Posted on 08/02/2010 6:13:14 PM PDT by Kaslin
uh....the supermarket!???
The good part of all this is that it will shut up the people who claim that the EV-1 was killed by some sort of unspecified conspiracy.
If the experience with batteries is comparable to Toyota's with the Prius, replacement will not be an issue for most people even well past the 100,000 mile mark. But I'm curious (as an automotive quality engineer) about the complexity of the Volt compared to traditional vehicles. I'm guessing there may be some warranty issues as a first-generation vehicle of its type.(As well as potential electrocution hazards after accidents, by careless owners doing DIY customizing projects, etc. Lawsuits and the associated media are a major drag for OEM's.)
Anyway, I think the real killer is simple that the cost is totally out of whack with the performance. This is a $15,000 car that is overpriced by another $26,000. Even plundering taxpayers for $7-8,000 does not close the gap. Who wants a 4-seat vehicle (instead of 5) with short range (340 miles compared to 450+ for typical sedans)? If it were sporty that would help, but it's not. If it were the only electric vehicle out there it would sell a few, but it's not.
GM is wildly hyping the number of people showing interest in the vehicle. I'm one of those curious onlookers. But that doesn't mean I'm remotely interested in buying one myself. It's more a case of bemused wondering of who's going to buy this thing?
The paranoid in me has little doubt of whom "someone" might be.
Sell the Volt for $15,000 or less (without government subsides) and it would be a winner.
OMG! “Perfect” advertising for a “perfect” car. almost as funny as the double-rainbow guy remix.
I was reading the local communist rag (the SJ Murky news) at a neighbor’s house this morning and there was a comparison of the Volt (100 mile range, 20 hours to recharge @120V)and the Leaf (340 mile gas-assisted range, 9 hrs to recharge @120V) and all I could think was “Why would anyone buy these????” http://www.siliconvalley.com/ci_15641840?nclick_check=1
As for that “commercial”....
It just HAS to be FAKE!! NO real pro would EVER “stoop so LOW”, as to embarrass themselves like that for such a totally FRUITY commercial would they??
I know...Obababots”. But even THEY have a FEW brain cells in there—don't they?? And that “song””—sounds like something that a 6Y.O. came up with at recess!! And what is the “power it makes “itself” crap?? Guess everyone forgot the “thermodynamic laws” again. Oh...I forgot...they don't mention the 1st law of thermodynamics on American Idol...do they??
It is sad...that the once—great company, GM—who came up with great ideas back in the day—like my Trofeo—which was a REAL “tech wonder” 21 years ago, when it was new—and it STILL is higher—tech than a lot of NEW cars now—has FALLEN SO BADLY—to THIS kind of advertising thinking!!
“do you think that this electric car will help “save the planet”? “
Conservatives run when they hear any refernce to green technology, without looking at the technolgy itself. The technology in this car may create a huge paradigm shift in basic auto propulsion systems, a shift that will be developing over coming decades.
The concept of the gas engine running at low RPM to generate power for the electric engine is novel, and it works. Eliminating the drivetrain is huge. Horsepower and torque are respectable for a new concept. Of course refinements and improvemnts in this concept will occur as more innovations are developed.
I commute around 100 miles per week. That currently costs me about $15. With the Volt it would cost about $2.50, and not use any gas.
I don’t think it will “save the planet.” But I do support the technological innovations and am willing to see if they pan out in the future, both as a means to reducing our dependence on foriegn oil, and reducing repairs due to simpified mechanics.
No but it will use coal. And if enough people start using electric vehicles instead of gasoline vehicles, it will put a strain on the electical grid. The problem is that the libs are not willing to allow the creation of new coal powered electrical plants and the "green technology" power plants are just too darned unreliable to produce the needed uptick in electrical demand that would occur if the electric car were ever to achieve commercial viability.
Environmentalists are going to stand in the way of new hydro-electical plants, coal powered plants, natural gas plants and nuclear plants. Those are the only dependable sources of electrical power available and they are simply not building any new plants of that order.
So at this point the whole idea of creating fleets of electrical cars is stupid. First we have to make sure that we will have the electrical power to charge these things by the millions. If we make the cars without creating additional sources of reliable electrical power, then pretty soon the cost of electricity to charge your electric car will be substantially more than the cost of gasoline. And the cost of everything else you do will be likewise increase exponentially.
The electrical grid is pretty much at maximum capacity right now (especially in the summer). You introduce a million electric cars into the equation without introducing enough additional coal or hyrdo-electric or nuclear plants to cover the additional demand, and you will have a breakdown of the whole electrical grid. It will then cost you about $20 a day to charge your 40 mile Volt and an additional $20 a day to wash your clothes and watch your TV.
Great graphics.
I’d like to root for “the home team”, but intensely dislike having
paid for this mess...without having been politely asked if I’d like
to invest money in Government Motors.
“
I don’t think the grid can handle a charging heap of electric batteries
on top of this kind of stress.
Somebody is going to get an ear-full when the blackout start.
“
I’m sure it will Bush’s fault.
To have not started about 200 new nuclear plants and a new “smart grid”.
A few weeks ago a caller to the overnight trucking show on WBAP AM
in Dallas had a great comment.
Someone (at a Presidential press conference) should ask Obama how
he expects the Volt to sell big if “under my plan, electricity rates
would necessarily skyrocket”.
The host said it would be fun to see Obama sweating out an answer to
that question.
(As good as showing “the emperor has no clothes”!!!)
The green left would look pretty silly if the electric car they support does not have eneough power to recharge its batteries. I think the extreme green left would be over run by more moderate calls for development of more coal and nuclear power generation.
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