Chevrolet Volt Generates Buzz From Gun Owners

Chevrolet Volt Generates Buzz From Gun Owners

Forget about granola-nibbling Californians as the mainstay of electric cars. Gun-toting pickup drivers want ’em, too.

AutoObserver’s entry on General Motors’ Chevrolet Volt electric car generated quite the buzz when it was picked up on a forum of a gun-owners’ Web site, billed as the “Home of the Black Rifle.”

The general consensus of those on the gun-owners' Web site was in favor of electric vehicles -- as long as they have the performance, range, price, etc. of their current vehicles. They want them not for highfalutin reasons like energy independence and energy security or environmental cleanliness but for gas and money savings.

Says the forum participant who posted the AutoObserver link: "I've been following GM on the development of the Chevrolet Volt since I heard about it earlier this year, and figure when they make 'em, I'll buy one.

"I'm not a tree-huggin stump-humping global warming alarmist...but I like the prospect of charging a car overnight and getting all the range I practically need out of it without burning any gas, but having the ability to drive as far as I want to as long as I can put gas in it for the generator. Who wouldn't? This car is going to be a game-changer!"

GM officials, if they aren't already, should consider for this demographic matching the E-Flex system, the basis for the Volt, with the body of a macho pickup truck. Or maybe a Hummer!

No Toyota Prius owners among them, these guys don't want anyone getting the wrong impression about their vehicle choice, as a couple entries noted.

“I would buy an electric car if it offered comparable performance at a comparable price, reliability, maintainability point as a conventional car. It's comin', folks. It just (expletive removed) me off that commies like Ed Begley, Jr., are championing the cause.”

As with any vehicle, the debate rages over the Volt's design. Some, especially those who had seen it in person or seen a variety of photos of the Volt from various angles, like its Camaro-resembling appearance. Others thought it was ugly –- or some variation of the word. “Make it into something less fugly (and I'm a GM fanboy), and that'd be great!” said one.

The gun-owners’ blog entries demonstrate GM has a big job to do in education about electric vehicles and its range extender.

The Chevy Volt unveiled at the Detroit auto show in January has a large lithium-ion battery with a small -- like 3.0-liter -- flex-fuel engine that runs on gasoline and/or ethanol. The engine doesn't propel the car but acts as a generator. The Volt can be plugged in at home overnight and the battery charged for six to eight hours. When the battery runs dry at about 40 miles, the gas engine kicks in, generating electricity that goes to the battery. Some people will never put gas in, if they run on pure battery power.

There is also confusion over battery life. GM's specifications to battery makers is that the Volt/E-Flex battery last 10 years and at least 5,000 recharging cycles. One battery maker, A123Systems of Watertown, Massachusetts, says its battery lasts at least 7,000 recharging cycles and has power beyond the 10 years. Company officials said the battery will continue to be usable in the car after 10 years, can be used in something other than the car or is completely recyclable.

And GM still faces an overall perception of poor quality. A GM car “means it won't function as promised and it won't last very long.” Other bloggers on the site took aim with that statement, noting their GM vehicles had hundreds of thousands of miles logged with no quality issues.

But a successful Volt, one that is all GM promises it will be, could do a lot to turn around the automaker’s image.

“I've been negative about GM, and frankly would never buy a product from them... until the Volt,” wrote one. “It will be a 'game changer,' and I hope that it is. I'd love for an American company to be the one that does it.”

One blogger questioned: “Wonder if Ford and Chrysler have anything to compete?”

I wondered the same. Could GM make a tidy profit from licensing its heavily-patented E-Flex technology to its competitors –- or will it keep it as proprietary?

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.