Posted on 02/08/2015 1:46:55 PM PST by LogicDesigner
Conventional Chevy Silverados being transformed into plug-in hybrid trucks at VIA Motors’ high volume assembly plant.
Think of it as a Volt with a flat bed.
Via Motors’ “electrified” 4WD Chevy Silverado entered commercial production last month. That’s a first for the company — founded in 2010 — that retrofits GM pickups and vans and turns them into $85,000-plus plug-in hybrids that can also function as roving generators. (More on pricing below.)
It’s no coincidence that the concept is similar to the Volt. The chairman of Via Motors is Bob Lutz, father of the Chevy plug-in hybrid. It’s also no coincidence that Alan Perriton, who is a longtime colleague and friend of Lutz’s from GM, is president of Via Motors. Perriton spent 34 years at GM.
Perriton’s background includes “pulling together” the GM-Toyota NUMMI plant in Fremont, Calif. (which was later taken over by Tesla) and a stint as vice president of the GM Saturn project in Tennessee. He has also held executive positions for GM in Asia.
How did Perriton and Via Motors get Lutz on board? “We took a pickup to Bob’s place in Ann Arbor,” Perriton said in a phone interview. “And that was enough” to convince him. (Lutz was appointed chairman in February 2014.)
Perriton echoes Lutz’s belief that the light-duty vehicle market has been in dire need of a fuel-efficient vehicle.
“[The pickup] is the workhorse of America, this is where the most gasoline gets consumed in the vehicle sector…[Via] takes a vehicle from 12 – 15 mpg and moves it up to the range 80 – 100 mpg [in some use cases],” Perriton said, echoing Lutz’s sentiment.
Via trucks can also be ‘mobile generators.’
(Excerpt) Read more at forbes.com ...
The claim we would reduce our military if we were energy indep3nt is naive and silly.
Clinton cut our military.
How did that work out?
I don't think you have to be in favor of 100% of someones ideas in order to appreciate their expertise, especially in this case when it comes to the oil market. Besides, there are numerous others who agree if you do a smidgen of searching.
“So have we reduced our military with the reduction of our oil imports so far? Any serious talk that we will be doing so?”
It does not make sense that the level of military spending would be linearly proportional to our oil imports. There would be a threshold we would have to cross where we would be effectively independent and not have to worry if OPEC decided to embargo us or if some rogue state decided to spike a couple tankers in the Persian Gulf.
Furthermore, the large amount of domestic shale oil investment can't continue with the Saudi's slashed oil prices. Evidence that the Saudis can make us dependent on a whim. I'd much rather us bootstrap the commoditization of batteries so that we can pay the roughly one dollar a gallon equivalent that electricity costs.
Regardless, the debate on the EV rebates will be moot in a few years anyway when they phase out on their own.
But we are talking about cutting the military, not the oil market. The idea that justifies government subsidies of electric cars is silly.
It’s not for everyone but I love mine.
What sucks is we’re all paying for it. Cut government subsidies.
They would still attack us.
Are you getting bonus checks for posting idiocy?
No business school would teach to invest in a product merely because it’s popular, nor that it is ethical to invest in companies because their owners are ‘donors’.
But those are the reasons that drive politicians to do so.
Low information voters should stick to the lottery for their ‘high finance’ investing. It’s better odds than they’ll get from politicians’ investments.
Our enemies never attack us because “we’re too strong.”
You advocate the weakening of our nation.
Are you getting paid enough to do this?
So who, in your mind, is sending me checks? Tesla? GM? Nissan? BMW? Obama? Illuminati? Aliens? Choose your tin foil hat carefully.
Can I ford the river with it this summer without electro-stunning the chinook and steelhead?
“Clinton cut our military.
How did that work out?”
Pretty much like crap, actually. The same way that the pin-prick-in-chief’s cut are going to work out.
yes that seems to be a recurring theme on FR when it comes to these cars.
Every CFO I know has one. In the end, it’s a free car for me. I don’t make the rules, but if the math works then I’ll probably bite. You should too while you can.
I want one!
While people are stealing money from future generations “You should too while you can.”!
Actually I don’t argue with this attitude: if I don’t look out for me who will?
The perfect E-car owner would be one who lived near a free charging station and had a grid interconnect (like for a solar set-up) and charged his battery up at the free station then drove home, hooked up to the grid and sold that electric back to the power company.
Perfect!
“Actually I don’t argue with this attitude: if I don’t look out for me who will?”
So why do you want to argue then?
And you know nobody said “if I don’t look out for me who will”.
“Are you female?”
You need a date?
Wow, that’s a long way around the bend.
The Military exists to protect the American People and our Interests. Their role has nothing to do with the subject of this Thread.
Your reply has nothing to do with the Government handing out MY Cash to somebody because they bought a certain kind of Car. The product costs what it costs, and if you can afford it, go for it. It isn’t the Governments business.
The Government is going out of its way to promote one Company’s Product over another Company’s product, period.
Sounds like Crony Capitalism to me.
I guess they should hand out MY Cash to people who buy that new Hybrid Porsche or that new Hybrid BMW that cost over $250,000 each. Heck, they’re already handing out MY cash using the EITC to people who have Kids and can’t afford them, so what the heck.
Sorry my Friend, we are looking at the same situation through different lenses.
Ick.
LOL
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