Holden Volt News

The electric revolution is well and truly underway in Australia. In the first five months of 2022 as a nation we’ve bought more than 43,000 electric or hybrid cars.

If the Holden Volt was guilty of anything, it was of being ahead of its time. To see why, you need to flashback to 2010 in Australia. Holden's local engineers were working feverishly on a new Commodore, the VF. Customers were still buying the home-grown brute, and our collective motoring palate was still running

The electric dream is fast turning into a nightmare - Australian sales of electric vehicles have dwindled to a trickle.

In the US, more than 64,000 Chevrolet Volt electric cars are being recalled, which is expected to prompt a recall of more than 200 Holden versions next week.

The wheels have seized on the electric car revolution in Australia.

The Chevrolet Bolt is General Motors' first pure electric vehicle since the failed EV1 of the 1990s. Now look who's reviving the electric car.

Can the new BMW i3 change the way Australians embrace electric cars?The increase in fuel tax has sparked predictable radio chatter this week about the cost of motoring. Apart from ordinary families facing another belt in the budget, experts from all points of the compass talked about the future of fossil fuel and the hybrid and plug-in electric cars already on the road.One spoke of fuel cell cars that generate on-board electricity (but not of the hydrogen stations needed to keep them going).The reality is that electric cars, despite big talk by everyone up to global head of Nissan-Renault Carlos Ghosn, are struggling for traction across the world.So far this year, only 200 Australians have bought a battery car. We don't know how many are with ordinary motorists or government departments and councils.The big problems for battery cars are obvious: cost and 'range anxiety'. The price problem will never go away until governments are prepared to provide the sort of subsidies that have boosted sales in Europe and the US going back to the original Toyota Prius. The Australian list price for a Leaf is $39,990 - it's similar in size to the Pulsar you can buy for less than $20,000. The Holden Volt is $59,990.Range anxiety is the fear of running short of charge, even though Australians typically commute less than 100km daily.Both challenges came into sharp relief this week as I slid into the latest electric contender, the BMW i3. It's a brilliant car, despite four safety stars, trendy, efficient and drives well.BMW has an optional range-extender engine that lifts the distance between charges to 300km but there is still the problem of price - are people prepared to pay at least $63,900 for a future car that's here and now?

But do we really care more about volts and hertz than kiloWatts and Newton-metres?

China is set to provide the power for the large-scale introduction of electric cars as it accelerates towards two million sales a year by 2020. Australians have bought a relative handful of plug-in cars since the start of local sales, despite the quality of the Nissan Leaf and Holden Volt, as government at all levels ignores calls for the sort of subsidies and tax breaks that have provided a vital spark in Europe and the USA. Renault Australia was forced to pull the plug on its Fluence ZE, a battery-swap electric car, because of the lack of infrastructure and problems for its energy partner, Better Place. But China could change the game as it forces carmakers to adopt electric and plug-in hybrid technology to cut its reliance on imported oil and reduce pollution in the overcrowded cities where more than half of its population is concentrated. "I think the breakthrough will come from China. I think the solution is going to be there," says Carlos Ghosn, the head of Renault-Nissan. "China is moving very aggressively. All the problems are lining up to make China the biggest electric car and plug-hybrid market in the world." His company is leading the world in production of electric cars, including the Nissan Leaf and impressive new Renault Zoe, although he admits sales have been slow with just 70,000 deliveries worldwide over the past five years. "Four or five year ago, when we decided to go with electric cars, people were considering electric cars like a golf cart.  But we came with the leaf and now the Zoe, which is a very good car. The 70,000 people today who are driving electric cars are very happy with the product," Ghosn says. But he also recognises the challenges. "The main obstacles to electric cars are mainly linked to infrastructure and range, because they are connected. If you can do only 100 or 150 kilometres, well, you worry about range. But if there is infrastructure everywhere you don't worry about the range. If you can charge at the mall or work." He says the other barrier is cost, even though the Zoe will be the equivalent of $14,000 in Europe - plus a monthly battery rental - thanks to large-scale government subsidies. "People want environmentally friendly cars but they don't want to pay for them. They just want an even price," Ghosn says. "The solution is going to be there. We must continue to reduce the price of the car, through continuous improvement, and continue to lobby and work with cities and governments in order to have the infrastructure." But he says the big push is coming from China, where carmakers are being forced into electric-car partnerships. "The Chinese have already taken very hard decisions and they have said two million electric cars in 2020. You cannot have any investment decision agreed by the government in China if you do not have what they call a 'new-energy' car. A 'new energy' car is an electric car or a plug-in hybrid. If you don't have them don't ask to increase capacity, even of normal gasoline cars." But Ghosn says China is not the only country accelerating its electric drive. "On top of this, France is moving aggressively, the US is moving aggressively and some cities are moving aggressively," he says. "The mayor of London has told us already he would like to have all the taxis in London as zero emission. We are negotiating with the mayor of Rio in preparation for the Olympics. "We have seen a lot of initiative coming. We need to be patient. We need to continue to develop the technology, develop the product, cut the costs and make the cars better. "When it takes off, we will be ready." This reporter is on Twitter @paulwardgover  

Electric cars and hybrids are set to be required by law to make a humming noise when travelling at low speeds – to prevent deaths and injuries of elderly or vision impaired pedestrians in shopping centres and car parks. In a landmark submission filed overnight the peak road safety authority in North America recommended external speakers become compulsory on all electric vehicles and hybrids from 2016. Currently, the only sound from cars running on electric power is the almost-silent rolling of the tyres. Some cars, such as the Nissan Leaf electric car, already make a deliberate hi-tech hum below 30km/h – but the noise can be disabled by the driver at the press of a button on the dash. Toyota began fitting outside speakers to the Prius hybrid in North America last year – but they’re yet to be fitted to models sold in Australia. “It’s something we’re looking at seriously,” said Toyota Australia spokesman Mike Breen. “We’ve had some calls from various agencies who’ve expressed concern about cars being heard by people with limited sight. We are working with Toyota Japan to find what would best suit conditions in Australia.” Toyota has sold more than 10,000 hybrid cars in Australia over the past 10 years but says it is yet to receive a report of someone being knocked over by one of its petrol-electric vehicles while in silent mode. The Holden Volt plug-in hybrid car doesn’t have a hum – but it does have what the company calls a “polite” horn. If you tap the button, it gives a short toot at half the normal volume to let others know you’re nearby. “If were mandated in North America, the technology would likely make its way onto cars here,” said Holden spokesman Craig Cheetham. Vision Australia said electric cars were a danger to blind people and the visually impaired and has called for “urgent action”. “It’s a significant safety problem,” said Vision Australia spokeswoman Megan Bishop. “Environmental sound is critically important for people who are blind or vision impaired. “Sound is an essential aid to independent mobility and safety. People have a fundamental right to travel independently as pedestrians.” In the US, Congress ordered an investigation into the dangers caused by silent electric cars three years ago. It is likely to become an increasing concern as the population ages. The latest report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates external speakers would prevent 2800 injuries a year and add $30 to the cost of each electric car. The safety body said it would allow car manufacturers the freedom to choose their own sounds. “Our proposal would allow manufacturers the flexibility to design different sounds for different makes and models while still providing an opportunity for pedestrians, bicyclists and the visually impaired to detect and recognise a vehicle,” NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said in a statement. In the US, the public will be given 60 days to comment on the proposed regulations, which will apply to electric cars, trucks, buses and motorcycles. This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling