Talk about stealing a sale.
The founder of GM-Volt.com, a blog and social media website dedicated to Chevy’s extended range electric wunderkind, has announced that he is trading in his Volt for Ford’s first plug-in hybrid, the upcoming C-Max Energi.
Dr. Lyle Dennis told HybridCars.com that the four-seat Volt simply can’t keep up with his growing family, which includes a wife and three kids. The C-Max Energi is a five-seat crossover that offers more passenger and cargo room than the Volt.
The New York physician used to keep an SUV for family outings, but says his wife wanted to get an all-electric Nissan Leaf, which has a range of just 73 miles per charge. That meant they needed a new five-passenger ride for longer trips.
After launching his website in 2007, Dennis became a major player in the world of the Volt, eventually being named to a customer advisory board for the car that was established by GM and also included such notable figures as former CIA Director Jim Woolsey and Bill Nye the Science Guy.
Dennis took delivery of the eighth Volt off the production line and, aside from the size issue, two years later he has nothing bad to say about it.
“So far I have driven the car 14,000 miles with a lifetime 190 mpg. It has been a fun high tech and dependable car,” he says.
Dennis sold GM-Volt.com to the parent company of HybridCars.com in 2011.
While $39,995 Volt can go up to 38 miles on battery-power before it needs to use its gasoline motor/generator, the C-Max Energi has a smaller battery pack and an electric-only mode of up to just 20 miles per charge, but will also have a lower price of $33,745 when it hits showrooms later this year. The cars are eligible for federal tax credits of $7,500 and $3,750, respectively.
The compact size of the Volt, exacerbated by a large battery pack running down the center of the cabin, has been one of the top criticisms of the high tech car since before it went on sale. At the 2010 Beijing Auto Show General Motors unveiled concept version of its European Chevy Orlando five-passenger crossover fitted with the Volt’s plug-in powertrain, but plans to put it into production have not been announced.