Honda Pulls Back 2019 Clarity PHEV & Chevy Kills Volt EREV - Tell Us Your Theories As To Why Popular EVs are Going Away

My opinion is that it is due to a lack of marketing, and to a lesser extent the somewhat polarizing view people take of EVs and PHEVs (not to mention even simple hybrids). In California and some other coastal states, there are enough that people don't see them as unusual anymore and are therefore fine with buying one if it suits their driving needs. But elsewhere, IMO there is not yet a critical mass, and hybrids are often viewed (incorrectly) as 'complex'. (Technically, in a good series-hybrid you're just trading an automatic transmission in the transaxel for a simpler electric motor). I took the plunge and bought a Clarity and love it. The Clarity is a PHEV series-hybrid with about 50 miles of EV range, but it has a "backup plan" for when it runs out of electrons - like the Volt did. So I can drive my daily commute without any gas 90% of my time and the other 10% can go across country using gas fill-ups if I want. Aside from the usual (and perhaps over-stressed) advantages of "green" and "saves money at the pump", I have come to realize series-hybrid car technology like in the Volt and Clarity is mature and the driving experience is so highly refined (good smooth torque, super quiet, etc.) that I honestly don't think I can go back to driving an internal combustion engine. Marketing folks need to stress these advantages.

I've mentioned my opinions about why GM cut the Volt before. The Volt was still one of the top selling PHEVs in the country when Chevy announced dropping the Volt, and the Cruze was a good seller too, but both were cut in order to close several manufacturing plants in the U.S. and with the closures they are losing more American costly labor. GM's excuse was that they were moving to the future, cutting PHEVs and soon building a whole line up of BEVs. But now as we are approaching a year gone by Chevy still only has their Bolt EV, which has had no major updates even though it has renewed long range/lower cost BEVs to compete against. But still there are no new BEVs yet. I think that part of the problem is that the moment that GM actually announces any new BEV we will see the obvious question of when it is going to be built. And the answer will be China, with it's much lower labor force. But with U.S./Chinese import tariffs in place, it might not bring the profits that GM imagined. I had though that the Chevy Volt's market share would be taken up by the Prius Prime and Honda Clarity, but this latest move by Honda doesn't look good there. The Prius Prime is selling strong, but the Clarity sales have not jumped up as I expected. Honda's Clarity sales are still strong in California, and it is good that they didn't cut the Clarity altogether as they did the Volt, and you can still order and lease the Clarity PHEV in any state, so it looks like Honda doesn't want a lot of sitting Clarity inventory in dealership lots. Plus this announcement is no doubt related to Honda "pausing" production on Civics and Accords are the Marysville, Ohio plant. Supposedly to make room for increased CR-V production. At least Honda didn't just cut production of their economy models as Chevy, Ford, and Chrysler are doing.

Having just turned in my regular gas-burning Malibu LT lease I was looking hard at Hybrids (Malibu, Accord, Sonata, etc.) as I have a 56 mile round trip work commute (28 miles each way - hey, it's California, so I should say I have a 1 hour, 16 minute commute (38 minutes each way - but at least I am against traffic).

While sitting at Honda having my wifes Accord tranny fluid changed, I happened to be looking up the dealerships inventory and spotted the Claritys. Honestly, I have never even heard of them before, even though I live in California. My only other PHEV was test driving a Volt (which was way too small for me). I test drove one the next day and was pretty impressed. The one thing that really jumps out about the Clarity is the bigger battery pack than other PHEVs, which makes it almost meet my commute needs (and for the time being, the company I work for lets the one Tesla EV owner here plug in during the day for free).

The downsides I see with the Clarity is 1) that funky styling ; 2) the price tag (Li-On batteries do cost a lot); 3) the really limited gas range (7 gallon talk) for a combined range of 340 miles or so (assuming that the battery really delivers the 2.75 miles per KWh and that the gas really does deliver 42 mpg - both of which are doubtful in hilly California); and 4) San Diego has some of the most expensive electric rates in the nation, so if I do end up having to plug in at home I am looking at up to $0.54 per KWh on peak; $0.30 off peak and $0.25 super off-peak (so I'd be looking at between $9.18 and $4.25 to charge it). So basically, running on electric costs either the same per mile as a VW TDI or twice as much as a VW TDI per mile (depending on what time I charge it)

Current news reports that new car sales in general have softened - one possible reason. One sure reason is the expiration of the Federal Tax credit. I was only able to afford my Volt "pre-owned" as my tax status did not qualify me for the credit on a new model. Because the original owner could, the credit continued to reflect in the used price. Maybe our new Federal administration will revive the credit or if they're really serious, allow for a cash rebate (as was done several years ago to encourage replacement for whole house air conditioning and other appliances).

I have been driving Chevy Volts since they were introduced in 2011. My current MY 2018 gets up to 80 miles on a full charge. That's enough to never use gasoline. (Unless I go on a long distance trip) My solar panels produce over 8MWH per year so I never have to buy power from DTE.
I do not understand why anybody would still drive gasoline powered vehicles.
I was schocked to hear that GM will stop production of a car that makes so much sense.
I believe that money is the main reason.
The dealership earns less on a Volt compared to most other models.
Most dealers discourage buyers and try to steer them to other models.
GM is reportedly loosing money on every Volt they sell. Also, the general public is woefully uninformed.
If more of us would drive PHEV and generate their power with solar panels, we would be well on our way to solve our most urgent problems.
per year

As for the Model 3: In July 2018 these cars were only being sold in the US and Canada. Now a good chunk of their production is going onto ships and being delivered to owners in Europe, Asia, and soon Australia.

I own the 2018 Clarity PHEV and the primary issue is Honda lied about the gas mileage and their only response has been wait for warmer weather. Honda performed a software update which now only gives 30 MPG on gas. I've yet to see the 47 EV range. Never happened in 16 months. Average is closer to 40 EV. So on a 7 gallon tank, my effective range is only 240 miles at the most...not anywhere near what was told in the marketing.

The marketing and ratings are very misleading and since California has the best EV programs its probably the only state that had significant sales. I believe Honda is in same position as Tesla with a potential class action suit for its misleading data on gas mileage and EV range. Why create more members for the suit.

I also agree with Bryan that EV rates can cost more than fuel. Since my EV range averages 40 if i have to pay more than $10 for a charging session that is nearly triple what i would pay at the pump for equivalent HV miles.

Whenever car companies reduce sales opportunities its all about the loss of potential income or to mitigate future liabilities so cut the losses early.

I bought a 1018 Chevrolet Volt. WOW! Perfect urban car. 62 bucks in 10 months for gas. Goes zoom zoom too!

I own the 2018 Clarity PHEV and the primary issue is Honda lied about the gas mileage and their only response has been wait for warmer weather. Honda performed a software update which now only gives 30 MPG on gas. I've yet to see the 47 EV range. Never happened in 16 months. Average is closer to 40 EV. So on a 7 gallon tank, my effective range is only 240 miles at the most...not anywhere near what was told in the marketing.

The marketing and ratings are very misleading and since California has the best EV programs its probably the only state that had significant sales. I believe Honda is in same position as Tesla with a potential class action suit for its misleading data on gas mileage and EV range. Why create more members for the suit.

I also agree with Bryan that EV rates can cost more than fuel. Since my EV range averages 40 if i have to pay more than $10 for a charging session that is nearly triple what i would pay at the pump for equivalent HV miles.

Whenever car companies reduce sales opportunities its all about the loss of potential income or to mitigate future liabilities so cut the losses early.

I am a Volt owner and could not be happier. The reason GM (in particular) is killing the Volt is that they never even tried to market it. Can you name the last time you saw an ad for the Volt on TV. I know my answer is "none". When I purchased mine I knew more about the car than anyone at the dealership. They were unable to answer any question so I had to research on the internet. They are also unable to have qualified techs in their dealerships. I had to wait 2 weeks to get mine in when the check engine light came on. They said that since they only have one tech he is really backed up. When I went to pickup my car I asked about how many Volts the dealership services. The answer was 2. If Chevy is truly wanting to be an electric car company they better get at it as they just continue to fall farther and farther behind.

I am a very happy Clarity owner. I don't know how Tim could get so little range from his car, I live in hilly CT and usually get 60 or more miles of EV range (my record is 82) and in summer at least I've gotten 50 mpg on gas only over and over. Yes in winter it went down to the mid thirties on my ski trips to VT but all cars go down a lot in winter temps and with snow tires.

My point in writing though is another, one reason I see for lack of promotion of PHEVs is that they are very expensive to make and my guess as an engineer is that at this point the companies lose money on every one they make. Batteries, motors, engine, complex development, and all the interconnections are not cheap. At this point they are just "science projects". Smart consumers should take advantage of this and buy them!

For me, the EVs are simply not practical. If I were commuting close by or wanted a little runabout to take care of my local chores, sure, I'd love an EV to get me to and from the daily tasks. But not everyone is suited to an EV. There is no way I could take a long road trip like the one I just came back from, and expect an EV to get me there. If I'm in Utah traveling on some of the unpaved BLM roads, it's not like there's a convenient charging station anywhere. I have my full tank of gas that will take me 300-400 miles without fretting.

