GM Volt versus Prius

 

From what I've read about the Volt so far it seems it wont stand a chance
against the Prius. $
0 grand US versus $
0 grand for a start. 2ndly, the
nuisance of plug-in daily charge versus none at all for the Prius. 3rdly,
the rather silly idea of carrying a 1 litre engine purely to use as a
generator rather than as a secondary method of propulsion. I think it's a
matter of too little, too late for GM. Toyota will be on their way to a 4th
gen Prius by the time the Volt is available.

 

Lu R wrote:

while I do agree the price is too high, the principal is sound, the
drivetrain would be a lot simpler than the hybrid motor/engine in the
prius, no gears or diff needed, the 1litre engine would only kick in
when needed, as a daily driver to work and home the engine would hardly
kick in if at all, and when you do want to take it for a weekend run the
engine will give you a far better range than a pure electric car like
the Tesla would.

besides, isn't the 3rd gen of the prius going to have plugin charging??

 



You mean Gen 4? Im not sure on the plugin concept..one more thign toahve to
remember to do/arrange as I see it each nite..

 



But that aspect is easily handled.  See this month's issue of Smart
Computing and the article about magnetic induction battery charging.  Just
drive into the garage and have an induction system "sense" the car and then
charge the battery -- no plugs required.  Could be done in parking lots and
garages too, of course.

TKM

 



I see a mess of red tape as to how those recharges are paid for when out of
town..hybrids do away with dealing with it.