GM is aiming to transition its entire light-duty vehicle fleet to zero tailpipe emissions by the 2035 timeframe, and to that end, the automaker has a long list of new all-electric models coming down the pipe. That said, The General recently announced plans to reintroduce plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) to the North America market as a means of meeting rising fuel economy and emissions standards during the EV transition.
The announcement was made by company CEO Mary Barra as part General Motors’ Q4 2023 earnings report.
Chevy Volt, a now-discontinued GM PHEV
“Our forward plans include bringing our plug-in hybrid technology to select vehicles in North America,” Barra said. “Let me be clear, GM remains committed to eliminating tailpipe emissions from our light-duty vehicles by 2035, but in the interim, deploying plug-in technology in strategic segments will deliver some of the environmental benefits of EVs as the nation continues to build its charging infrastructure.”
Barra went on to state that the new PHEV models will help The General “comply with the more stringent fuel economy and tailpipe emission standards that are being proposed,” adding that the technology will be delivered “in a capital and cost-efficient way because the technology is already in production in other markets.”
Just last week, GM Authority explored the possibility that GM would reintroduce hybrid models to North America, arguing that while hybrids weren’t impossible, the technology wasn’t totally viable either, largely as a result of timing and cost.
With regard to potential sources of new PHEV powertrain tech, SAIC-GM will offer a plug-in hybrid option for the upcoming 2025 Chevy Equinox slated for sale in the Chinese market. Specs include a turbocharged 1.5L internal combustion engine and 140 kW electric motor, with a lithium iron phosphate battery pack. Additionally, a mild hybrid variant of the all-new Chevy Traverse is also expected for sale in China.
It was recently reported that the EPA had sent a new fuel economy standards proposal to the White House for review, which included a 56-percent reduction in projected fleet average emissions for the 2027 through 2032 model years compared to the 2026-model-year requirements. The proposal may also mandate that 60 percent of automaker production be dedicated to EVs by 2030.
Subscribe to GM Authority for more General Motors business news, General Motors electric vehicle news, General Motors technology news, and around-the-clock General Motors news coverage.
Comments
Oh thank god!!
Hybrids are the biggest con.
They cost more to buy.
They still require regular ICE maintenance.
They still require battery replacement.
They will take years to save enough gas to pay for the added cost and repair.
They have horrible resale and even lower value if they need a battery.
You are better off just buying an regular ICE model or a full EV.
I just saw a Malibu Hybrid that needed a new battery and the car is not worth the battery.
Just stop
Many go from a truck to a Prius and save a lot of money,
But even if you go to a 4 cylinder sedan you would do the same and also save on the cost of the Hybrid system normally $2500-$3500 more.
Now if you have a plug in you must be sure to plug in and get that charge or you have no real gains. I see many Volts with condensation in their exhaust as most are not charged.
Now when these cars lose a battery it is not cheap. Some are easy to replace some are not. The Chevy trucks listed 31 hours labor on their change on a $4000 battery. They are at auctions now not selling as no one wants a broken hybrid vehicle.
Hydrogen is good but no where easy to refuel I have driven the GM Fuel Cell car and it was great but if I need fuel it was a trip to some industrial area if there was one. I see them fine for fleet sales. at least near term.
But even now Hybrids with any ICE engine will not be sold with pending laws to kill ICE sales. So investing in these really is not going to help much.
People fail to do all the math and read all the laws that are coming and understand that a election is not going to fix it.
That’s why Toyota is the world’s biggest and most successful manufacturer ever. Gee, how many hybrids do they sell?
C.8R is right on this one
If you eliminate all markets where Toyota has instituted monopolistic policies, then GM actually sells more, and posts a higher profit.
Honda also has backtracked significantly on hybrids and PHEV’s in general, only offering 3 hybrids now. Toyota has built a following on it with the greenies who don’t know enough about math to realize their spending more with their hybrid
Toyota has a weird situation where they are entiwined with tons of generational small-businesses that can’t change fast in their supply chain and the government strongly discourages them from doing anything to disrupt that web of operations.
Toyota invested heavy in Hybrids. BUt then the ICE bans came in and now they are trying to get things to come back to Hybrids.
