https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/26/18112536/gm-layoffs-factory-closing-ending-production-chevy-volt
Honda Clarity will benefit from this for sure.
Honda Clarity will benefit from this for sure.
No more Chevy Volt Q1 2019 - GM pulls the plug
- Thread starter Nemesis
- Start date
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Sandroad
Well-Known Member
In my neck of the woods, BEVs are (and won't be) desirable until the charging infrastructure is built out. That will take more than 3 years! PHEV will rule until folks can get past the range anxiety of extremely few available charging stations (at least here in the midwest).
Fast Eddie B
Well-Known Member
Hard to imagine, with all the creative marketing the Clarity has received!
Oh, wait...
It’s almost like they don’t want anyone to know it exists.
Then again, when was the last time you saw a Volt (or Bolt) commercial?
Michael Borquez
Active Member
They are reaching the limit for the tax rebates. The cars simply will not sell at full price. They would rather use the remaining tax rebates on full electric vehicles as they see those as their future.
MNSteve
Well-Known Member
Well, no. Not for sure.
Yes, for people who have decided that a plug-in hybrid is right for them, there is now one less choice, so Clarity will benefit.
But there are a lot more folks out there who are at the point of mulling over whether a plug-in hybrid fits their specific set of requirements. Chevy's decision is saying that there is no future in the general segment of plug-in hybrid, and will discourage these folks from buying a plug-in hybrid, or any hybrid at all. As long as gasoline prices stay low, the potential market will remain depressed. It's sad but true that most Americans will buy land boats.
MNSteve
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure who you mean by "they" in this comment. Chevy, specifically for the Volt?
I agree that the tax rebate is a large factor in whether the car sells.
It's really this simple. They already don't make much (if any) money on a Volt. GM has confirmed they will reach the 200,000 car limit by the end of the year, triggering the phaseout of the rebate next year. Who is going to buy full priced Volt without the $7,500 rebate? Since they are already not making money on them, lowering the price is not an option. The only choice is to stop building the car.
Sandroad
Well-Known Member
^^^^This! I agree with @RickSE. Anyone thinking this is the end of GM's interest in BEV or PHEV needs to read the broader view reports about the move. It's not about just the Volt, really. That is just fallout from the huge decline in 4 door sedan sales in the U.S. GM is following other manufacturers and cutting 4 door sedan production drastically. They have said the move is part of a pivot to electric vehicles, so who knows what the future will bring......electric SUVs? PHEV SUVs? PHEV trucks?
MNSteve
Well-Known Member
Agree completely. And anyone voting for a candidate needs to read about that candidate's views. But how many people do that? And how many people will only see "The Volt is dead" and conclude that hybrids are dead? In today's news world, a lot of people hear the first sentence and that's all. Sad, but true.
Not that I disagree with Chevy's decision. With the rebates dying and the general sales trend of sedans, it was inevitable. But especially with the low price of gas, it does have a dampening effect on the whole market for non-gas-guzzlers.
It will be interesting to see if GM brings its Volt-based Chinese Buick SUV PHEV to the US.
Tesla and GM are lobbying hard to get that fixed ASAP. During last year's federal tax overhaul, US Congressman from Michigan's 8th District, Mike Bishop, proposed the elimination of the $7,500 federal EV tax credit (even though the Bolt is made in his district!), but lobbyists persuaded the US Senate to retain the EV tax credit. So there's a chance Tesla and GM might get their way.
Mike Bishop lost his bid to return to the US Congress even though his successful opponent, Democrat Elissa Slotkin, never made an issue of his opposition to the federal EV tax credit (not that the EV tax credit issue meant anything to anyone who doesn't build Bolts).
MPower
Well-Known Member
I was diddling around trying to figure out my first long trip in my new Clarity which will be nearly 1500 miles to Kansas and back. I checked for charging near places where I usually spend the night--not encouraging.
BobS
Active Member
Since GM kept the Bolt and dropped the volt, does this suggest that the industry will skip over plug in hybrids, in favor of all battery vehicles.
Engines and transmissions are expensive to build. As battery prices come down and performance improves, BEV's could become the least expensive auto to build.
I love my Clarity, but I suspect that PHEV's will never become very popular, the world will shift directly to BEV's.
Engines and transmissions are expensive to build. As battery prices come down and performance improves, BEV's could become the least expensive auto to build.
I love my Clarity, but I suspect that PHEV's will never become very popular, the world will shift directly to BEV's.
Fast Eddie B
Well-Known Member
It’s been mentioned that when gas hovers around $2/gal, there’s little if any financial benefit to running on electricity. Of course if charging is free, that would be beneficial regardless.
IOW, I don’t think I’d be overly concerned just running on gas for any given trip. For us, 40 mpg is close to double the mileage we get in our other vehicles.
Thats the best part about the Clarity, you can do long range trips because of the huge gas range available as well
