Chevy pulls out phallic symbol in hopes 2016 Volt doesn't flop like earlier model

This image from a Chevrolet Web site shows a male model holding the end of the charging cable for the 2016 Volt, a second-generation plug-in hybrid. The blatant phallic symbol seems to be a desperate move by parent General Motors, and it might make you wonder what the model is doing with his other hand.

With a 240-volt outlet installed at home, the 2016 Volt's battery recharges at a glacial pace -- only 11.7 miles per hour -- compared to more than 30 miles per hour in an all-electric Tesla Model S. What would a Volt owner do on the road, stay in a hotel overnight?

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The first-generation Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid had the longest battery range in the industry, yet only 100,000 units were sold worldwide in 2010-15.

Chevrolet is hoping to avoid a similar debacle with the 2016 Volt, displaying a phallic symbol on its official site, and exaggerating improvements in the second-generation gas-electric car.

Now, the Volt has an all-electric range of 53 miles, but after that you'll have to rely on fossil fuel, aggravating air pollution and climate change.

Still, General Motors says "Chevy expects owners to go more than 1,000 miles between fill-ups by charging regularly."

How much that electricity costs isn't mentioned, though Chevy says the car can be programmed to take advantage of off-peak electric rates.

This smells

No such off-peak rates are available to homeowners in New Jersey, and I would expect the same is the case in many other states.

Referring to its 1.5-liter gasoline engine, Chevy calls the Volt "an electric car with a back-up plan."

Chevy's seeming desperation leads some observers to wonder whether the new Volt's high price will result in as big of a flop as the old model.

The 2016 Volt is available in LT trim at an MSRP of $33,170 and the Premier is $37,520 (before tax, title, license and dealer fees).

Bolt price rises

The automaker's all-electric Bolt still is nearly a year away from going on sale, yet Chevy already has revised the expected price to "under $40,000" from a starting price of $30,000.

Nissan is the sales leader when it comes to all-electric cars, and even BMW, a relatively small carmaker, started selling a purely electric car last year.

See: An electric car in name only

Nissan, GM and other big automakers can't keep up with revolutionary Tesla

At the Tokyo Motor Show, Nissan promised to offer self-driving functions in a few years that are already available in Tesla Motors' Model S.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Automobile writers are so bored with the old technology being hawked at dealers worldwide they go bananas over concept cars and other fantasies that may never hit the road.

Take this week's reports from the Tokyo Motor Show, where Nissan showed an all-electric concept car that isn't likely to go into production for five years, if then.

The Associated Press story on Nissan's IDS (intelligent driving system) noted that by 2018, vehicles equipped with self-drive would be able to change lanes on the highway.

That's what owners of the Tesla Model S can do now, thanks to updated software downloaded to the all-electric cars this month.

To change lanes, all owners have to do is put on their directional signal when Tesla's Autopilot and Autosteer are enabled.

Volt or Dolt?

Meanwhile, a new version of the plug-in Chevrolet Volt adds about 20 miles to its "pure-electric range" for a total of 53, but remains chained to the gas pump.

That means it still pollutes and aggravates climate change.

It's still unclear whether the 2016 Volt will be available in all 50 states.

Chevrolet isn't expected to have the Bolt, an all-electric car with a range of 200 miles, available for another two years.

Is this really the best giant GM can do more than three years after the debut of the Model S, a luxury four-door hatchback from upstart Tesla Motors?

2016 Volt and Leaf expose how far auto giants have to go to compete with Tesla

Plugging in my Tesla Model S at home every night has become routine. I've programmed charging to start at 3 a.m., even though my New Jersey utility doesn't have lower, off-peak rates for residential customers like me. Solar panels on my roof mean charging the Model S costs me nothing.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The all-electric 2016 Nissan Leaf will offer two batteries yielding ranges of 84 miles and 107 miles.

The 2016 Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid comes with an Achilles heel as standard equipment: 

It still uses gasoline, fouling the air and aggravating climate change.

Major domestic and foreign automakers, especially the Germans, struggle to catch up more than three years after California-based Tesla Motors unveiled the Model S, a luxurious all-electric four-door hatchback with a range of 200-plus miles.

The next, best hope is Chevrolet's pure-electric Bolt concept, which is promised with a range of over 200 miles.

News reports say the Bolt will go into production in October 2016 with a price of $37,500.

The media haven't bothered asking, and GM officials haven't said, how the new all-electric car will be sold for only a couple of thousands dollar more than the upcoming 2016 Volt.

What were Ford and General Motors thinking when they produced the Excursion, above, and a land barge called Buick, below?

Can I possibly wait two years for an affordable EV and would I drive a Chevy?

An all-electric Tesla Model S on display at the Time Warner Center in midtown Manhattan is usually covered with fingerprints after the curious slam the doors and kick the tires.

Red Multi-Coat Paint is $1,500 extra, but that is one option I have to have.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

I can't wait two years for an affordable all-electric car, whether it is from Tesla or Chevrolet.

And if I could, I don't think I'd settle for the Chevy Bolt, a 2017 model GM promises will cost thousands of dollars less than the Volt plug-in hybrid.

Have you seen photos of the Bolt concept, a stubby four door?

It doesn't compare to the elegant Tesla Model 3, another 2017 model with a range of 200 miles and an MSRP of about $35,000.

And the Model 3's big brother, the Model S 4-door luxury hatchback, is available now starting at around $70,000.

Battery guarantee

Originally, I reasoned I'd be happy with the base Model S with a 60 kWh battery and a range of 208 miles.

I'm retired, and can no longer drive that far without stopping to go to the bathroom or grab a cup of coffee to keep me awake.

