IndyCar driver Marco Andretti took a 2013 Chevy Volt out for a spin during the Woodward Dream Cruise a couple of weeks ago. As one may imagine, the forte of Michael Andretti’s son and racing legend Mario Andretti’s grandson is not in achieving high fuel economy.
“That’s the worst thing you can ask me,” said Andretti while zipping through Woodward traffic like he was, well, an Andretti.
Even so, the plug-in electric car made an entire 40-mile lap of the traditional Dream Cruise route (from Eight Mile to Pontiac and back) completely on electric power with Andretti behind the wheel, with the gasoline engine-generator kicking in about seven miles after the economy run. Andretti, who was named 2006 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year and has a Lamborghini, Porsche, and Chevy Camaro in his garage, was impressed:
“This is the future,” he said. Andretti expects IndyCars to soon adopt a combination of gas/electric drive systems. “This car’s performance isn’t measured by horsepower, but it is so smooth and has so much torque at the bottom that it really accelerates. I am looking forward to this in my racing future.”
“As a race driver, someday I’ll miss the sound of those powerful engines,” he said. “But hey, it’s all about speed, and electric cars are going to be very fast.”
The GM Authority Take
Yes they are. And we’re glad the Volt is leading the way. The rest of the quotes speak for themselves (and for the Volt).
Comments
I hope he buys one because they aren’t selling very well. I don’t blame GM so much for this disaster (the government likes these things, and they have to listen to their master). The ROI does not make any sense on these plug in hybrids. Too bad they didn’t invest in the far better solution of natural gas vehicles: there is not a coal-fired plant making the energy & the infrastructure is already in place- in virtually every home.
My Chevy Volt average 50 miles per charge. My current mpg run rate is 700 mpg. The Volt is the best that I have ever owned. I’m amazed by GM’s engineering.
@MichaelW quite literally the most uninformed comment I’ve had the displeasure of reading on GM Authority.
The Volt is a disaster due to low sales? Please… How many units did the Prius sell in its first 2 years? Heck, how about the first 5 years?
It’s a new category of a product that has the ability to entirely cut gasoline out of the lives of its owners. And the back-end energy can be generated by means other than coal… Ever heard of solar, wind, hydro, etc?
The Volt also has nothing to do with the government administration. Do some research and try again.
I’d like to add to that with reguards to sales.
How can the Volt’s sales be called a disaster when it’s been kicking in the teeth of the Nissan Leaf for nearly a year now?
Here is some research: Volt production suspended due to slow sales. http://www.freep.com/article/20120827/BUSINESS01/120827089/GM-expected-to-suspend-Chevy-Volt-production-over-slow-sales
Plus, it has a lot to do with this administration because they purchased a lot of them artificially boosting sales.
I think it’s an interesting car, but the market isn’t going for it at the price point. I wish GM well, but I also wish that when management finds itself in a hole to stop digging. I’m a GM brand loyalist, but not a GM management “kool-aid” drinker.
That article listed this article as it’s source:
http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120827/OEM01/120829919/1448/gm-to-idle-volt-plant-for-4-weeks-sources-say
They continue to match supply with demand, as is financially prudent. The Hamtramck factory is clearly capable of producing more Volts than what the public has been buying. But, the public has been buying Volts at an increasing rate as sales data shows. So, the basic facts are. GM is wisely not flooding the market with Volts. and Volt sales are increasing. Doesn’t sound like the Volt is doing poorly at all. Don’t know where you got info that said the government is buying Volts to boost sales. I haven’t find any reliable info that suggests that.
Wow, you bought an anti-Volt BS story hook, line and sinker. The Volt suspended production to retool the plant for the 2014 Impala, not because of slow sales. They built ahead to have a buffer of cars for the next 4 or so weeks while they retool. August was a record sales month for the Volt. Also, the Volt is outselling the Corvette. Is the Vette a failure? It is outselling every car in it’s class – Plug-ins. Chevy could sell around 25,000 Volts this year – in it’s second year of production. It took the Prius 4 years to sell that many in a year.