They just do not want to have the need to redo their line up because of the changed laws.
The real question is how much do I make on the $1300 hybrid battery for a Prius do I make.
I can easily say a lot and then they still have to pay retail and labor.
c8.R –
Granted this was a problem with the earlier prius’ but the later ones now have great warranties on the battery… Either they are lasting as long as an engine would be before an overhaul, or else if the batteries are still wearing out they are eating the cost – something that is doubtful if its a TOYOTA.
As far as PHEVs in general go, if manufacturers would make sure the tiny battery they install is at least big enough to go 2 days of driving before needing a charge – to cut the number of charge/discharge cycles in half – they would double the longevity of any battery they used.
If they are still using small batteries than the number of charge / discharge cycles a hybrid battery has to endure before the warranty expires would be simply amazing. Knowing TOYOTA, they are intently working on a profitable solution for themselves..
The pricing of the RAV4 PRIME plug in hybrid CUV in the States is so unbelievably high that they could have a few battery changeouts factored into the MSRP already.
A lot of people get suckered every year too. They only sell them as they can lower their emissions number and con people to pay more for it. The savings over the long run is minimal.
Ok, you’ve convinced me to stay with ICE forever. Thank you for your service.
This is more about being aware of the laws and people being appointed to the EPA and their agendas. It may be late now but all this starts with the government.
If you want that right you and others need to be aware of the agenda of who you vote for then you can buy what you want.
As it stands now you have only 10 years to buy a ICE or Hybrid. Even if the laws are changed by the next president what will the next one do?
Who will get CARB to change their law? Will they take the Hybrid deal as a compromise to give the automakers more time?
Lol you were wrong, no need to dig deeper. No one judges a person for being wrong but being stubborn on the other hand…
It is easy to say someone is wrong with no proof.
Well Prove you are right.
Lol the proof is that GM realized trying to skip hybrids was foolish. The proof is every other automaker pushing forward with hybrids.
Dude just stop. It’s ok. I think you’d drown yourself to try and prove a point, and still fail.
What if government gives tax cuts on hybrid.
I think they should foster hybrid market for upcoming years to replace ICE vehicles.
Giving tax cuts on EV should stop. They had enough support for growth. It is time to just survive as one of the powertrain types.
My Volt is approaching 7 years old. I’ve changed the oil four times (twice were on GM) and my battery is degraded from 14 KWh usable to 13.5 KWh usable, so it doesn’t need replacing. As for saving money it saved me over $1,000 in the first year in operating costs, even when I added the additional home electricity cost in. This savings was vs. the final year of my 2012 Chevy Cruze Eco Manual, which averaged 42.5 MPG over the five years and 103,500 miles I owned it before being destroyed in a hailstorm.
I agree that plug in hybrids are the most complex automotive drivetrain, but if you keep them charged they will save you a lot of money each year. On the other hand, if GM uses their Ultium platform in their upcoming hybrids they have a good chance at making money on each one sold.
HI Mike –
I think the VOLT is actually less complicated than the typical Automatic Transmission (no slipping bands which are actuated under high torque conditions), or especially the belt drive slushomatics they seem to use on all ICE cheap vehicles so far…. The ones that used to last a whopping 65,000 miles before an expensive overhaul.
The Planetary gear box just runs and intrinsically changes its ratio due to the relative speed of the motors driving it. Only 2 actuatable clutches (oil-pump-powered) have essentially zero wear since they engage or disengage at zero torque conditions.. One of the marvels of differential gearing.
The engine has great life, for one reason an electric oil pump starts lubing the engine prior to start up, then initially, a variable speed cranking slowly gets the pre-lubed engine up and running…. After up to temperature it starts more normally – and does it with no starter motor nor starter solenoid. 2 more things that can’t break because they are not there, including no mechanical alternator.
The sole single belt drive in the car runs a low horsepower requirement engine coolant pump over large radius pulleys… Scheduled maintenance is to visually inspect the belt every 100,000 miles or so. And it and the engine powered oil pump only runs when the electric one shuts off and the engine starts.
Other benefits: Semi-Hermetic Air Conditioning compressor has no shaft seal that always used to leak out all the refrigerant after a few years, because the variable speed motor runs in the refrigerant itself.