Then, I looked at the warranty for the 60's battery and drive unit, eight years or 125,000 miles.

A step up is the Model S 85, which is about $10,000 more than the 60, and its battery and drive-unit warranty is eight years and "infinite" miles.

Do I want "infinite," or is 125,000 miles enough? I've only averaged 10,000 miles a year in my 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid.

I've configured a Model S 60 with a few options, but haven't put down a deposit. Teslas ordered now will be delivered in late April, the company Web site says.

From Auto Express, this is what a smaller Tesla Model 3 is supposed to look like when it come out in 2017. The car will have a range of 200 miles and cost about $35,000, the publication reported. Tesla calls the Model 3 image "mock-ups" based on Auto Express "speculation."

Negative press continues

Fifteen years and millions of hybrid and all-electric cars later, the media continue to view the green movement negatively.

Dee-Ann Durbin of The Associated Press is the latest reporter to warn buyers of electric cars it will take them decades to pay off "the premium" they shelled out when compared to a cheaper gas-powered vehicle.

When gas-electric hybrids were introduced, the media reacted with numerous articles on whether the green cars were "practical," given their higher prices.

I can't recall the media focusing on any other car, whether an econobox, gas-guzzling luxury sedan or super car, and warning owners it's unlikely they'll ever recoup their investment.

The environment?

And Durbin also is the latest automobile writer to completely ignore the less tangible environmental benefits of electric cars over those powered by the infernal combustion engine, which is hastening climate change.

What about the billions of gallons of gasoline saved by the drivers of millions of hybrids, and reduced air pollution. Don't they count for anything?

The AP reporter also doesn't calculate the substantial savings from discounts available to owners of green cars who commute daily to jobs in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and other states with toll roads.

Meanwhile, on Jan. 23, Christopher DeMorro, who writes for the Gas2 and CleanTechnica blogs, began a post this way:

"With a starting price of $70,000, the Tesla Model S undoubtedly is a luxury vehicle that only the upper crust of society can afford."

What would DeMorro say of a Mercedes-Benz performance luxury sedan costing nearly three times as much, that only "royalty" could afford it?

Do auto writers really think EV buyers would choose a Bolt over Tesla's Model 3?

The Chevrolet Spark EV, above, and the Bolt EV Concept, below, bear a family resemblance. The Spark is available only in California and Oregon. The Bolt is scheduled to be produced as a 2017 model with a battery that will give it a range of more than 200 miles, General Motors says.

The Chevrolet Bolt EV Concept.

Compare the forthcoming Tesla Model 3 to the Chevy Bolt Concept. This photo is from Auto Express.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

If you treat an auto writer to an espresso and pastry before a splashy press conference, he or she will write almost anything.

That must be the explanation for all of those stories out of the Detroit Auto Show, setting up a confrontation between all-electric cars from Chevrolet and Tesla.

Yes. Chevy is the GM division that gave us defective ignition switches, the Nova or "no va" (Spanish for "doesn't go") and the Corvair's dangerous swing-axle rear suspension.

Tesla, the upstart maker of all-electric luxury cars, is working on a smaller, 2017 Model 3 with a range of 200 miles and an expected price of $35,000 -- half of what the base Model S costs now.

So, the media are claiming "General Motors is setting up a showdown with Tesla to sell an electric vehicle to the masses," as The Associated Press reported on Jan. 13.

The day before, GM unveiled the Chevrolet Bolt, a $30,000 concept car that "likely will go on sale in about two years."

Neither the AP or other media questioned how GM could possibly sell the Bolt for $30,000 or thousands of dollars less than its plug-in Chevrolet Volt hybrid.

Both the Bolt and Tesla Model 3 may have about the same range and an MSRP only $5,000 apart, but I seriously doubt they will attract the same buyers.

Just compare photos of the Bolt, which bears a family resemblance to the stubby Spark EV, and the elegant Tesla Model 3.

Here's a link to the article in Auto Express: 

Tesla Model 3 to challenge BMW 3 Series

How can Chevrolet sell an electric car with a 200-mile range for less than the Volt?

The Chevrolet Bolt EV Concept has an ambiguous name to go along with an ambiguous production date. Many auto writers are reporting it will be available as a 2017 model with a 200-mile range, but haven't you seen many concepts that never lived up to the splash they made at the auto show? 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

A bolt is a fastener.

Now, Chevrolet is calling an all-electric concept with a 200-mile range a Bolt, which rhymes with Volt, the plug-in hybrid with a limited EV range it has been selling since December 2010.

A new Volt is to be unveiled today at the auto show in Detroit.

The official press release calls the 4-door Bolt "a vision for an affordable, long-range all-electric vehicle designed to offer more than 200 mile of range starting around $30,000."

Chevrolet officials haven't explained how the Bolt can be sold in two years for thousands of dollars less than the current Volt, which has an MSRP of $34,345.

In what appears to be a shot at Tesla's Model S, a 4-door luxury hatchback that starts at $69,900, General Motors CEO Mary Barra said the Bolt EV is "designed for attainability, not exclusivity."

The Bolt concept reminds some viewers of the more expensive BMW i3, which is available both as an EV and as a plug-in hybrid.

The i3, in turn, seems to have several styling cues that recall the Honda Passport.

200-mile range?

If the 2017 Bolt does achieve a range of 200 miles or more, it would be the first production car to come near the 208-mile range of the base Tesla Model S 60.

Now, several EVs claim to have a range of about 85 miles, including the Nissan Leaf, Mercedes-Benz B-Class and BMW's i3.