230

[GAAN]

So

What dose the DMF think of GM's

VOLT?

[Gator]

You can get a much cooler car for a lot less... $40,000 it impress some hippies is a lot of dough.

A new BMW/Audi start at 10,000 less.
So you could get a car and a bike for the same price.

[Big Troubled Bear]

My vote is a definite NO

[NAKID]

Nope.

When it was a sports car, sure.

Now, hell no...

[Randimus Maximus]

$40K+

Size of a Cobalt

Lithium Ion batteries = ??  - Although it doesn't go on sale until November 2010, so they may be ready by then.

What will gas prices be at that time?

[Howie]

I will wait until sometime in 2011 to decide for sure, but the problems I see so far are:


It probably will not be a good primary family vehicle.

Cost, though I think there is up to $7,500 from the government to buy it.

The real economy estimate is about 100 MPG, the 240 MPG is based on a 40 mile round trip commute at slow speed with no accessories on, like heat, AC or lights and starting out with fresh batteries.

Battery replacement cost, a 16 KWH lithium ion battery pack ain't gonna be cheap.  GM hasn't even figured out how to deal with that.  They may lease the batteries.

The Volt is not a zero emissions vehicle when running on battery.  Emissions are produced during battery charging.


At this point, the Volt will be second car for the wealthy and may make it's way into some corporate fleets.  But it is the beginning of a learning curve.

[mitt]

I like it and I am glad to see an American company getting serious about it.  No electric vehicle will be perfect in its first generation, but the manufacturers will learn a lot getting it on the road, and then making improvements.

mitt

[NAKID]

Yeah, did you see the Top Gear episode with the Tesla?

[Slide Panda]

(I think it was Jalopnik) out TopGear for being a bit over dramatic about their Tesla issues... It hurt deep to think Jeremy might fib.

Volt... I think it'll have issues - but it's the 1st of it's kind so that's expected. It'd good to see an American company leading in a segment of the field. It's been too long since an American auto firm can say they did it first.

Depending on the timing, I expect to see a number purchased by my county gov.  They have been working towards replacing the bulk of their car fleet with Priusssss. Better mpg and made in this country - they'd be (politically) smart to add them in place of the future Prius purchase.

The price point is a bit dear - but as noted there are going to be some hefty incentives that will price the price point down a bunch.

Over all, I hope it makes it.

[NAKID]

What did Chevy do first? The Volt? No, Tesla Motors has already shipped cars to owners...

[GAAN]

they are the first to do it in any real numbers...or will be

but

If you want to nitpick

Fisher-Price was the first to put electric cars in garages of owners

:-P

[redxblack]

This is GMs second mass produced electric car, but the first that will be available nationally and for sale. The old ones were lease only.

[Slide Panda]

Tesla is 100% electric while the Volt still uses an gas powered genny 'range extender' - That's what I was referring to as it's first.  There's been electric cars before Tesla also

[Gator]

they are the first to do it in any real numbers...or will be

but

If you want to nitpick

Fisher-Price was the first to put electric cars in garages of owners

:-P

If you want to nitpick Robert Anderson of Scotland invented the first crude electric carriage in 1832

[NAKID]

Tesla was the first to Mass-Produce and SELL electric cars...