Posted on 07/10/2008 5:44:56 AM PDT by chessplayer
In the wake of an economic downturn, General Motors Corp is hurrying production of its Chevy Volt. It now hopes to unveil a showroom-ready model in September, according to sources close to the project.
(Excerpt) Read more at redorbit.com ...
Might be too late.
By the way...anyone else noticing that MARKET shifting to meet the needs of those hurt by higher gas prices? The Volt is coming to market faster...Toyota just announced solar capability in it’s next gen Prius....etc.
CAFE standards are a joke.
I can’t wait to laugh at anyone dumb enough to buy this. Aside from the reliability and quality issues inherent in all GM vehicles, the mere laws of physics prevent an electric car from being practical at all.
Good luck GM. Hopefully this car will save your sorry a$$e$.
Wow, GM able to respond to a move by Toyota in only 5 YEARS! That must be some kind of record for them.
A fools quest. Any vehicle that uses one type of energy (oil, coal, gas,) to make a electric car is not Efficient use of energy.
CAFE standards are federal law. You go to jail if you sell vehicles that don't meet them. Current CAFE standards result in the deaths of about 3000 American citizens a year by forcing small, unsafe (mostly foreign), vehicles. That's hardly a joke.
But even Toyota admits that these are for show and would not produce much power at all. Like hybrids themselves, these are just made to make buyers "feel good" even though they produce no real economic benefit.
CAFE standards are a joke.
I would much like to see a non-hybrid econobox that gets at least 50mpg on unleaded as an option for a car here. I keep hearing about all these cars that get this kind of gas mileage being sold abroad and I get so irritated when car makers decide that the US version "needs more power." They then bump up the engine and the size of the car so that it doesn't get that kind of efficiency here. Ugh.
My best friend had a leased GM EV-1 and loved it until they literally forced her to give it up, even though she offered to pay the remaining balance on it. The car companies who stifled this emerging technology amid honest demand for it ought to be horsewhipped. While it’s great they’re changing their tune now, their shortsightedness (to make a profit even... DUH!!!) is fetid stupidity that will put this country’s auto industry further behind unless they wise up VERY fast.
“But even Toyota admits that these are for show and would not produce much power at all. Like hybrids themselves, these are just made to make buyers “feel good” even though they produce no real economic benefit.”
No, but like every other burgeoning technology, it’s a start. Point is, that the market is responding to people’s demand for more fuel efficient cars...it doesn’t have to be dictated by the gov’t.
I hope they don’t “hurry up” too much and forget to put it together right... We don’t need another Corvair or Vega.
Hm. Could be GM’s smartest move since they introduced diesel cars thirty years ago.
The Volt will be a plug-in series hybrid-electric. From what I understand, it can run as a pure EV that can be charged from your home, or it can run via gasoline.
I'm not aware of any other manufacturer that will have something to compete (without modification) on the market when this hits, except perhaps the Prius. Reports say it will fully charge in about 6.5 hours, and will have a 40 mile pure electric range (plenty for most commutes) then will get 50 mpg on gasoline.
Carries 4 people, and it doesn't look like an indistinguishable lump of melting clay on four tiny wheels.
Even at its projected initial price in the $40s (GM wants to get it in the $30s), this could be a real winner for GM if they can produce enough and resist their annoying predilection to overprice vehicles that exhibit the slightest market demand to the point of extinguishing most consumer interest.
> I can’t wait to laugh at anyone dumb enough to buy this. Aside from the reliability and quality issues inherent in all GM vehicles, the mere laws of physics prevent an electric car from being practical at all.
Oh really? Yeah, if you’re buying it for extended car trips, dumb. For 15-30 minute commutes in stop-and-go, great.
“Reports say it will fully charge in about 6.5 hours, and will have a 40 mile pure electric range (plenty for most commutes) then will get 50 mpg on gasoline.”
Of course, it sounds like that a lot of people may be charging this thing on a nightly basis...6.5 hours will really run up the electric bill.
Sounds a lot like what they were saying about ethanol ;)
Kidding aside, I don't see solar panels as being very practical, especially in northern regions where the sun does not shine for long during the winter.
I wonder if hydrogen will ever be practical as a motor vehicle fuel.
Well said. If we want to beat the Muzzies and thumb our noses at them and their slimy cartel, we need to do everything: Drill, solar, nuclear, wind, coal, new technologies (for vehicle and elsewhere).
Drilling alone is great but not a complete solution. Why use only a pistol when you can give ‘em a full arsenal?
“Aside from the reliability and quality issues inherent in all GM vehicles, the mere laws of physics prevent an electric car from being practical at all.”
That’s why they added the gasoline aspect of the technology. Everyone knows about battery limitations.
I would be more concerned about your first point...quality issues.
now doing what they should have been doing a long time ago.
why don’t they let go of their middle management?
and tell the unions to take a hike?
i would manufacture the cars in another country to just get rid of the unions.
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