GM's Latest 'Crapload' of Chevy Volt Nonsense

National Legal & Policy Center ^ | March 9, 2012 | Mark Modica

[jazusamo]

These guys at Government Motors just continue to outdo themselves. Just as Chevy Volt owners are getting over being called idiots by the head of Audi, GM comes up with an ad that lends credence to the accusation. A supposed Volt owner tells how she loves her car because her friends think it looks like a spaceship and it saves a "crapload" of money.

I laid off the original story of the Audi head saying Volts were for idiots. The .001 percenters who bought Volts have a right to spend their money as they see fit and I gave them the benefit of the doubt (given their higher income) that they were as intelligent as the rest of us average folks. The newest GM ad does more to insult Volt owners' intelligence than the idiots comment. It's not just the use of the word "crapload;" in fact the words "load" and "crap" can be used together to pretty well describe the whole Chevy Volt fiasco. But the idea that Volt owners are really that mathematically challenged to believe they are saving money is mind boggling.

Let's review this again for those that can't seem to figure it out. The science isn't as hard to understand as the space shuttle-like technology in the Volt. The Volt's electric range of 25 to 40 miles is the equivalent of approximately one gallon of fuel for a similar sized, conventional, gas efficient vehicle. It cost about $1.70 in electricity to charge the battery. Gas cost about $3.70 a gallon. $3.70 minus $1.70 equals $2 in savings. You can save about $2 a day in gas usage by driving a Volt. I'll even neglect the extra cost of premium fuel needed for the Volt and the gas used while in electric mode. This isn't that hard to keep up with, is it? I'll bet non-Volt owners can figure it out, that's why they are not buying the car, despite the misrepresentations of huge savings.

The cost of the Volt is over twice the amount of competitive small, gas powered vehicles. After the 99 percenters pay for tax subsidies for the wealthy, math-challenged .001 percenters who buy the Volt, the car cost about $15,000 more. I can't understand how these people got wealthy enough to buy the cars if they can't even understand that they're not saving a "crapload" of money.

Of course, given the deceptive nature of Government Motors, those who are making the false claims about "savings" are probably aware of the truth. They just don't like to speak it. Maybe GM is using actors to portray real owners to misrepresaent how much can be "saved" by buying a Volt. General Electric also claims they are buying thousands of Volts to save money. Come to think of it, it is the American public that is having its intelligence insulted if they are expected to believe this along with the claims that the Volt is a great success and the only reason they don't sell more is because there is not enough supply...wait, scratch that; it's because there is a right-wing conspiracy led by "right wing media" that prevents the true, wonderful value to be recognized.

Please, stop the "crapload" already. The Volt doesn't save owners money just as the Obama goal of spending $10 billion to get a million EVs on the road does nothing to reduce gas prices and reduce oil consumption . Yet the lies continue. I really don't know why GM continues to spend millions trying to pitch a car that does not appeal to consumers at the high price it is offered at. It's not supply, it's not Rush, it's not a NHTSA investigation, the car cost too much for what it offers. But I'm sure GM knows that.

What I'm not sure of is why GM doesn't stop the farce. Perhaps they have dug the hole too deep and the Obama-appointed management feels they can not admit the failure. Perhaps they have a plan to fluff sales numbers with GE purchases prior to November elections and continue the hoax so that cronies can profit as much as possible before moving on to the next big thing. Or maybe in true political fashion they will finally halt production all together (they must be losing millions of dollars a month on the green hoax) and blame Republicans for killing the car because they are indebted to big oil. After all, if they think people are dumb enough to believe all the nonsense up to this point, why wouldn't they think the public will believe that?

Mark Modica is an NLPC Associate Fellow.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Did I read the product review correctly? 30 miles in the winter eats an entire battery charge?

[jazusamo]

I agree. We don’t put the miles on we used to but we kept a Camry for 11 years and had 140,000 or so miles on it, a very good car. Our granddaughter has it now and it’s doing just fine, nothing major in repairs and we have a new one.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

GM has already halted production of the Volt.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Let’s see, average energy cost of 8¢ per mile. My 2007 Sonata has averaged about 26 mpg thus far. At $3.69 per gallon, that puts fuel at @14¢ per file.

