Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Etc., Chevrolet
Gun owners want their other car to be a Chevy Volt
by John Neff on Aug 14th 2007 at 4:03PM 
click image above for high-res gallery of the Chevy Volt
Unlike most hybrids, the Chevy Volt may have the uncanny ability to attract buyers outside the culture of environmentally conscious citizens. Case in point is AR15.com, a gun owners website and forum that's having an enlightening discussion about why the Volt hits their sweet spot. Forget about "tree-huggin stump-humping global warming alarmist" types (their words, not ours), these gun owners like the Volt because it promises a range equal to cars with gas engines and the ability to use no fuel for short trips. Who wouldn't like that? The forum member who started the thread with a link to an article on the Volt comments repeatedly that the first production series hybrid from GM will be a "game changer".
It seems that many people, like the AR15.com posters, willfully alienate themselves from the current crop of green cars on the market specifically because they're touted by the liberal elite as the morally responsible choice of transportation we should all be driving. In fact, there are many conservatives in this country who also care about the environment and are interested in reducing dependence on foreign oil, but would rather not sacrifice the reliability, range, and general usefulness of their gas vehicles for hybrids that a.) don't live up to their hype, and/or b.) simply don't suit their needs. If the Volt delivers on all of its promises, then it should also attract these people who wouldn't touch a Prius with a ten-foot pole.
Don't forget that the Volt is also produced by a domestic U.S. automaker and will be the first of its kind on the market. That makes it a technological tour de force that patriots can be proud to own. You can't say that about a Prius, and though U.S. automakers do produce hybrids, they arrived pretty late to the game and haven't made a significant impact in the market with their offerings. The Volt will certainly be a game changer, as we suspect it will be the first "green" car on the market to rack up sales that rival its gas-powered counterparts specifically because its appeal plays on both sides of the aisle.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Farris 4:11PM (8/14/2007)
*snip*and though U.S. automakers do produce hybrids, they arrived pretty late to the game and haven't made a significant impact in the market with their offerings. *snip*
Another important fact to point out is that the hybrids currently offered by US manufacturers aren't touted as "super duper high mpg cars." Granted things like the Escape Hybrid get better mpg than it's gas (only) counterpart, but it's no 50 mpg Prius. The Volt represents a swing towards that Prius-type market.
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Rambo9000 4:32PM (8/14/2007)
THERE ARE A LOT MORE GUN OWNERS THAN PRIUS OWNERS!
Hunters are not anti-environment; that is an ignorant statement.
RickCA 4:56PM (8/14/2007)
hybrid or not..50mpg or 24mpg this is one of the most striking car designs I've seen, especially if it's going to be a hybrid of some sort. The market for tiny civic/prius eco friendly and god awfully ugly small sedan market is reaching a plataue..time for a full sized beauty like this from GM to up the anty!
AMCer 2:39PM (8/15/2007)
Granted things like the Escape Hybrid get better mpg than it's gas (only) counterpart, but it's no 50 mpg Prius.
There are no 50mpg Prius-es either.
Farris 3:07PM (8/15/2007)
LOL, yeah, I realize that, but that's what Toyota wants us to believe.
Tommy 4:12PM (8/14/2007)
What better than an electric car to sneak up on a deer with and blow its brains out?
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db25 4:14PM (8/14/2007)
lol
aaron 4:14PM (8/14/2007)
It sounds like the forum member is a mole paid by GM. If not, the Volt needs a name change anyway and a new design, and....oh you get it.
Waiting for the Autoblog Green posters to rip gun-toting Americans and defend the Prius to the death...again.
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Peter 4:15PM (8/14/2007)
The Volt is still hot air and dreams. Does it have a motor yet? Where is the battery technology? There is still a LOT of work to be done. Until then, the hype is not justified.
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db25 4:16PM (8/14/2007)
Why would someone refuse to get a hybrid just because they are seen as tree hugger cars? If u care so much about the environment make a decision based on your heart and mind and not what on people think about you. People care way too much about the image they portray.
