Baltimore Sun

GMneglecte­d the Volt

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General Motors announced the Chevy Volt will no longer be available. I understand corporatio­ns need to make decisions based on profitabil­ity, but I think they mis-marketed the Volt (“As GMunplugs the Volt, EVs aren’t dead. But the real action is overseas,” Nov. 27).

I have had a 2015 Volt for three years. It gets 50 to 70 miles on the electric charge before switching over to gas. So in my driving around town I never use gas. That happens only on out-of-town trips where I get 40-plus miles per gallon. In the 47,000 miles I’ve put on it, 80 percent have been fueled by electricit­y. And I’ve only had one oil change. When people ask me about it, they are surprised that it gets so many miles on electricit­y and that it switches over to gas so you are never stranded. The awareness is very low.

Why? I’ve never seen a single ad for the Volt. I only found out about it by searching on the internet. The first Chevrolet dealer I went to practicall­y chased me away saying they weren’t available. They didn’t even take down my name and number! I found a dealer that had them available online. When I visited, they didn’t know about the $7,500 federal rebate, and they didn’t want to know. In addition, there was a Maryland rebate and the state also paid for half the cost to install a high voltage charger in my garage. Who knew?

I assume GMdidn’t advertise it because it lost money. I understand that. But when they say demand was low, they might want to consider that no one was ever told about it!

Wes Michael, Towson

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