A few have had battery troubles, but the 2012 I sold to a friend still had even its 12 volt battery going on 12 years old when the car was t-boned a few months ago.
A good used VOLT is a bargain. And the second generation models (2016-2019) are even more economical. IF GM is smart they will use the GEN 2 designs basically unchanged and make them in the USA. In view of the BLAZER EV troubles, I’d stay away from anything south of the border.
I’m a Gen 2 Volt owner who is 5 years in, and agree with the comments here regarding savings. Utilizing time of day electrical service, I’m able to realize at least $1K/yr – and that’s only on what I would have spent on gas in an ICE. While there are a few maintainence things that have had to be addressed, at 60K miles I still believe I’ve saved in that arena as well. I’m a textbook example of the typical Volt owner: live in a large metro so can do 90% of my local driving miles on EV. To my knowledge, no other PHEV vehicle was made that has the EV range of the Gen 2 Volt. I also LOVE that I can take it on cross-country trips with the ICE. It gets around 30-35 mpg, cruising at highway speeds, which I think is pretty darn good. AND – I have been able to do all my charging on a regular 3 pronged outlet. A 13 hour charge time is perfect for overnight, with a replenished battery the next morning. I hope GM returns to the Volt platform, because I’d absolutely buy another one! 100%.
I don’t know why they didn’t make the Malibu a PHEV instead of a hybrid. The battery in those things is only 1.5kwh so it must be the labor involved, and not the battery. Really depends on the situation with PHEVS, A large percentage of the rural population would probably love the savings from driving electric to the nearest town and back (usually within less than 40 miles round trip), but don’t have access to a rapid charging networks yet. I agree that some of the German PHEVs were just an afterthought to get around local ICE bans though.. The range extending generators in most PHEVs are actually the simplest and lightest engines the manufacturers offer – translating to low maintenance. Yes, they are more complex, but the only thing I’ve had to do on my ’13 Chevy Volt (in terms of the ICE) are 2x / year oil changes and after 100K miles a coolant flush (which BEVs require as well). At my duty cycle, I estimate that my ICE engine will reach 100K miles AFTER the entire car reaches over 400K total mileage. In other words, I use the ICE less than 25% of the time. Although I don’t expect the battery to last that long 🙂 there are examples of Chevy Volts that have exceeded over 300k miles on the original 16kWh battery (and some that haven’t – its a 14 year old design now). Anyone who does less than 40 miles per day doesn’t need a 60 or even 80kWh battery pack which adds more weight than a range extender ICE engine (that’s including the gas in the tank). For the compromise of not being a perfect EV or ICE vehicle, I have averaged 192mpg on gas since I’ve owned the car and 3.5 miles/kWh in EV mode (like driving an ICE vehicle with 74mpg based on the differential between local gas and utility costs of $0.128 / kWh when in EV mode).
I guess I did even better with my 2019 volt. Changed oil 1/8th as often ( 24,000 vs 3000 mile intervals), and the volt burned less than a pint between changes.
Yes Malibu hybrid had almost the identical power train other than the one motor/dynamo was made slightly more efficient since it was figured that the car would be in hybrid mode much more often (obviously).
A bigger battery, j1772 charging jack and the standard 16 amp (3.8 kw) charging module was all that was required to make it a Malivolt.
Talk about an easy change. They should have tried selling this essentially no added cost model.
GM was a leader in PHEVS with the Volt. Its ABSOLUTELY ridiculous that they dropped the ball so bad here and fell so far behind the competition.
Typical GM behavior unfortunately
Agreed. They never advertised or pushed the Volt, it was a compliance car. Then they killed it for the Bolt, because the EV fundamentalists attacked the Volt as not being pure enough (not pure EV).
The ad copy for the Volt writes itself: “With a backup gas engine that can take you anywhere in the country, the Volt is the electric car that can be your only car.”
EDIT: Unfortunately, the Volt was about 10 years ahead of its time. If it came out today it, I think it would be wildly popular.
Agreed. My Volt was awesome. 90% of driving was battery only, but I could take a no-notice trip across the country if needed, didn’t have to worry about -15 temps, etc. If they still made them, I’d have one now.