Jheez, how hard is it to Google this: http://money.cnn.com/2012/03/05/autos/volt_sales_analysis/index.htm
With a goal of 45,000 units and sales of around 600 +/- per month, I’d call that slow sales, as Money magazine does. Yes, I bought this story.
No, the Corvette at 20K unit sales is fine for an expensive niche vehicle and is profitable at its price point. When a car is selling well you don’t have to suspend production, the Camaro and Prius lines are humming just fine.
Michael — the Volt is nearing 3,000 units a month, not give or take 600. For instance, August 2012:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/09/gm-u-s-sales-up-10-percent-in-august-2012-by-the-numbers/
As for the Corvette, the base model starts at a few hundred bucks shy of $50,000… some food for thought.
But forget all of that. The Volt is a brand new type of car. And just like the Prius was years ago, it will take time for 1) the price to decrease and for 2) sales to increase. As it stands, the more important metric is percent change of sales, not the actual sales number itself:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/08/lets-count-percentage-increases-not-sales-when-it-comes-to-volt-opinion/
Well I’m sure liking that new Vette. I like thinking about that!
Now that’s something we both agree on! 🙂
Also Michael — the Freep story you cited doesn’t make any mention of retooling at DHAM:
http://gmauthority.com/blog/2012/08/despite-increasing-sales-gm-to-idle-chevy-volt-plant-for-four-weeks/
I guess you were right, this car is doing great, they are only losing $49,000 per car. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/10/us-generalmotors-autos-volt-idUSBRE88904J20120910
I get it, you don’t like GM’s investment in the Volt. Fair enough. To your alternative of CNG, how well do you think that it’s sustainable – long term? CNG is after all a finite resource. A Volt that replaces gasoline with it may be an alternative when the infrastructure is in place. But it’s really only a better alternative through the lens of foreign oil dependency. Electricity is almost exclusively domestic generated, isn’t going away in the foreseeable future, and is a safer way to store energy than CNG. Please Inform us how CNG is the better solution.
While not as cool looking as the Concept was, the look is growing on me. It’s a hatch , right? Happy Labor Day to all the blue color workers out there, Union or not.
If it’s a hatch, it’s certainly not a classic hatch that would enable use of a roof rack, or interior space for hauling something bulky. The function of the Volt is more like that of a sedan. If it were more like the Focus hatch, but with an uncompromising seat fold mechanism, then the Volt would be on my list. As it is, to me it is just another sedan whose capital cost will be difficult to overcome without either a very long ownership period or very high fuel prices. There is the side benefit of quiet and acceleration on batter power though. That and the novelty of it are the things that I think have owners somewhat enamored.
With more body styles and a generation or two for battery improvement it will probably be in my garage. As it is, I’m looking for one more good hatch or wagon from GM to get me to that future date, but they don’t want to give us one. We have the Sonic and then various Cadillac models. That’s an incredible gap when you think about it. Insane really. Makes no sense.
Sorry, meant “Blue COLLAR”.
Michael W does not know anything about auto-trends. Hey, do some research.
If this is the future,count me out please.
GM Corvette factory driver Jan Magnussen owns a Volt, and so does “Mr. 5-Time” – Five time NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson.
I know car guys appreciate the high level of tech in the Volt. Why not race on weekends and commute during the week emitting zero tailpipe emissions and sailing down the freeway silently enjoying your music? Makes sense to me. Save a little – spend a little – it equals out.
Andretti isn’t fooling. F1 and Porsche racing use the KERS systems which is literally a big flywheel that spins pumping up batteries that inject electric “boost” into drive motors giving short bursts of extra speed and torque in vital spots on a racecourse – a definate advantage, and it saves fuel. How many races have you watched in any league of racing where fuel mileage isn’t a major factor?
