Consumer Reports Take on The Chevy Volt;

[greiner3]

Not the actual test driving as they buy their vehicles on the open market and the Volt has just been available to the public;


Yesterday, the company brought two examples up to our test track, along with several engineers to explain the car, point out its new features, and allow the staff to get behind the wheel. GM drove the two cars to our Connecticut Auto Test Center from Milford, Michigan—a trip of about 750 miles.

What we learned:

* The Volt's electric drive motor is rated at 110 kW, equivalent to about 150 hp. It uses another motor/generator—GM engineers call this an "electric machine"—connected to the gas engine rated at 50 kW. This is used to start the engine and also provides electrical power to drive the vehicle when the battery is depleted. The gas engine is a 1.4-liter four cylinder similar to the Chevrolet Cruze base engine, though configured for this unique application.
* The Volt uses about half the capacity of its 16 kWh lithium-ion battery. This ensures good durability of the battery pack and provides extra boost than can be delivered from the engine-driven generator so the driver sees/feels no difference between EV mode and gas engine. To maximize the battery's life expectancy, the battery is never allowed to run completely down, nor is it ever allowed to take a maximum charge.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2010/06/video-2011-chevrolet-volt-highlights-from-consumer-reports-track.html

I am not sure you will be able to access this page. I have a subscription. Anyone else with one will be able to confirm this page if non-subscribers are not able to access it.

Stay tuned and be able to refute Rush with hard solid facts.

I believe and trust Consumers Reports with advice and testing reports over any and all other such reporting agencies. These other media sources are just advertising whores who mostly base their recs on company ad dollars.

[Ilsa]

1. Thank you. I accessed it. I'm interested. I'll be needing a new car soon. nt

[Atypical Liberal]

2. I like the car but I'm annoyed by the price.

This looks like a $30,000 car.

But word is it will sell closer to $40,000.

Of course you get a $7500 tax break, which brings it down to about $32,000.

Convenient, eh? You get to sell the car for what it's worth and the customer is willing to pay and you soak up that extra $7500 as gravy.

[pnorman]

3. Motor Trends chided Rush with:

"driving and Oxycontin don’t mix."