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Jim 6:34PM (8/14/2007)
Many people who DO buy the Prius care just as much about what others think, which is the main reason most buy it. About 2/3 in a recent poll I read bought it to communicate their green image to others. So it stands to reason that some people who are sick of being told what to do will have the opposite reaction.
El Calor 4:22PM (8/14/2007)
This car is going to be sick!
http://www.VoltTalk.com
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Tyo 4:25PM (8/14/2007)
Current Hybrids although capable of 50+ mpg as stated, Wont get that in highway driving, correct me if im wrong but in a Prius, at 55+ mph, youre not using the electric motor at all. This is the problem with hybrids and the benefit of systems like the volt. I live in the US, many many people commute 30mins or more to get to work each day, on highways, at cruising speed, where a prius is useless. a car with a small Tubo Diesel or gas engine used as a generator for an electric system, solves that dilemma.
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epilonious 11:10AM (8/15/2007)
You're wrong.
The Prius can probably average 60 MPG on a long highway trip. Unfortunately it means coasting up hills (to the concern of people behind you) accelerating slowly (to the chagrin of people behind you) not tailgating so you can slow down using only regenerative braking (which will piss off people behind you) drive slower (people behind you are now loading their gun) and generally trying to avoid as much speed change as possible.
The car hybrids are pretty much this: If you beat on it like you do any other car (flooring it a lot, slamming on the brakes a lot, etc), they will return mediocre mileage . Not as bad as a similarly sized car, but much worse than advertised. If you use the little tricks that will get you an extra 3 or 4 MPG in a regular car (accelerate slower, don't change speeds rapidly, &c &c), it will get you 15-20 MPG extra in a hybrid. The difference is that the engines are tuned to be hyper-efficient (so you can actually get 60 MPG on a flat surface going 55) to the detriment of horsepower, and there is an electric motor to give the extra push in hurry-up situations. If you keep utilizing the motor and burning up the brake pads and forcing the engine into a power-band, you lose energy that could otherwise be staying in the big-ass battery or the gas tank... at the same time, if you drive trying to save every last bit of energy, you'll get pulled over or shot for doing 45 on the freeway.
Tyo 12:16PM (8/15/2007)
Way to tell me im wrong then not address the issue i was talking about. At cruising speed, the electric motor is inactive. Any small 4 cyl with the driving techniques you speak of will improve gas mileage, we all know that. What im saying is for the way most people actually DO drive, a diesel is a more realistic way to achieve the same mileage. Torque.
Jon 11:23AM (8/21/2007)
Prius does use the electric motor a hybrid speeds. Depends on the grade, acceleration, etc., but I often find myself maintaining highway speeds on battery alone. Think, if your momentum is carrying you at x speed, it doesn't take much energy to goose it up to x + 5 mph. And when you take your foot off the gas on a slope, the battery recharges.
In my real world experience, Prius does fine on long highway trips. It does worst on extremely short trips, especially in cold whether. If you just use it to run down to the store a half mile away on cold days, you will get mileage in the 30s. Use it on longer trips around town, 40s-50s. If you use it on a long road trip, you should be able to get around 50 mpg driving just as you would a normal car.
ryan 4:27PM (8/14/2007)
::snickers at the tree humping quote, probably because i am one::
dunno if there's enough room to mount an AR-15 in teh cabin. wikipedia says barrel length is 20 inches, i'm assuming that's not considering the stock.
i also agree about a possible mole in the system, especially if they suggest that the volt will be a "game changer"
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Phillip 5:27PM (8/14/2007)
The guy has been there since 01. I doubt hes a planted mole. I dont think GM would waste 6 years for a guy to just make a single thread to advertise the volt. Mind you gun enthusiast can be car and GM enthusiast too.
ryan 5:29PM (8/14/2007)
touche.
there goes my big business governmental conspiracy theme. DAMMIT!!
aaron 5:31PM (8/14/2007)
Phillip (below me), I 'll take your word for it. In this day in age, I have a hard time believing anybody supporting a product without thinking he may be paid to do it.