All other variables being equal (which they most certainly are not) the Dolt comes out $6,000 ahead in 100k miles. Well below the replacement cost of the battery alone. Which is not proven to go 100k, yet.

My Sonata cost about $20K (including the full 100K ten year warranty). Repair/maintenance costs have been almost negligible. I have driven the car on long trips over half the US, in comfort. Do that in a Dolt.

The financial numbers on this car are so bad that it makes a damning statement on the education and reasoning levels of so many Americans that they swallow this “crapload” of lies. The disgusting ignorance of the average American is why (though I will never stop fighting the left) I believe we conservatives are fighting a losing battle.

When I was 10 years old I had a grasp of math that would have made me LOL at a Volt owner. And obviously I was ahead of the current occupant of the WH, and a good percentage of the congress.

[LZ_Bayonet]

"from an engineering standpoint it is the real deal and clever"

Well at least the GM engineers know what the heck they're doing, now put the same engineers on a different project.

[Afterguard]

I was given a Cruze for a rental car during a recent bidness trip and I was pretty impressed by its quality of materials and workmanship. I can’t see how anyone willing to buy a Chevy would spend the $20K premium to buy a Volt instead of a Cruze. I wouldn’t buy any GM car, however. Not now.

[tnlibertarian]

we kept a Camry for 11 years and had 140,000 or so miles on it, a very good car.

My wife's 1999 Camry just rolled over 100,000 a couple of months ago. We've had it for 9 years and put 70k on it. I told her that I hopes she still likes it because I see no reason to get rid of it. The next car we get to replace either hers or mine will be another Camry.

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

The Volt's electric range of 25 to 40 miles is the equivalent of approximately one gallon of fuel for a similar sized, conventional, gas efficient vehicle.

two ways to store 25 to 40 miles of energy.

[GreenHornet]

I think we just found a new name for this vehicle: the “Chevy Crapload.”

[Darksheare]

“These guys at Government Motors just continue to outdo themselves.”

It’s the natural outcome of Party Propaganda in the same vein as Baghdad Bob, China, and Russia.
They have to pump out the crapfest for the leadership, even if they don’t believe it themselves.

[Darksheare]

If only that battery had a charge and someone poked a small hole in it while they were standing there.
“Breathe deeply boys and girls! That’s what your customers will be breathing while waiting for EMS to get them out of the car.”

[Harley]

.... 30 miles in the winter eats an entire battery charge?

I don't know if you have seen Eric Boling on the Fox News Channel, but he drove a Volt for a week at GM's invitation because he was so critical of them. He reported that he only got 18 miles on a full charge everyday he drove it. He said he used the heater a little bit and listened to the radio. He said it ran out of juice everyday in the Holland Tunnel on his way home, but he did say it switched over to gas flawlessly. He said he would buy one of the cars if they jerked out the batteries and electics and put in a small Four cylinder gas engine and conventional drive train. Gm won't though, cause they are run by the goons and Obama.

[yadent]

2000 Jetta TDI automatic with 275,000 miles. Still averages 40 mpg. Great little car.

[jazusamo]

Article today by Patrick Michaels of Forbes on the Volt:

Maybe It Should Be Called the Chevrolet 'Vote'

[jazusamo]

Link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2856935/posts

[goat granny]

I’d take one if they paid me for taking it off their hands...

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Would recommend he use the veggie oil only during warmer months.

[infowarrior]

That’s a crapload of time to make back your investment!

Let's do it mathematically: ROI=SUX...

the infowarrior

[Ron C.]

"..the space shuttle-like technology in the Volt.."

Yup - that's what's wrong with the 'Volt' in a nutshell. It's government made, government designed, at space shuttle prices.

To wit - Endeavour cost us 150 billion dollars to build, it was launched 25 times at an average cost of two billion per trip. Total cost of building and using, 250 billion dollars.

NASA has no competitors - they are now nearly out of business - thanks to this president - that wants to provide us with cars that have space shuttle-like operating prices - perhaps we will soon see Government Motors going away again.

[LZ_Bayonet]

Democrats in your photo of battery and gas can:(left-right) unknown female, Rep. Sander Levin D-MI, Senator Carl Levin D-MI, Sec. Transportation Cho, unk. male (probably GM CEO, Jennifer Granholm Former Governor D-MI, Rep. John Dingell D-MI,unk male, unk. male