Cars and Drivers

Chevy Claims Volt Is No. 1 Selling Electric Plug-In, Sort of, Maybe

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: March 30, 2016 6:49 am

Last Updated: January 13, 2020 11:23 am

General Motors Co.’s (NYSE: GM) Chevy says it has the number one selling electric plug-in car. In the war for primacy among electric cars, the definition and claims have gotten muddy. Chevy management knows that. And its claim benefits from consumer confusion.

The boast is based on vehicle registrations of the Volt and Spark EVs between December 2010 and February 2016. That boast comes with an asterisk buried in the advertising for the “new Volt.” The time period, unless Chevy has some secret, is random.

What is an electric plug-in vehicle? Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) management would say a car that runs on nothing other than batteries. The Chevy Volt is not like that. Its motors are:

Offering up to 53 pure electric miles† and up to 420 miles† with a full charge and a full tank of gas, the new Volt allows you to make fewer stops, letting you focus on your commute. Plus, Chevrolet expects owners will drive 1,000 miles† between fill-ups with regular charging, making the gas station a distant memory.

The 420 miles with a tank of gas begs the question of what is electric, what is plug-in and why Chevy promotion material says:

Volt is the electric car with a backup plan.

The “backup” is nothing more than a traditional gas-powered engine.

Chevy offers more qualifications about the Volt engines as well, but they are hard to find on the Chevy website.

The largest division of GM might as well say it has a gas-powered car that is supported by an electric engine. It would be more accurate.