Once again, you seem to relish twisting words. I said I would not leave it unplugged for a month out in the sun. In your airport example I would just park in the parking garage. Although a car cover might work as well.
Further, I already explained to you back in September regarding all your rambling about mountain mode. I'll just copy and paste it here for everyone’s benefit:
“What does this mean? If your Volt is out of battery juice, and you hit the hills, you will not be able to keep up with the normal flow of traffic. Instead you will be in the right lane, possibly even in the emergency lane, puttering up the hill.”
Well that is some nice wild speculation you have there, truly befitting of an internet post. How about real-world evidence, shall we?
First of all, GM did a lot of testing on Pike's Peak before releasing the Volt. But forget what GM says, what actual owners have experienced is nothing like what you describe. You see, when the Volt is normally “out-of-juice” and switches to gasoline mode, it actually has a large buffer of charge that is unused. If you forgot to use Mountain Mode and end up having to go up a mountain in theses situations, it uses some of that buffer to maintain normal speeds. (All Mountain Mode does is increase the size of that buffer.)
One owner posted an extensive report of his testing of this feature and found that he was unable to deplete this buffer in his 6 mile test up a 5% grade at 65 mph. Another owner on a much longer test was able to deplete the buffer. At that point his Volt gave him a “Propulsion Power is Reduced” warning and his speed was reduced to 57 mph until he cleared the hill.
“It doesn’t really have a gas mode - it has a limp home mode.”
I think 57 mph is more than adequate for steep inclines. I don't think anyone would honestly call it a “limp home mode.”
“In your airport example I would just park in the parking garage.”
Which costs $17 more per day at my airport. Real cars can be parked outside. Toys can’t.
“...and his speed was reduced to 57 mph...”
According to you, I am ‘rambling’ and this is ‘wild speculation’. So let me ramble on and speculate that a car that can only go 57 mph on the highway is silly slow...not ‘adequate’...in fact, as expertly described before: LIMPING HOME MODE.
But once again, you are erroneously drawing conclusions from scenarios that are nowhere near worse case (remember the heat stress test you cited...from a torturously hot day in April!?!?). Is driving around Arizona really the toughest test of mountain driving there is? I’m just speculating, I know, but those Colorado license plates lead to believe they might be known more for mountains that Arizona!
Here’s a very simple scenario, which would cripple the Volt. You live in Golden, Co and pick up a friend at the airport, to bring home - 72 mile round trip. Your buffer is empty, and your on the 89 hp ICE. Ok so far...until your friend gets a call, and you’ve got an invite and lift ticket waiting for you in Vail. Can you go to Vail? Nope. Didn’t plan ahead and use mountain mode. See how a last minute invite into the mountains is infinitely more challenging that driving to Flagstaff and back?
If it can’t do ordinary things, its not a real car. Its a toy. Now you neglected the pre-requisite preamble, so you just have to tell me: Why am I being forced to pay for other people’s Volt fetish? Can’t people pay for their own toys anymore? Why can’t you answer this simple question?