Nissan Leaf vs. the Chevrolet Volt: Electric car war heats up NYIAS

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Nissan is betting drivers are ready to forego the gas station entirely

Barry Paddock - NYDAILYNEWS - April 1, 2010

Which will prove more popular? --Ed.

An electric car war is amping up at the New York International Auto Show.

Two electric cars will hit the streets by year's end, and each of the automotive giants behind them thinks their's is the car of the future.

Prototypes of the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf will be on display at the Auto Show, which starts tomorrow at the Javits Center.

"In terms of an affordable, mass-market, all-electric vehicle, we're going to be the first," boasted Trisha Jung, chief marketing manager for Nissan.

"The Chevy Volt is different from anything else in production today," countered Samantha Lozon, a Chevrolet product specialist.

Chevrolet thinks drivers will prefer the Volt - which runs on gas when its electric charge runs out after 40 miles - to the... [Read More]

[98CRV]

at $25,000, the Leaf is gonna put a whole lot of pressure on the Volt.

[Butterfly Mage]

"The Chevy Volt is different from anything else in production today," countered Samantha Lozon, a Chevrolet product specialist.
------

Uh... The Volt isn't in production.

[Nevyn]

Originally Posted by Butterfly Mage

"The Chevy Volt is different from anything else in production today," countered Samantha Lozon, a Chevrolet product specialist.
------

Uh... The Volt isn't in production.

No, it's not, but it IS different from everything else that is.

[Butterfly Mage]

That is true. Most hybrid products run on a combination of fossil fuel and electricity. The Volt runs on a combination of government grants and media hype. Heh heh.

I have no doubt the Leaf will be produced. I won't believe a thing about the Volt until I can drive to a GM dealer and see one on the showroom floor with a "for sale" sticker on it.

[Nevyn]

You mean a "Please, PLEASE Inquire!" sticker?

[WriConsult]

The Volt may sell to folks who want ONE car that is zero-emissions in town but can still be taken on the highway. Folks who don't mind spending an extra $8k for the latter capability because they need both capabilities in ONE car.

Although a few urbanites will buy Leafs as their primary vehicle, most sales will be to families who want a zero-emission second or third car. Folks who already have another vehicle or two capable of making roadtrips and don't mind if one of their vehicles is a commuter that can't leave town -- but produces zero emissions and isn't saddled by all the extra weight, expense, complexity, maintenance and COST of an ICE they don't really need.

I think both will post healthy sales, but the Leaf will be bigger.

[msirach]

Originally Posted by Butterfly Mage

That is true. Most hybrid products run on a combination of fossil fuel and electricity. The Volt runs on a combination of government grants and media hype. Heh heh.

I have no doubt the Leaf will be produced. I won't believe a thing about the Volt until I can drive to a GM dealer and see one on the showroom floor with a "for sale" sticker on it.

BM: I felt the same way up until December about GM. The information that was being presented along with seeing, hearing, and talking with the people involved in the Volt project at NAIAS and at the Chicago Auto Show has swayed my opinion.

The following is from my post at 2010 Chicago Auto Show

"The Keynote address at the Chicago Auto Show by Mark Reuss, President of GM North America was outstanding. He said that the chains of the old GM have been broken and they are moving forward."

"A very exciting venue that they have discovered is the value of social media. Their reps are monitoring Twitter and FaceBook for customer issues and take care to make sure that the customer concerns are dealt with by directing them to the proper person."

I found that this is very much true within a couple of hours of this statement. During the GM press event, I posted the following Tweet and directed it to @GM and @GMCustomerSvc

"Suburban Diamond Edition-New version of 75 year old Fsp . #Not_The_Future!"

Within 5 minutes GMCustomerSvc was following me on Twitter.

Don't discount GM on production of the Volt. I am convinced that Ford and GM are both charging ahead. Ford is much better positioned to absorb a corporate disaster such as what Toyota just experienced. GM would have more trouble recovering, but they are headed in a more positive evolving perspective. When the Volt is on the showroom floors and the Volt has been proven to be a positive mpg miser, Chevy will regain the confidence of many Americans.

[xcel]

Hi All:

___I can guarantee the Volt is on its way. The pre-production prototypes and the line they will be built on has already been certified. Enough of the questions about “if” it will. It is a fact.

___The real question is its Fuel economy when on the ICE. The 37.5 mpg figure is going to be a tough hurdle when the Prius can be scaled up with Li-Ion’s for maybe a 30-mile AER (only up to 62 mph however) and still supply at least 45 mpg when in charge sustaining mode.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Originally Posted by xcel

Hi All:

___I can guarantee the Volt is on its way. The pre-production prototypes and the line they will be built on has already been certified. Enough of the questions about “if” it will. It is a fact.

___The real question is its Fuel economy when on the ICE. The 37.5 mpg figure is going to be a tough hurdle when the Prius can be scaled up with Li-Ion’s for maybe a 30-mile AER (only up to 62 mph however) and still supply at least 45 mpg when in charge sustaining mode.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

The ability to scale up explains why Toyota made the Li-ion battery housing large. Safety? Really?

Volt's advantage will be being a year or two ahead of the PHEVrius. I don't think the 62mph EV limit for the PHEVrius matters given the negative impact on EV range.

If Toyota decide to scale up it'll hit the Volt hard. I hope they will (possibly by varying amounts in different markets) since that'll indicate PHEV success.

But, there are some ways out for Volt:
- Better "drivability"
- Improving the efficiency of the generator
- Relatively lower battery costs (winning the supplier and reliability war)
- Switching to full BEV (it's already a BEV really, but they'd have to make adjustments for a larger battery.)

I hope the Volt succeeds initially, even if it's then "Insighted" by the PHEVrius. The success of production PHEVs is important for two reasons:
- They provide a stepping stone of real-world experience to allow people to make informed judgments about a transition to a BEV plus rental.
- Unlike BEVs they can meet the needs of the entire light vehicle market. While for some owners the Volt might be less efficient than an efficient HEV considered overall a wholesale shift would be of huge benefit.

Imagine all cars were PHEV. Now consider what happens when gas prices spike: people drive less. A fleet of PHEVs owners driving less would cause a precipitous drop in gas consumption. That could have a significant dampening effect on gas price fluctuation, if not the underlying price of crude.