of range:
“Why search for an outlet, it’s only a gain of 10 miles?”.
“If there are just 10 plug-in outlets at work why should I arrive early to get there first for just 10 miles?”
GM has it right with 40 miles of initial gasoline free range. Manufacturers who try to mimic EREV with strong hybrids which can electrically accelerate to 60 mph only when driven VERY slowly are also missing the mark. Full time electric drive, strong acceleration, and triple digit mpg.
=D-Volt
The 2011 Car Of The Year.
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (8:43 pm)I can say an EREV-10 doesn’t make engineering sense.
We have to remember that smaller batteries have less energy and less instantaneous power. The energy relates to range, while the power relates to acceleration. So a series hybrid with a 10-mile range would have inadequate acceleration for normal driving.
Or to put it another way, if the Tesla Roadster only had 100 miles of range, the smaller battery pack wouldn’t be able to do 0-60 in less than 4 seconds.
The size of the battery relates to both power and range.
+1
Nov 21st, 2010 (9:27 pm)Off Topic, but a good read considering that everyone else is riding around in electric transportation.
http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/obamas-beast-limo-creates-stir-at-nato-green-summit/19727153?test=latestnews
Time for a new E-REV limo!
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:01 pm)I can see your point, Dave G, and also jscott1000. The thing is there are many, many different cars out there with very different capabilities. People buy what they need.
What if the drive cycle (like my wife’s) is only 5 miles normally AND she doesn’t need great 0-60 time. If I could specify a 20 (0r 10) AER battery and save $5,000 or $8,000, that might make sense.
Her current car (2009 Impala LT) is 10 sec. Plus she never floors it, so, she actually does it in 15 to 20 seconds. With instant torque, an electric drive would probably feel like a faster car.
Her drive cycle is actually a good candidate for a BEV given we have two other vehicles. However, you give up the flexibility to go 300 miles in that case.
As a matter of fact, if you put the exact same Volt drivetrain in an Impala-class car, now we’re talking a senior-citizen special. AER would probably be in the 20-mile range. Perfect for people that drive a couple days a week and short distances. Sometimes, though, they need to go to the outlet store which is 100 miles away. There are literally thousands of people in my older neighborhood that need this type of vehicle.
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:32 pm)Absolutely. And if the PHEV Fit were her kind of vehicle then Honda has a nice car for her.
My first post today said just that. The Fit, in any configuration, is a pretty good car for the go slow crowd.
I don’t see any reason to reduce the range of the Volt that we can buy today just to meet a price point. First and foremost it is an EV that can be driven without gas for quite a few people in the configuration that GM designers have given it. I think it hits a bullseye for the vehicle it is. I certainly hope that GM comes to market with a less expensive version of the Voltec, but right now, in comparison to other vehicles, it’s going to be really hard to beat!
I can see a new car shopper having the argument for any kind of EV. “Honey, we can buy a really nice Cruze for $20 grand, why should we buy that electric thing and go out of our budget?”
Buying an EV variant isn’t so much the economics as it is the oil.
Hopefully, soon, the economics will make getting an EV a no brainer.
Nov 21st, 2010 (10:39 pm)Actually, the maximum in some areas is 110.
Eco_Turbo,
Nov 21st, 2010 (11:19 pm)OT, bad day for CS MPG on the Drive log.
join thE REVolution
Nov 21st, 2010 (11:24 pm)I would have to agree with one of the comments on this article that Electric Vehicles should get around 160 to 200 miles of range but you know what would really be impressive when it comes to range? I think that pure Electric vehicles should get a range in between of 300 to 500 miles of range what do you think about that? Maybe GM needs to make a pure Electric vehicle like that in the future and if that ever did happen then they would be blowing the competition away like crazy period!
Nov 21st, 2010 (11:42 pm)*UNCONTESTED!* (but all that armor is really going to hurt the AER and acceleration). I’ll bet that they have outlets in the Whitehouse garage though.
Be well,
Tagamet
Nov 22nd, 2010 (12:14 am)LOL LOL LOL!!
I would LOVE to have some ‘bad days’ at 55mpg.
Nov 22nd, 2010 (12:30 am)Lyle logged 101.7 miles today (Sunday) & used 1.85 gals of gas, which is 55 mpg. This is an excellent example of why CS mpg alone really is meaningless!*
/*BTW, Lyle has a family of five: a lovely wife (I’ve met her) and 3 children, but the Volt has only 4 seats. Does anyone think he might have left someone behind on this Sunday outing?
.
Nov 22nd, 2010 (12:44 am)One more thing: Does anyone think Lyle would have driven a BEV like the subject of today’s thread, a Honda, or a Leaf or any of several other BEVs with a nominal range of 100 miles on a day he planned to drive slightly MORE than that?
/Remember that with a BEV whose battery has discharged, “jump starting” isn’t possible —therefore a lengthy recharge (of several hours) or towing are the only options!
+1
Nov 22nd, 2010 (12:49 am)The press release language was something like “as fast as” so I was assuming that they were using 20 amps for the charging times rather than the 15 that Nissan uses. 24 kWh seems like table stakes for battery size. But perhaps not.
The Fit is a smaller car than the Leaf so it would be lighter and the A would be smaller, but I’d agree that the Cd would be higher. It’s just hard to get great aero using a body designed for an ICE.