The reason they got rid of the Volt is because no one was buying them. Which will still be the issue for new PHEV’s and EV’s throughout all of this “transition”.
We’re nowhere near ready to even START making this transition, but as usual, when government gets involved, the Big 3 just roll over and asked to be scratched on the belly, instead of laying out the reality of all of this.
The real reason is because Mary overpriced them.
Toyota can sell them no problem.
Toyota also can sell the Corolla. A car that drives like 1980
Most people inside GM as well as the dealers understood the Volt. They were and still are very reliable and functional. When I bought my gen 1 Volt, the dealer didn’t even have a charging station and the battery was discharged upon delivery.
Ford, Hyundai/Kia, Mitsubishi and Toyota all sell PHEVs with no problems.
J Roy:
Yes they all do sell PHEVs and still the best one was the Gen 2 Volt from 2016-2019, 8 model years ago.
I’ll give honorable mention to the TOYOTA Rav4 PRIME, but it can’t go as far as the VOLT could since they used the same size battery with a much larger vehicle.
The super-expensive Rav4 Prime also had too many items standard and until very recently a super wimpy charger (3,300 watts) unless you ordered over $10,000 more of mostly useless junk. At least this year they have a 6,600 watt unit standard, but it is still smaller than the 7,600 watt unit which was standard in the 2019 Volt Premier trim. Point is – when out and about – there are public chargers in my area that can provide this..
But only this…. No point in the ridiculously huge chargers others including GM are using since in most public areas they usually top out at 32 ampere docking stations.
There are tweaks that would have made the volt more efficient or less costly, such as simply using engine jacket heat anytime you needed it… All the complication of electric heat loops for the hot water powered cabin heater are a needless expense…. One stupid thing was refusing to use free jacket heat from the engine and running the very expensive resistance heater when the jacket heat was there for the taking – jacket heat is only used in the VOLT when the jacket temperature is over 150 degrees fahrenheit. At least the GEN 1 designs used jacket heat starting at about 120 degrees, a much more reasonable figure in the dead cold. Yes, the engine is more efficient at 150 but that is a case of ‘straining out the Gnat and gulping down the Camel’.
The electric heater would always run if it was cold outside and the fan on, even if you told it to shut the heater off – only thing you could do to fool the system was to lower the set temperature of the thermostat to 60 degrees on less, or turn the fan off. In a new design, the always used resistance battery heater could also be a free jacket heat exchanger to save precious battery
Best news from GM in a long time
Imagine if they had more vehicles setup like the E-Ray hybrid for sale right now! A next gen Camaro, a TRX beating pickup, some other more budget friendly options. gm really dropped the ball here.
Yes! This is needed. 15 years ago, I would have thought GM was the one to make hybrids more common, instead, Toyota and Ford have done more with it, heck, even Stellantis has and they have had no clear direction with management for a long time. I understand the Volt was built with the Cruze, so it had to go, but the Malibu hybrid was the last hybrid (mild, full or PHEV) by GM in NA. There is no reason they couldn’t make an Equinox hybrid, a Silverado/Sierra hybrid, a Traverse/Acadia/Enclave/XT6 hybrid powertrain work that is competitive. I understand the GMT900H wasn’t the best, but update it now to use the 10sp, the 2.7T, or, as Ford did, make it modular so any engine could technically be mated to the hybrid system and have a 6.2H or 3.0TDH.
Hybrid powertrain n , if indeed it’s a phev and. Not a hev , is usually 10 grand more than its comparable ice version . So it goes without saying that phev powertrains are a little more complicated than just picking any motor you currently have utilized , just saying .
I see what you mean, and it really wouldn’t be optimal as a ground up designed hybrid engine doesn’t need an accessory belt because you don’t need an alternator, AC compressor would be electric drive, and all that. So it wouldn’t be exactly as I stated. But a regular hybrid (what I was suggesting) would not be that much to integrate and after the flywheel, everything is the same for the hybrid system. I am also thinking of it being a differentiator from Ford and Toyota since you can only get those trucks in hybrid form with a 3.5ishTT V6. I’m still not sure why Ford doesn’t have the hybrid with the 2.7EB so when it is in generator mode it is (slightly) more efficient in particularly.
BRING BACK VOLTEC!
This as well as the news of GM and Honda partnering up on Hydrogen Fuel Cell is proof the industry is starting to realize BEV may NOT be the future. If you have to drive only a few hundred miles only to have to wait for another hour or two to refuel, we have gone backwards. Not forwards. Its only a temporary solution and even that, considering the environmental destruction battery refining is, is debatable.
Hydrogen fuel cells aren’t the future you imagine them to be – The most important part of the necesary PEM of a fuel cell is Iridium which is extremely scarce with most of it derived from an asteroid collision in Africa. Google it!! Not enough to go around and its most important uses don’t include PEMs. Don’t think scientists haven’t tried to overcome this problem for decades. For reference Iridium (per Metals Daily) trades at $4500/oz (over 2x Gold) while Platinum trades at $925/oz – both are required for fuel cells. Plus, don’t forget that fuel cells are nothing more than a generator for the battery that drives the motors/vehicle – those aren’t cheap either. Too pricey and too rare, but at least gm has some shiny new project to pour billions into. gm routinely makes short-sighted business decisions, but killing Voltec may be the final straw. Now they’ve invested billions into an overweight/overpriced BEV platform nobody wants, have no PHEVs/hybrids, are reliant on full size trucks/SUVs for 95% of their profits and 1/2 of US sales with rising CAFE standards on the horizon with escalating fines looming and China sales cratering. And somehow their stock went up. GM moves slower than any other legacy automaker, let’s see how long it takes to get a PHEV/hybrid on the road – not in 2024, maybe by the end of 2025 (highly optimistic), during which time they bleed even more market share and drop below 5M global sales. gm has over 450k cars in inventory from 2023 (counted as 2023 sales) – this will be a rough year. Poor decisions have consequences.
Not to mention that mass-production of hydrogen is not commercially/economically viable, so until there are some major technological breakthroughs, hydrogen will not become another mainstream energy source.
Lmao Mark Ruess and I have been saying this as far back as 2018 when GM said they were forgoing all hybrid development in North America except for the C8. Mark should be the man in charge and I wonder if the board is feeling the same way
No way on Mark Reuss. No more race driver wanna be CEO’s with Testosterone poisoning. Mary is the best CEO GM has had since the 60’s. Let’s not go back to the bad old days of ex-jock race driver CEO’s.
GM has made some extremely ill-conceived strategic decisions under Barra. Cancelling Voltec is just one of them.
Yes, current leadership is tearing it up – let’s look at GM global sales since 2014 . . .
2014 9.92M
2015 9.84M
2016 10.01M #1
2017 9.60M
2018 8.78M
2019 7.72M
2020 6.83M #3
2021 6.29M #4
2022 5.94M #5
2023 numbers haven’t been released but expected to be below 2022
So, yeah gm is going in the right direction under current management.
Turnover is vanity, profit is sanity!
Now go over everyone of those years, look up their net profit, then inflation adjust it back to 2014. Mary has actually lowered profit every year she’s been CEO.
Technically, Fords flops in the 60’s propelled GM to the worlds auto powerhouse, but do we scoff at their “meager” profits of only around 2 billion??? That posts to 19 billion today.
A highly profitable 6 million in sales is way better than losing money on 10 million. Most of the decline above is from selling Opel, which should have been done long ago. GM has been doing very well in the US which is it’s core market.
GM China’s sales have halved. That’s the biggy. And they’ll go down more in China as China subsidized their top domestic automakers to build EVs; such as BYD, MG, GW, and Havlin. The technology transfer that GM and other international manufacturers did in China is coming back to haunt them now just as TVs and cameras did with the Japanese.
LOL. Yeah, God forbid we have people at companies that understand their products and have at least some passion for them. You don’t work in the movie industry by chance, do you?
Also, I think the world could use a little more testosterone lately. Not the over the top, brash type, but wow, is everything becoming so effeminate now.
GM has the most capable (on and off-road) mid-sized, full-sized, and heavy duty trucks than they’ve ever had.
