Dear GM: The Volt doesn’t deserve to die

GM has just shot itself in the foot for short-term profits rather than continuing its leadership for the electric future by canceling production of the Volt in Ohio and electric motors in Maryland (“Angry over cutbacks, plant closures, Trump threatens to end federal subsidies for GM,” Nov. 27).

GM is second only to Tesla and far ahead of all other electric vehicle manufacturers in total EVs sold to date, and that is entirely due to the seven-year run of the bestselling American made EV, the Chevy Volt. With a total range of 420 miles in addition to the pure-EV daily range of over 50 miles, it is the longest range plug-in hybrid on the market.

Canceling it because most new adopters this year are buying the 240-mile batteryonly Bolt is very shortsighted. There will always be the need for single-car families to have a car that can both do the maximum daily EV range and also go on trips, and that is the Chevy Volt. Even though the trip mileage still uses gasoline, the family that only travels over 400 miles a few times a year will still be running on pure EV for all the other 95 percent of daily travel that is local and will have reduced their carbon footprint by 95 percent. A win for everyone!

More than half of the 45 EVs now on the market are plug-in hybrids. And the Volt was the best plugin hybrid with the longest daily EV miles and a good 42 miles-pergallon gas engine backup for another 400 miles. Just like when GM canceled and destroyed all of their first EV1s back in 2002, they are again failing in vision by canceling the Volt.

Bob Bruninga, Glen Burnie