Leaf and EV1 Comparison

GM is a corporation that should already have disappeared from earth, they should have filed for bankruptcy, and been gone. They should never have been bailed out, and given another chance, because history shows they are too stupid to do the right thing, as they are too entrenched in "big oil's" back pocket.

If they where not so short sighted, the EV1 would have been a fabulous success, battery technology would have improved at a much greater speed, and the entire world would have been a better place by now (less green house gass's, less polution), and well onto the conversion of the entire US auto market to EV technology.

No, I and many others can NEVER forgive GM for their stupid, bonehead moves with the EV1.

P.S. as far as the volt is concerned, that is another dumb move by GM, as the Leaf will be far better as a pure EV, than the Volt will be as a hybrid.

 

I think it was GM management deciding that they did not want to be compelled to build EVs by CARB. They had to argue that it was not economically feasible because any other reason would not have been justified.

I think history now shows that it was a short sighted decision. If they had the EV1 (or an even more modern equivalent) available for sale during the summer of 2008, they could have sold a boat load of them. Instead, the US government had to bail them out.

 

Big Oil and the Big Three were always two sides of the same coin. GM developed the EV1 as a stopgap (thus the lease as the only option) until they and their Oil masters could find a way to crush the CARB mandate. They finally did with the Hydrogen Fuel Cell fantasy! Once BO had their HFC plants on the CARB board, the EV1 and other EV projects were history. Nissan apparently isn't as beholden to Oil, so they can introduce the Leaf and see how the general public receives an EV.

 

While I do agree that GM only built the EV1 because they were forced to by CARB I do not believe they are beholden to big oil. GM did try to find any way it could to not continue to build more and to kill the ones they had. Not because they love oil, because they HATE CHANGE.

Change is very expensive for them. They need to continue to build gas cars because that is what they have factories to build. As for the Volt, they are having to build new (and expensive) battery facilities and motor and electric car research centers. They will loose money on the Volt for a while. Maybe a long while!

 

my point EXACTLY. They had ALREADY developed the technology for the EV1, had they stuck with it, they would have converted their factories for dual use already, and the Toyota Prius and other hybrids might never have been built, the EV1 and GM would have had a huge headstart over all other auto manufacturers. Had they EMBRACED change (because after all, that is the only constant in the world, is change), they would have been far better off than they ended up today, a shell of their former greatness and essentialy bankrupt without masive cash infusions by the public (Government)

 

I meant boat load in the sense that a boat load > a truck load. Not in the sense of the origin of the load.

 

Yes, it is a good point. The Supercar article is both fascinating and sad.

 

Well with the current perception of world geography by many americans, maybe Japan is just a truck-drive away from California? Japan is by Chinatown right?

 

Wasn't the EV1 a two-seater? I don't see that as a direct competitor for the Prius. A good commuter car, yes. A good family car, no.

 

Where did you get these numbers? I'm on their mailing list and have not yet seen official pricing.

Edit: Okay, I saw in the other thread where you got the numbers. Thanks.

 

wy did abama not aks for a name change
from general motors to GEM ( General electric motors ) and start building -real- hybrids and evs

 

While some extreme conservatives want to paint President Obama as a socialist, the truth is that he is a moderate capitalist who has no interest in exercising the government's ownership of GM. He wanted to save the company and the workers' jobs, but as a moderate capitalist, he feels the present corporate executives are better able to run the company than the government would be.

In this I disagree with him, but this is not the politics forum. I merely answer your question: He does not dictate to GM because as a capitalist he does not feel it is the government's place to do so even though the government owns a controlling share of the company.

 

This weekend, Brad and I get to go see an EV1 at a university

 

Nice, but it has been disabled I'm sure, the few that remain in the world are in muesems, sad really. See Darells page on the EV1 as well: Darell's Electric Vehicle Page