Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Awesome
The volt has two "EV" things that the prius does not:
1) It can be plugged in to recharge.
2) It can drive over 40 miles without using the gasoline engine.
In fact, I say that since my daily commute is less than 30 miles, I could drain all the gas out of it and run it as a "pure EV", which is something a prius cannot do.
Just because it does some things in common with the Prius does not relegate it to being in the same classification as the prius.
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So since it does some things in common its now relegated to being merely an EV?
1) There will soon be a plug-in Prius soon. 2012 MY I think. And there are aftermarket conversion kits that you can buy now.
2) The Prius can drive on electricity too. I thought I said that in my previous post?
Granted, the Prius can't drive as far as the Volt on electricity. But using that as a basis for claiming Volt = EV, Prius = hybrid has an obvious flaw: the Leaf has a longer electric only range than the Volt. In fact, the Volt is closer in electric only range to the Prius than it is to the Leaf. So its just as valid to say that the Volt
isn't an EV based on its electric only range.
To me, calling the Volt an EV is ignoring everything that makes it superior any EV. If you're only going to use it as an EV, why not simply buy a Leaf? The Leaf will likely be more efficient around town, since it doesn't have the added weight of a gasoline engine, which is important because you won't be driving too far on the highway with a Leaf anyway. But even if you do, the Leaf has a greater electric range. Plus, its thousands of dollars cheaper. Buying the Volt and only using electricity doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Where the Volt shines is when you go beyond the limits of an EV, namely a range of hundreds of miles ... something no electric car can claim.