It is truly amazing how the mismatch of priorities carried on for so long.  Fortunately, the group of enablers continued to shrink.  Now, there are only a handful remaining.  Remember all those voices of the past who are long gone, who have let go and moved on?  Give yourself credit from remaining strong & true, but also be sensible enough to recognize the need for change.

It's really unfortunate certain individuals here fought so hard to push change in a direction the status quo would not accept.  They absolutely refused to read the writing on the wall.  But now that so many voices are saying the same thing, it is time to decide.  Press the reset button or make more excuses.

Renewed Attacks.  OMG!  Did it really have to come to this:  Listening to this group exclaim "vastly superior" and boast about how much faster GM would be at rolling out technology has earned me the opportunity to point out missed goals and ask questions.  Why is the first CUV/SUV using Voltec still 5 years away?  That is a reasonable question to ask, especially in a thread loaded with FUD and red herrings attempting to paint a rosy picture for GM.  Reading an op-ed this morning about GM electric vehicles, the writer highlights the very thing I've been saying for years.  Volt didn't target GM's own customers, who prefer larger vehicles.  Finding out it will take 15 years from of development to finally reach that required target audience is good reason to comment here.  Too little, too slowly was a legitmate concern.  Delivery expectations were indeed missed.  Profitable high-volume sales continue to remain uncertain.  Not having a form-factor shopping want is a major contributor to that problem.  In other words, it's your turn to listen now.

Business Approach.  There is a certain pleasure from reading stuff like: "We are all waiting for the day your posts fade away."  Coming from such a hypocritical source, the irony leaves me scratching my head sometimes.  What is he thinking?  Anywho, I responded with:  Being correct about GM's flawed approach means you will be hearing the message for a very long time still, even without more posts.  Who is the market for Volt?  That question got asked scores of times for good reason… which is now overwhelmingly obvious.  Back then, there were lots of excuses for the mismatch though.  GM built a compact hatchback, a vehicle GM's own customers simply were never interested in.  Too little, too slowly.  That was the concern expressed over and over and over again to get across the point that a minimum production volume must be achieved for the vehicle to be sustainable.  Again, there were lots of excuses for the delay.  There was no merit for all the boasting either.  One size fits all.  Raising awareness about the importance of diversity was an endless & thankless effort to get GM back on track.  2 suggestions were repeatedly made.  Making a "lite" version of Volt would have put GM ahead of the industry that is now working to flood the market with choices just like that.  Making a SUV which reused the technology already in Volt would have aligned price & demand.  Ironically.  The fade won’t happen in a desirable fashion.  Success means becoming common.  Becoming common means no longer having the spotlight.  When a technology is accepted by the masses, that thing that made it special changes.  In other words, rather than fade away, you'll see reminders everywhere & often about the business approach that worked.

Grid Operation.  Having the opportunity to experiment & observe has been scarce.  There's lots to learn still and I want to enjoy Summer at the same time.  So, doing things like comparing operation of chargers while drawing electricity from the grid simply hasn't been a priority.  I did get to give it a try recently.  The curiosity was how much electricity for remote running of A/C could be from the plug rather than the battery.  Could all of it be supplied that way, some, or none?  This was my brief observation posted, with hopefully detail to follow in the not-too-distance future:  Just tried the test on a second charger.  With my charger at home (JuiceBox 40 Pro), the grid draw took place while the A/C was running.  With the ChargePoint station at work, the grid draw didn't begin until after the A/C had finished.  In both cases, I started with full battery-pack.  The difference I noticed was 3.6 kW verses 3.1 kW.  (Home provides more power.)  Anyone know what the A/C draw on max is?

Signs of Change.  This observation confirmed it: "Lots of new commentators..."  It's a repeat of the pattern I have observed several times in the past.  The fact that others are now seeing it too is informative.  Ironically, that particular message came from an antagonist in response to a new commenter.  He's finding himself quite alone now.  So many troublemakers of the past have simply vanished with no sign of why.  Of course, I know why.  If you've been reading the blogs, you know too.  Yet another chapter has closed and a new one beginning.  This is when new characters and new plot is introduced.  Right now, it's happening.  Sweet!  This was my one-sentence reply to that post:  When common voices of the past fade into the background, replaced by new ones, it is confirmation of the next step forward.

Consequences:  Interest for SUVs.  Sitting higher up has, by far, been the biggest reason for SUV purchases.  Getting in & out is easier.  It's that simple... now. In the past, they were marketed as safer.  When that was revealed as false, we saw the reasoning shift.  Combined with cheap gas and a complacency for oil & emissions, those high-profit vehicles have been the focus for many.  Unfortunately, that has led to market-saturation... hence some of the challenges emerging now.  Smaller and more efficient choices, in tall design vehicles, appear to be the solution.

