As far as the Volt goes, I really don't give a damn who buys one.
This is the only GM car that I drive:
.
And this is a hell of a lot more fun than most other cars on the road for under $100k:
.
Others can be happy with these:
.
Posted on 08/02/2010 6:13:14 PM PDT by Kaslin
Industrial Policy: The administration's electric car represents both the genius of American technology and the stupidity of its government. Imagine Rube Goldberg with $50 billion. Buy now and get a free 40-mile-long extension cord.
It wasn't exactly Michael Dukakis riding in a tank wearing a Snoopy helmet, but it was close. President Obama, who reportedly hasn't driven an inch himself since taking office, visited a GM plant in Hamtramck near Detroit on Friday to drive a Chevy Volt 10 feet off an assembly line. It was a perfect image, as the American economy is being driven off a cliff by this White House.
The administration, at taxpayers' expense, has labored mightily and brought forth an Edsel that needs to be recharged. If a camel is a horse designed by committee, the Chevy Volt is a car designed by government. It is a perfect example of industrial policy run amok, of what happens when government picks winners and losers. Without heavy subsidies and government ownership, it never would have been built.
The base sticker price is about $41,000, comparable to the base price for a BMW 335i. For that price, you could also get a good-sized SUV that can seat more than four people and get all your stuff back from the big-box store.
There's a $7,500 tax credit offered by our utterly bankrupt federal government that's supposed to help, but even a presidential commission in 2009 said the Volt "will likely be too expensive to be commercially successful in the short term."
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
This poses an interesting science and economics question. Assume that three thousand Atlanta residents are talked into buying one (tax credits for example). They all arrive at work around 0745. They will all plug into their office electrical system and soak up power immediately. For at least two to three hours...they will soak on the power until fully charged.
Then they drive home at 5PM, and at 5:30...they plug into their home electrical system...and soak for another three hours.
Each one of these will bump the local electrical grid. In July....I would think the Atlanta situation would be dire and there could be blackouts if the number of cars got up to 10,000 in quantity.
I guess if they are stupid enough to buy a Volt for 41k, they are probably also stupid enough to drop another 20k on solar, then convince their boss that they should work nights and only after sunny days.
Which takes about 12kwh to charge when the battery is new with a gradual increase as the battery ages.
“The 3 dancing girls are OK. Just turn off the sound.”
I was hoping a boob might fall out. Once again I am disappointed by GM.
Rube Goldberg designed process machines that actually worked.
The attack on Toyota was an attack on America by the enemies in the White House.
Retribution must be devastating. Such blatant policy must be cause for destruction.
Well, that makes sense, but then why did they say:
to recharge the vehicle, which for now must be done at home in the absence of recharging stations
???
Exactly right. Excellent thinking and writing. Accurately describes obama’s American energy policy in one post. It’s hard to accept how easily duped my fellow Americans are.
P. Marlowe says:
“At 100,000 miles on your Volt, you will likely need to replace the batteries, which will cost you $10,000.”
Wrong. I don’t know where you pulled that figure from, but GM is providing 100,000 mile warranty on the
Lithium-Ion battery. Engineering tests project great confidence with that battery’s life.
Mr. Marlowe also declares:
‘you are going to lose about $30,000 to $40,000 in depreciation costs (on the Volt)...a Corolla will still have about 150,000 miles of life on it and if it is like all the Toyota’s I’ve ever owned, it will likely not need any major drivetrain repairs.”
The Volt does not have a drivetrain. And with a warrantied replacement battery, the depreciation will be significantly less than your fantastic projections.
These two flaws in your argument, sir, make it, (to borrow your term), moronic. I’ll let the others decide if that term applies to the author.
Why? You’ll just use up gas faster.
Seems to me you have to generate electricity anyway. You have to have headlights, turn signals, and please tell me it has brake lights. Nobody's going to go without a radio.
So you have to have a certain generating capacity already.
Whatever's left over after powering the lights, etc., ought to go into the battery.
Is it a full replacement warranty or a typical battery warranty? If the latter, that means that if it fails at 90,000 miles, then GM will cover 10% of the replacement cost.
Either way, after 100,000 miles, it is going to cost you at least $10,000 to replace the batteries.
These two flaws in your argument, sir, make it, (to borrow your term), moronic. I’ll let the others decide if that term applies to the author.
Let me ask you, do you think that this electric car will help "save the planet"?
Amazing; but not at all surprising. This is business as usual for those who share life in the morally bankrupt collective of the Leftist 'ruling class'.
To compare the Volt with the Edsel is to insult the Edsel.
The Edsel was conceived, developed and constructed with PRIVATE funds by a PRIVATE company. The chief reason it failed was because of an economic slump, not because of any major design flaws. It was far ahead of its time.
The Volt was designed by committee using PUBLIC funds, and is nothing like what was promised when it was announced.
Apples and lemons.
Thanks for an excellent reply. I’m not pimpimg for the volt but it’s good to see someone at least look at the fact sheet. Also it seems to be unknown to FReepers that coal is only 47% of US electric power generation.
Batteries suck, always have always will.
No one wants to deal with batteries, everyone (the sane I mean) loves gasoline.
GM knows this will fail, but they have $ reasons to push this cart uphill.
I suspect for the next 100 years at least, we'll be driving wonderful gasoline powered cars, that keep getting more trouble free MPG.
Meine Damen und Herren, Das Volt-Wagen.
As far as the Volt goes, I really don't give a damn who buys one.
This is the only GM car that I drive:
.
And this is a hell of a lot more fun than most other cars on the road for under $100k:
.
Others can be happy with these:
.
It appears this car makes your thighs bigger and takes away your ability to dance.
I believe, they think it comes from the harnessed power of unicorns, pegasus and the rainbows over the amazon forest, which of course, we are killing off.
There was very nasty political cartoon in my local paper about the vote this morning. Beside pointing out the obvious lack of charging stations it had an Onada bumper sticker on it.
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