I think that could be the stigma that many have against EVs--the range is just way too short to be useful. It is for me, anyway. That and there is the forever looming cost of replacing the batteries--they won't last forever, and many of us will not lease cars. (Meaning, we will not be able to turn them in after two or three years, well before those batteries wear out.) That is the reason I will not own a hybrid either. I put a lot of miles on my cars, and that is one large expense I don't want to deal with.

I still think that these battery-powered cars are a stopgap. What we really need are the hydrogen fuel cell cars. Honda is on, what, it's third (?) generation of fuel cell vehicles, and others have taken it up. Before anyone complains about infrastructure, think back to the year 1900 and how many street corners had gas stations back then. Infrastructure takes time. There was recently an article posted about a new process for extracting pure hydrogen (and *only* hydrogen, no harmful emissions) from bitumen/oil sand fields that could last us hundreds of years, and it costs a fraction of what current extraction methods cost. A few "killer" innovations like that could really give the fuel cell vehicles the boost they need to become mainstream.

(I probably can't post a link here, but if you google this article "Scientists extract hydrogen gas from oil and bitumen, giving potential pollution-free energy" at the site "phys dot org," you can read about it there.)

But with hydrogen having the ability to offer quick refueling, and a range similar to petrol, that is really where I think we should be headed.

EVs and hybrids are still very much a niche market, partly for the reasons I pointed out, so it doesn't surprise me that production has been shifted.

Thank you for starting this thread.
We were the owners of a 2017 Chevrolet Volt Premier. An absolutely wonderful automobile! When Chevy decided to discontinue building it I was stunned.
We drove the car everywhere, long trips and short commutes. When we traded it for a 2019 Chevy Bolt the computer showed an average of 85.3 mpg for the 20,100 miles we drove it.
If only Chevrolet would have marketed this car it could have been a huge seller.
My opinion is the narrow profit margin was the deciding factor for GM to pull the plug.
We decided to trade the Volt while it still had resale value. Not knowing what it would be worth in a few years.
The Bolt is even nicer than the Volt. Not one single complaint!
I ordered a Bolt EV cap the other day and my wife asked why I ordered it. I told her if GM wouldn't promote their vehicle, I felt it was my duty to do it!
Fossil fuels aren't going to be around forever. We need to do our part to insure that our grandchildren and future generations can enjoy the quality of life and a clean environment in which to live.
Thanks again for starting this topic.

1. Politics; Senate Republicans blocked extension of the tax credit, thus harming US manufacturers GM and Tesla who have been at the forefront of EV vehicle development and benefiting import brands that are nowhere close to the 200,000 electric vehicle sales limit for the tax credits. Both therefore have to focus on what will turn a profit even at this disadvantage, which in Tesla's case means high performance sedans and in GM's case means CUVs. The Volt is patently neither of those things.

2. GM in particular seems anxious about an economic downturn, and is strategically hoarding cash and channeling it to what they think will be high-growth

3. What they think will be high-growth is high-end vehicles and SUV EVs, which they don't yet produce, so free cash going in this direction goes on R&D the next year or two until those electric crossovers, mainly, starting hitting the market.

4. GM remain idiots at marketing small cars. Examples; understanding cargo space on the Volt (GM seems as far as I can tell to be using the rubric of separate packages for measuring sedan trunks while Toyota measures total volume, making the Volt seem barely half the size of the Prius even though they actually will take the same number of suitcases), failing to adequately support the Volt with advertising, failing to use the Volt as a statement of their prowess in technology.

5. GM remain idiots at logistically supporting small cars. This has especially shown up with EVs with a) problems getting dealers to stock them and b) failure to roll out a Tesla-style fast charging network. In cold-weather parts of the country they should also be promoting streetside 110v outlets, which some towns have anyway for block heaters and are very useful for priming batteries and keeping them warm enough in bitter cold weather....without this kind of thing EVs don't do well in the cold.

6. GM continues to make arbitrary choices about trim; for example you have to go to the top of the line model to even have access to optioning safety features that other brands include standard across the line. That puts customers off.

We bought a Ford Fusion Energy PHEV in 2014 and have 75,000 miles on it now. I am 70 years old and have owned quite a few cars and this has been the best car we have ever owned. The fuel mileage is great but when we first bought the vehicle, we lived in town and the sub 20 mile battery range was fine for the city driving. However, now we are living 15 miles out of town and would live a PHEV with a larger battery. The Honda Clarity with it's 47 mile range sounds like it would fit the bill. We live in east Texas and I was surprised to see that no Honda dealer withing 100 miles had a Clarity in stock. Then I found this story. I am still interested in one but how do I test drive one first if the nearest one is in California? I guess I'll talk to a dealer and be sure I can refuse the car if we don't like it after driving it. Not the most ideal way to buy a car.