#10. Chevrolet Volt – Electric Cars Can Be Boring Disappointments Too!
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Whether we want to admit it or not, electric cars have now made it into our automotive landscape. While they are probably not the final answer in environmentally conscious vehicles, they are the stopgap generation that will get us to the true answer. When the Volt concept came out in 2007, electric cars were considered to be boring boxes that served function over all else. This concept showed that didn’t have to be the case!
What Chevrolet Thought
Chevrolet was going to be the first one to make electric cars cool for the mainstream. Rather than eco box on 4 wheels, the Chevrolet Volt concept was going to stir something in people. Their designers chose to take a lot from the Camaro. The front had a wide chin with thin lights that gave it a rakish appearance. The actual windows and windscreen were low and dark. The overall feel of the car was low-slung and aggressive. It wouldn’t bark at you because it was an electric car, but it would make you think it was going to.
Chevy execs had to face reality, however. While there’s always a lessening of a concept car, the Chevy Volt gave into reality pretty quickly. Gone was the low and exciting vehicle. In its place was a vehicle that looked like the vehicular definition of average.
Source: Shutterstock
What the Public Thought
Much like most of these concepts to reality mistakes, the Volt concept gave hope for the fun electric car. The public was hoping for an electric car they could have fun in. The Prius could give people their sense of smugness to rub in everyone’s faces, but there was more than enough people who wanted to help the environment as well as blow past Prius owners on the highway.
The production Volt didn’t really tickle the fancy the way Chevrolet hoped. They’ve since actually given it a personality, but it really lacked one when it came out.