They able to re start sales of the POS ev blazer
As the article said, the most likely first PHEV vehicle is a plug-in hybrid Equinox. It will help with CAFE and also also give folks the more powerful Equinox so many on this site keep whining about.
People went weeks without needing gas with Volt. That system ultimately averaged 52 MPG but, unfortunately, mb any consumers didn’t understand it. PHEVs like Volt should be called Super Hybrids because they are different than other hybrids.
GM could reskin that old system and have a viable Corolla rival
Yep! The one main problem with the Volts were their poor space optimization because of tge battery design. With the Ultium system using a skateboard design, there is much more flexibility in creating more interior room. Now combine that with 1.3L 3cyl turbo and 1.5L turbo range extenders the potential for sedans and crossovers are great. Voltec should have always been researched and improved upon.
I recently passed on a 2013 Volt to my college son with 137k miles and a lifetime MPG of 93.5 as it was on battery for most of its miles to and from work (24 miles round trip). It was flawless and never had a single mechanical/electrical problem. When the battery goes, I will simply replace it myself – takes about 3.5 hrs and costs $5,689 (including core return, etc). He wanted to buy a used Model 3, but he can’t always find charging, so this is a better solution for him as he’s renting a house with 3 other guys. While I drive a Model Y that I plug in each night in my garage, most people who rent don’t have this option and hybrids/PHEVs are a better solution for fuel savings. Toyota is killing it in this space with inferior tech – the Volt can drive at highway speeds 100% on the battery (top speed = 100MPH), while all Toyota PHEVs have the engine run at highway speeds (typically above 43MPH), so you can’t run on just the battery if using major highways, even if only for a few miles. Another great Volt feature was the HOLD function – where you could keep the battery at 100% while on road trips (using the engine) and use the battery in city travel where battery operation is more efficient. There is a reason there are numerous Volt cult fans.
That information about Toyota hybrids and highway speeds is old; that applied only to non-plug-in Priuses a couple generations ago; I had an 04 (first of the 2nd gen model that really took off) and yes, at 42 mph no matter what you did the gas engine would come on. Hasn’t been true for a couple generations by now though, especially for the plug-ins.
As others have said, the squandering of GM’s substantial lead in PHEVs with their discarding of the Volt was a catastrophic error. Not only was it leading (at the time) tech, but Volt owners *loved* the Volt. There was a base of hundreds of thousands of owners to whom you could sell, “The Volt — but it is a small SUV” or “The Volt — but it’s a minivan/family hauler.” But no.
Mary Barra & co decided they needed a clean sheet and would be a leader in EVs. That could have worked; but it required disciplined execution. And that has failed. The massive problems of the BEV3 platform have put the company way behind where it should be. The Lyriq was priced to sell…but they couldn’t produce more than a trickle, and by the time they sorted it out, price cuts from Tesla & co became the norm and now it doesn’t stand out. The Blazer and Equinox are way overpriced…if you can get one, due to the all the stop orders and time in the shop that’s necessary due to electronics problems.
The crazy thing is newer GM’s gas vehicles, particularly the TrailBlazer and Trax, have been crushing it. But the EV problems have put a lid on the stock price, and I’m not sure going back to PHEV (which is necessary) will be enough to make sure GM can grow significantly as a company again.
BEV3 will be the death of Cadillac. Mark Ruess said this was Caddy’s last chance, and the vehicles just aren’t noteworthy enough. GMC and Buick wil be the premium brands and GM will try to build out Corvette which could work especially if a new Camaro was part of global mix.
Hybrids are great because the require less environmental pollution unlike EV batteries that take 7 years to reach carbon neutral.
It’s hard to believe but this reincarnation of Roger Smith is actually worse than the original! Barra’s only saving grace is the board of directors has no idea what they’re looking at. The board wouldn’t know a dipstick from a drumstick! Watching this once great company constantly chase its tail is dizzying and sickening.
Roger smith made Micheal Moore angry so he was doing something right. Him and Jane Fonda need deported to Venezuela and barred from re-entry.
We can”t blame Mary for everything that goes wrong. She is surrounded by inept product planners and marketing types. Most of those called marketers are really merchandisers focused on moving “units.”
Wow! Nobody could have predicted this!
On the off chance anyone from GM corporate takes the time to peruse this site. Everything you hear about Volt owners loving their car is absolutely true. The low end torque and the freedom with gasoline is a wonderful combination. The only changes I’d make are more rear leg room, and minor increases to hp, tq, range and fuel tank size. Thanks for an awesome car!
Shut up Wesley! Not really, but I had to type it with your screename lol.
I loved the Volt, but it should have been an Equinox sized compact SUV. GM lost piles of money on the Volt, that is why they discontinued it. At the time the decision was made to discontinue the Volt, GM did not see any path to profitability. With the much lower cost of Ultium batteries, that might have now changed.
Yeah they should have done that. The old Voltec system didnt allow for much versatility as how the battery was designed and packaged. They can do it now with all they have learned with Ultium on a skateboard platform.
Hopefully in a Crossover, SUV, and pickup truck. I have a Volt but I hope it’s used for bigger heavier vehicles in the future.
A Plug In Trax and/or Trailblazer is the way to go; priced so more people can afford it.
This is huge. Not only does it indicate that consumers will have more choices (I will consider a PHEV), but it also means that GM is admitting its EV only strategy cannot be implemented soon enough to compensate for the government mandates. It also means that GM will be taking a more cautious approach, similar to the likes of Toyota. I can’t recall which Toyota official said it, but he stated Toyota could either make one EV, or they could make ten RAV4 Primes with the same amount of battery material. That’s more lucrative for Toyota and cheaper for the consumer. It’s a win-win strategy all around, and it’s good to see GM is open to that approach. Some of GM’s most popular vehicles also happen to be significantly underpowered. It would benefit GM the most and raise their CAFE rating if they added PHEV trims to these vehicles: Equinox, Malibu, Terrain, etc.
You mention the Malibu. Reportedly the next gen Bu is on the horizon, I wonder if and how this will impact that. Will it be an ICE model with PHEV or fully EV? The new 2025 Camry is still ICE with I believe 2 hybrids powertrains. And the Accord offers a hybrid.
Just another example of auto execs chasing the latest fad, instead of making realistic long-term plans.
Playing catch up as always.
Good to see this site is still full of FUD about BEVs.
GM’s poor execution of BEVs does not confirm the gearhead’s claims that they’re not the future. The rest of the world is moving that way, like it or not.
And the only way GM could get a PHEV to market quickly enough now to make any difference would be taking the options already in China and importing them, which I’m sure the same gearheads above would absolutely love.
Oh no, people want to have options and not be forced into the thing you like. The horror.
China wins again!
Do whatever it takes to get all possible GHG emission credits so GM can pump up the volume on gen VI gas engines.
I recently read where U.S. car dealerships have written the President to ease up on ICE vehicle regulations and stop demanding increased EV production. Dealerships have strong franchising laws and influence in their favor. EV’s except for Tesla are not selling in sufficient volumes to completely replace ICE vehicles. Car dealerships have strong influence to get what they want. Even as consumers prefer to buy online and bypass the dealerships except for just taking delivery of the purchased vehicle, dealerships still exist, even surviving the pandemic while many other brick and mortar businesses and shopping malls went out of business. Many dealerships have been collecting buyouts rather than spending millions of dollars to equip their dealerships with necessary EV infrastructure. Maybe the demand for EV’s would be better if they were priced with affordability in mind instead of exorbitant profits for each vehicle sold. They can sell EV’s in other countries at affordable prices. They can do it in the USA if they wanted to promote EV sales and keep dealers in business.
Dealerships hate EVs because they know the future revenue stream will not be anywhere near as lucrative, since they don’t require much scheduled maintenance, and (apart from GM), they are also less likely to need repair. That’s really all it is; none of them care at all about the actual well-being of their customers; the best dealers are indifferent to it and the typical dealers actively screw customers all the time.
I gave the Volt plug in hybrid a chance. I bought a 2019 with 8000 miles on it in 2021. It was a tiny, quirky little car. I drive 100 miles per day for work commute so it did save on gas. Summer time it would see 85 mpg, and winter it would get about 65 mpg over all. They had one interior color, jet black. Who designs cars with jet black interior? Weight watchers people??? The car would cook you like a microwave on the way to work because of the weird windshield rake and the 4 foot long dash. I had to buy a light colored dash pad so your face didn’t burn and had the back windows tinted. I bought a full size spare tire, it took up the entire trunk. You need a spare commuting 600 miles for work! It came with a spray can of goo, that will help with a blow out at 70 mph. Like I want to be waiting on the freeway for 2 hours for a tow truck at 1am. Where would they take me at 1am when I get our of work?? (People should be fired for this, spare tires are needed for anyone who drives long distances daily).
The little car drove just fine for how small it was but tire noise from the Michelin tires was loud on the freeway. The steering wheel was not centered toward the driver and there was no tilt-only telescoping up and down and towards you. No comfortable driving position. The front seats were tiny and the seat bottoms were quite short, so anything over 20 minutes and your legs were going numb. Seats from a Cruise LTZ wouldn’t fit, I checked..
Just a few other complaints over the 25,000 miles I drove it. It was a PLUG in hybrid. If it was pouring rain with 20 mph winds you were soaked trying to plug it in. If it was 0° (f) you were froze trying to get the plug door open and get it plugged in. Then when you got out of work, the door wouldn’t shut (froze). Some days when it was raining I just chose not to charge and parked with the other gas cars parked. Also when it got down to 10° (f) it would intermittently not want to start. The dash would display ‘please wait, initializing’ Not what I want to see when it’s freezing out!! Also, the washer sprayer and cruise control would not work when it was 20° (f) or colder. If i stopped several times on an exit and turn the car off and on, sometimes said cruise control and sprayers would work, but not always.
After one year, I traded it in for a full size Buick. Bye bye quirky Volt.
If the new BEV Equinox doesn’t come with a 5ft long dashboard and JET BLACK interior, I might consider looking at one…
It´s funny. I owe a Volt and my experience with it is very different. I haven´t had any of the problems you mention. Question of luck maybe.
It will be interesting to see if they come up with something as GOOD as the 2016 Generation 2 VOLT, 8 model years ago.
If they merely import something from China that has batteries which are too small, inefficient, poor recharging facilities, seemingly unreliable , and way overpriced for what you get, then No Thanks.
Barra might surprise me but as I say, it will because she will commission something better than the 8 year old VOLT design.
I don’t think I will be surprised, but let’s see what transpires.
I´m owner of an Opel Ampera/Chevy Volt with over 300,000 kms on the odometer and the car runs like new, maintenance has been practically non-existent and best of all, it´s not a boring cookie cutter SUV or crossover. It´s one of the best cars I´ve ever had, but when the day comes to trade it, if GM doesn´t have a sedan with similar technology, I´ll go to another brand.
Any Battery only EV – dumb dumb dumb …..
Battery + ice – yes yes yes….
So based on the 1.5 hybrid powertrain in China, how much combined total horsepower does that transmate too?
I own a 2012 Volt with almost 75,000 miles. I have solar panels which provide the electricity I need plus. The only time I buy gas is when I have to go out of town, so I drive solely on electric power for months at a time. This car is almost never in need of any repair at all. Needless to say, I love this car. What’s not to love? I’ve been so impressed that about a year ago, I bought a 2016 Cadillac ELR with 124,000 miles. Another PHEV. I drive the Volt for 6 months, and the ELR for the next 6 months. I love my two PHEV’s !
Sell them all. Let the public decide. We are in a transitional phase. My 11-year-old hybrid id the most reliable car I have owned.
Better late than never.
GM often drops the ball when it comes to innovation. They created a primo system in the Chevy Volt. Then they skipped over doing any hybrids on the way to EV’s. If you’ve driven a Toyota hybrid, you know the systems are enjoyable and efficient. My daughter puts quite a few miles on her Highlander and fills up every 2 months.
I own a 2012 Volt. It still looks and runs like new. I go months running on electric power only. It is so much cheaper than gas. I loved the Volt so much that last year I bought a 2016 Cadillac ELR. I drive the Volt for 6 months then drive the ELR for the rest of the year. Both of these PHEV’s are very reliable cars.