I'm guess my only point is that in it's application that you end up having to run the gas engine for extended periods, there are non-electric cars that can come close to competing in fuel consumption.
You're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't.
"The Volt uses gas!" vs "The i3 doesn't have enough range!"
well, f*ck.
If ALL you do is highway driving, diesel is the cheapest option. Get a Jetta TDI.
If ALL you do is short city driving, get a full BEV.
If you do all city or a decent mixture (>50% city), get a hybrid. What kind of hybrid? That depends on the proportion. With that being said, a hybrid like the Volt GUARANTEES that you will never see consumption ABOVE ~6.5L/100km (on premium fuel). With a Prius, driven hard you WILL see higher numbers.
In any event, take my situation:
-Daily commute: 26km round trip, ~1.17 hours on the road (35 mins each way). There is a brief jaunt on the 401 (<4km). There is a free L2 charging station at my gym (2 hrs parked each day) and my office also has free charging. Gas here is currently at $1.289
-Weekends: either golfing (distance depends on which course we play), scuba diving, skiing in the winter, etc. Can be anywhere from <30km if I don't leave the city, or >900km if I go to Ithaca and back to visit Lady Noto. If I fill in the US, gas is $3.55 USD/Gal, diesel is $3.99 USD/Gal.
So, which car would be perfect for me?
The diesel would show no benefit over the ICE for the city driving I do mid-week. The standard hybrid would be ok all-around, but the cost of entry would not likely show me direct savings (and sometimes in the RX400h, which is admittedly not a hybrid-first like the Prius, I get as low as 23 MPG (10.22L/100km)-in the winter, that'll drop to 18 MPG (13L/100km)). A full electric would not fit my weekend needs.
The Volt's powertrain is the correct solution for me. Same fuel efficiency as I'd get in the Corolla, but premium juice is cheap as d!ck in the US (only about $0.08 CAD/L more than regular). Border waits wouldn't cost me dearly in idling. I'd get to use the HOV lanes on the 403 (not that I ever get stuck on the 403 any way). And weekdays would cost me $0 to operate it on the basis of the free chargers.
...so, for $31k, what's stopping me from getting a Volt?
1) A new Corolla is $19,750 for the one I'd want (LE CVT);
2) GM still has not reassured me that my previous issues with their cars and service centres won't resurface;
3) Hate the centre stack on the Volt;
4) Hate the exterior on the Volt;
5) Hate the faux black treatment under the windows on the Volt;
6) Prefer AWD;
That's why I say, time and time again, that the Voltec powertrain is the way of the future, but it needs to go into more vehicles. Imagine free weekday commutes with guaranteed < 7L/100km weekend trips in an AWD CUV? Not that I like the Equinox, but it'd make a hell of a lot more sense than a Cruze-based version. It'd be the perfect 95% vehicle with sufficient cargo space, fuel economy, and all-weather capability.
...but it'd have to be no more than $3,000 more than an equivalent ICE Equinox, after gov't discounts are considered to be marketable. I don't argue that that's even a remote possibility, but consumers don't care about business requirements or economies of scale - they care only about how much they pay and what value they get for it.
To Justify the $3,000 premium:
=> Even at my current burn rate in the Corolla, we drive about 15,000km/year and average, overall, about 7L/100km. 1,050L of fuel @$1.289 = $1,353.45. So, assuming 0 fuel used and no cost for electricity (both of which are absurd assumptions), a $3,000 premium for the volt powertrain would still take me over 2 years to pay off. Expect it to be more like 4-5 years if you factor in the cost of fuel that the voltec powertrain would use and the cost of electricity.
Again, before ya'll argue with me, this isn't a suggestion that GM sell a voltec Equinox for < $35k, but it does suggest HOW a consumer thinks about these type of cars. Making the Volt 'premium' and separate from another vehicle (i.e. Volt does not resemble a Cruze) are good ideas to help command a higher price, but the vehicle must be compelling.
...that's why the Tesla Model S makes sense and sells, even at $70k to start: It's a desirable vehicle in its entirety, not a sh!t vehicle with a desirable powertrain. The ELR is priced too high for what it is because it is clearly based on the Volt, is underpowered (compared to the Tesla), and still uses gas at that price.