Consequences:  Voltec's Future.  Volt never made any sense.  Denying it was anything other than a niche was horribly counter-productive.  So much opportunity was missed as a result.  GM customers simply weren't interested in a compact car with limited leg & head room in the back seats.  Strong demand has been on the form-factor SUVs deliver.  Despite obvious efficiency sacrifice, there was a clear preference for tall vehicle bodies.  Fortunately, the excessive battery & power capacity of Volt can be carried over effectively to a SUV, making it a more balanced offering that's actually competitive... something GM's own shoppers will be drawn to.

Consequences:  So, what comes next?  Looking at Volt, it should be indisputable that it does not match the purchase priorities of GM's own loyal customers.  Those shopping dealer showroom floors overwhelmingly prefer a SUV of some sort.  Equinox has become a top-seller.  The smaller Trax is gaining popularity.  Looking a the production plant situation.  9 are severely under capacity and 8 are severely over capacity.  Writing is on the wall that change is necessary.  Build plans will need to change.

Consequences:  Caught totally unprepared.  What a mess.  Despite countless warnings of this coming, there is upset.  Rejection of the importance of business objectives was a self-destructive choice.  The original sales goal of 60,000 annual (5,000 monthly) was set for good reason.  It was a minimum for sustainability.  Recognized as a "mainstream" level for other technologies, there was no valid reason for refusal to accept it.  Yet, that's exactly what happened and now the consequences must be dealt with... after the fact.  What a terrible waste of time.

Consequences:  What should GM's goal be?  I started asking that recently, many, many times. It was a strategy to point out what was coming soon.  Enthusiasts obviously couldn't see it.  I could.  The pattern was very easy to recognize.  Stating a goal is how you get beyond personal conflict.  Focusing on an objective makes taking that next step easier.  Rather than do it though, there were attacks from antagonists and a lot of enabler reaction.  Sure enough, the bottom fell out.  Disappointing news did indeed come.

Consequences:  Shoot the messenger.  That is no longer possible.  Having a scapegoat was a sign of trouble routinely disregarded.  It was easier than making excuses.  You place blame for stirring the status quo, which ironically was the goal anyway, by just dismissing what was posted as an attempt to undermine.  Seeing the effort as outside assistance to help overcome challenges of legacy barriers were instead labeled as "troll" posts... even though they were actually on topic, which by definition is not what a troll does.

Consequences:  Yesterday's revelation.  As with other failed attempts to overcome the status quo, a day of reckoning arrived.  Predictably, it was at the conclusion of the second year of sales.  That's exactly what happened with both Two-Mode and the first generation Volt.  It is inevitable.  The future must be addressed before unwanted speculation emerges.  Volt faces a struggle just to maintain sales.  With the upcoming phaseout of tax-credits, the hope for growth to mainstream levels was futile.

Consequences:  Significant cost reduction.  It became the theme for gen-2 Volt.  Rather than seriously consider diversification in the form of offering a variety of battery & power choices (search for "Volt lite" discussions), all focus was placed on the next-generation design bringing down cost so significantly, there would no longer be any concern about being competitive with traditional vehicles, even without the benefit of a tax-credit.

Consequences:  Too Little, Too Slowly.  That had been the biggest concern from the start.  Regardless of what happened with rollout of the technology initially, it needed to be adapted & adopted quickly.  We were assured that was no big deal... by enthusiasts.  They proclaimed GM's rollout & diversification would "leap frog" what we saw with Prius and its spread of HSD to a Sedan, Minivan, and SUV.  Assurances came in the form of "vastly superior" chanting... over and over and over and over again.

Consequences:  Who is the market for Volt?  That question is what came about as a result. It was a deliberate effort to draw attention to the self-destructive behavior taking place.  Fanboi cries were becoming the voice of potential buyers, even though it was clear they were not the audience required for achieving high-volume profitable sales.  GM fell into that trap, choosing to cater to cries rather than listen to the whispers of their own loyal customers.

Consequences.  This particular quote really sent me off on the role of play offense: "Heed these warnings GM, or suffer the economic consequences of your one track (advertising) mindedness."  Wow!  Talking about a revelation far too late!!  I posted this and the following log entries to give that group in denial a serious wake-up call:  That's what Volt enthusiasts did for an entire decade.  They kept pushing faster & further... over and over and over and over again... an endless stream of Volt being better because it delivers more.  That was so blatant of a fanboi obsession, it was obvious their priorities would be a very real problem.  An absence of balance is reason for serious concern.