-4
Nov 22nd, 2010 (1:33 am)nasaman,
Not really. Once it is figured how to defeat the charge-lock mechanism, then just take a genset with you and charge as you drive.
Leaf has plenty of room for a genset in the back. All you need is to pipe the exhaust.
Nov 22nd, 2010 (1:35 am)Use the batteries as armor and the AER and acceleration can be anything the Secret Service needs.
Those outlets would need 3 phase, 480 volt, 400 amps, to provide a kVA of 192 for the quick charge at level 3 charging. It’s gotta take a lot of solar panels. Maybe GM can fund the project!
Nov 22nd, 2010 (1:59 am)OK..Nissan is in..Honda is in and Ford is in for EVs. Come on GM we want a pure EV from you too.
Nov 22nd, 2010 (2:24 am)It would be nice for GM to develop an BEV, but only if it has a 300 mile range option like the high end Tesla Model S.
What I find interesting is that the detailed blog of future enhancement requests from the drivers of the EV-1 has disappeared from the web. In that detailed account, the major request was for more range. They also requested a generator to extend the range and additional seating. GM is a generation ahead with the Volt.
Nov 22nd, 2010 (6:03 am)Alright GM, announce the EV Cruze!
Slap a $15K battery in that $15K car and move them out cheaper than the Leaf!
GO EV!!!
Nov 22nd, 2010 (6:39 am)I’d rather they surrounded the limo with secret service agents than risk those precious batteries. (*just kidding!*), but with the right software tweaks, I’m bet they really *could* get that 0-60 time way down.
Be well,
Tagamet
/off to the mines. BBL
Nov 22nd, 2010 (8:56 am)32mpg on the generator is a little dismal though, that’s all I meant. I’m looking at this number as well only because, when I make 7.5 hour trips to New Hampshire, it will be the main contributor to my overall MPG.
Lyle’s overall CS-only MPG is over 38MPG though, so that makes me feel better.
join thE REVolution
Nov 22nd, 2010 (9:43 am)Don,
I don’t get the logic here. Are you saying that because ICE are inherently less efficient that the manufacturers are leaving some aero on the table? What makes an ICE body less efficient than an EV body other than paying attention to the smallest details?
Nov 22nd, 2010 (1:51 pm)I never disputed that the Volt represents the best electric vehicle that 2010 technology is capable of building.
My point is that (In my Humble Opinion) there is plenty of room in the market for all kinds of variations of electric vehicles, from pure BEVs, to E-REV10. I personally would not want either one of those type vehicles, but there might be someone out there that does.
To say an E-REV10 is not feasible from an engineering standpoint is ridiculous. There are plenty of them on the road right now. In other words strong hybrids that have been modified with larger batteries to run pure electric.
I don’t get all the hate. Does everyone on this board automatically hate anything that is not a Volt?
Nov 22nd, 2010 (4:44 pm)Its amazing to me that as far as I can see, Honda, Nissan, and Toyota are not really doing anything that groundbreaking or daring when it comes to electric cars. They’ve all jumped on the 100 mile electric grocery getter bandwagon: Electric cars that are practical for city dwellers but not much else. I actually went and saw the Leaf this weekend. Sure- its cool that its all-electric and all, but still- if you buy it you’d have to buy a 2nd car if you wanted to go out of town. As far as I’m concerned GM has the only game in town at the moment. A perfect compromise.
Nov 22nd, 2010 (5:34 pm)This car is a perfect example of what is possible now and in the next few years for BEVs. I think EREVs are the only practical way of oil free personal transportation in the next 5-10 years. I was actually considering the Leaf, but then I would have to have 3 cars in the family. For myself untill I can get at least 300 miles of range at 80 mph with AC and other stuff on (probably talking 100 KWH battery), plus can fully recharge in say 2-3 hours in more than one place within that range (not counting home, since I do not have a small nuclear reactor in my garage) no BEV for me. Volt on the other hand is an interesting idea which I was sure could not be done outside an academic demonstration projects.
Nov 22nd, 2010 (6:36 pm)How quickly we become jaded! Folks, I believe it is naive to write off vehicles of this type. It is still early in the game. As has been expressed above, there may be many niches in the EV or EREV market that can be filled with various types of vehicles. Plenty of people said the Volt would never work or would never sell…and some people still say that. Volt supporters (and I count myself as one of them) have not even been proven right or wrong yet in terms of their predictions for the Volt’s success. Isn’t it a little early (and a smidge hypocritical) to be dismissing other variants on the EV/EREV idea? The goal of all electric cars is pretty much the same…reduce emissions and, hopefully, cost of ownership. This common goal will be met best with a wide variety of vehicles aimed at different parts of the market.
The American consumer decides what car they want. My personal requirements, which the Volt would fit better than any other EV/EREV currently existing or on the drawing board, are not necessarily representative of the market as a whole. I hope that someday, everyone will have good options when searching for a green car.
I am glad to see Honda’s offering. I don’t think they are as far behind the curve as they may appear to people like us, who have been “plugged in” to the Volt’s development process for years now. The Volt may be an innovative and well-publicized product, but at the moment that’s all it is. We shall see how the competition develops – and if there are actually multiple winning formulas.
Nov 23rd, 2010 (1:18 pm)Is it announced yet ?
Nov 23rd, 2010 (1:52 pm)“Late to the party”? Not a very big party and not one of these vehicles has any practicality yet.