I remember unlimited hydroplane boat racing in my city ( Seattle ) back in those last days in the ’70s when they roared like thunder ( “thunderboats” ) and you could hear them miles away. They were powered by WWII era fighter plane turbocharged and supercharged V-12 Rolls Royce and Allison powerplants. Sure, they had power and smoked while emitting sounds that thrilled every teenager in my town…But then again, how often did I watch a powerboat heat where five boats started and two finished – all the rest broke down?… Then came the present era with hydros powered by near silent helicopter turbines. They’re reliable – nearly all boats finish every heat. They put out this turbine whine which isn’t really very sexy. But they’re superior in every way – and over 200mph in the straights isn’t anything to sniff at. So we lost the romance, the noise and the firey fires – and we gained a better sport…
I believe Andretti’s right – We are going to see the dawn of an electric racing age to come.
I forgot to mention first and second place overall in this year’s 24 Hous of Le Mans were…..HYBRIDS!
24 HouRs of Le Mans, I mean….This year’s race was groundbreaking as it pitted two huge car companies against one another – Audi and Toyota. The Toyota’s hybrid system used supercapacitors and the Audi system was more of a “conventional” regenerative system like in KERS, using a large flywheel. The Audis prevailed, coming in 1st and 2nd. Toyota will be back though, they made Le Mans nearly a nationalistic event, developing their Le Mans hybrid in nine months, rushing it to lift the spirits of their nation and their factory workers who were devastated by the 2011 mega earthquake and tsunami.
The KERS systems use regenerative energy gleaned from braking ( heat;friction ), turning into electricity to spin the flywheel.
We’re talking supercapacitors and racing in the same sentence… It’s Back To The Future, Mc Fly!
I’ve been an owner of a 2012 Volt since March of this year. I’m amazed at the technology! Having been 2002 Prius owner for 8 years and a 2010 Prius owner for two, before trading it in for my Volt, I am in a good position to compare the two different technologies. For those who will drive the Volt more on charge sustaining mode (where the ICE runs to recharge the battery, primarily) rather than just on electric, the comparison of savings in energy costs is not impressive. But, when driving on battery for long periods of time, there are large savings driving the Volt, especially when gas prices soar.
The Volt is a compact car (in size) and the Prius is mid-sized (though the 2002 Prius was a compact car), so there is less space in the Volt, but not cramped as some reviewers might lead you to believe. The Volt is a road car and a driver’s car, smooth and sure-footed; the Prius less so. The seats in the Volt are much more comfortable than those of the Prius, especially on long trips. The Volt is quiet; the Prius less so. The presentation of information in the Volt is more clear and more extensive than what the Prius offers.
The Prius is a good car. But, when the day’s electric-only driving is 50 miles (I can drive 50+ miles on electric) the Prius wouldn’t have provided me with the satisfaction that I get when I plug in the Volt and know those 50 miles cost me only $2.12 rather than $3.85 or more that a gallon of gas would have cost for the Prius. My lifetime average for the Volt ICE alone is 42.6 mpg, the 2010 Prius was 50 mpg.
If I were to drive across country with the Volt, as I have done twice with the 2010 Prius, I could expect to achieve 35 – 40 mpg from the gas engine, not as good as the 47 mpg I got from the Prius. However, with the relatively short (350 miles) day trips that I have taken with the Volt, I have achieved 43 mpg.
In the 6602 miles I have driven my Volt, I have used a total of 81 gallons of gas. So, overall, my gas mileage has been 81.3 mpg. That’s how a commercial would present the data. However, that is not the real story. Of those 6602 miles, 3134 miles were driven using the ICE and 3138 were on battery. The ICE mpg is 42.6. That’s real-world gas consumption and that’s not bad.
I’m glad that I am back in an American designed and built car. I’m a happy camper with my Volt, for sure.
When will we see Indy Car races with electric vehicles? Almost noiseless, and very clean!
Racing would not be the same without the noise! I can’t imagine drag racing with silent cars. Don’t like that idea very much. Although I am still interested in getting a Volt. Thank you for the review, Jonathan! It’s really great to hear from people who actual use the cars every day!
There are a few electric’s that drag, a very few.
Fundamentally, drag racing isn’t about how much noise a car can make. At present, the noise at a drag strip is just the symptom of those who want to race faster than his compeditor. It shouldn’t matter how the driver powers his car, but if he can do it faster.
That is what drag racing is. Some race with ICE’s, some with jets, and a few with EV’s. All those are just powertrain options.