Well ... maybe. Lutz is world famous for blowing smoke, but guess what he's saying at the Detroit auto show: GM will make pure-electric version of Chevy Volt GM will make pure-electric version of Chevy Volt - San Jose Mercury News Wow ... still a good ways off for even selling a single Volt, and now GM is saying they're going pure electric, again. Uh, so why not just re-tool for the EV-1's ?? .
But wasn't it about this time last year that Lutz was telling everyone that the Volt WAS an all-electric vehicle. It just has an on-board "range extender". The fact that the "range extender" isn't mechanically connected to the wheels or drive shaft means that the vehicle qualifies as an EV. Chevy Volt Plug-in hybrid / Volt Range Extended Electric Vehicle by GM. Are we now saying that the Volt is NOT an Electric Vehicle? And are we at war with Eurasia or Oceania?
During the partitioning of India, a Hindu came to Mahatma tortured by the horrible killings he had participated in after his young son was killed and asked 'How can I find peace?' Mahatma said, 'You must find a small Moslem child, the same age as your own, and raise him as your own ... and a Moslem.' Perhaps Lutz just heard this story? .... Naw! Bob Wilson
And they are the only company that actually HAD a production model EV. And one that people loved. They always seem to ignore that fact as if it never happened. It must have something to do with politics. They don't want to give previous managers credit or something like that.
Electric cars hardly new, as 1922 model proves at Detroit auto show - Drive On: A conversation about the cars and trucks we drive - USATODAY.com This 1922 Detroit Electric, parked in the lobby of Cobo Center, home to the annual Detroit auto show, was priced equivalent to about $38,000 in today's money, according to info provided by the Henry Ford Museum. And it went an estimated 60 miles on the batteries -- a longer range than some of the electrics that today's automakers are boasting for their new electrics, coming in a year or two.
An excellent point. Also please note that about three years ago, we were told that the fuel cell version of this car would come hot on the heals of the initial REV product. GM definitely wasn't the only company with a production EV. Not by a long shot. They were first to the punch, however. In fact it was the EV1 that inspired the CARB ruling that required them of all major car makers. The EV1 proved to CARB that the car makers could actually make a viable EV. But all the majors put them out: GM (EV1 and the Chevy S10), Ford (Ranger), Nissan (Altima), Honda (EV+), and my current car, the Toyota Rav4EV... what did I miss? By for the most loved EV of all time was the EV1. And GM tossed all that love away. No... they didn't toss it. They efficiently converted it into pure hatred. No small task, that! Quite true. Everybody who has an EV on the drawing board right now is talking about them like they're the first modern EV. :sigh: Good one.
The only way GM is going to see the light is if they stand facing westbound on the eastbound tracks. If only the museum could have gotten display space in the show and printed slick handouts touting the new for 2011 Detroit Electric. They probably could have taken orders.
Surprisingly Lutz commented on the fact that the Volt he drove over Thanksgiving, only faired with 28 miles on a full charge. It is limited based on Atmospheric Conditions, Weather, Temperature and Driving Style... Does that mean it could even go lower....I think Yes! It will definitely be interesting to see the reviews once the car comes to market.
They could take orders for thousands of EV1s right now, no research or advertising required. Heck, they could probably sell replicas of the Detroit Electric from 1922. But noooo, maybe in just a few short years, the hydrogen fuel cell will be ready.
I can walk that far! How many billions in research and marketing did this cost? I want my government grant back.
One thing's for sure, when the Volt is released there's gonna be a Volt thread in here somewhere that will be the most posted-to to and most viewed in this forum's history.
There are threads here on Priuschat listing all the angry rants that the new Prius driver did not see 50MPG "out of the box." There were threats of class-action lawsuits. There were lawyers trying to work up owners into filing a lawsuit. There were attacks (from GM, actually) that the EPA tests were inaccurate so they got rewritten. If the Volt comes out and new owners are not getting the advertised distance on battery power, there will be a similar uproar.
+1 Already that's happened with EV Tesla Drivers. They'll expect 200 miles of range ... drive uphill like bats out of hades, and wonder why they only get 100 miles of range. So it goes with PHEV's ... so it'll go with the Volt (maybe someday), or a pure EV volt. .
I'm quite sure GM is probably expecting this based on what they've seen with Toyota. So they will probably try to word the advertising to say something like "up to 40 miles" (if they aren't already saying that) One interesting fact to point out, since I also own a 2010 Honda Insight. Most prius owners tend to gripe that they don't get the EPA rated fuel economy, but me and all of the other 2010 Insight owners I know over on Insight Central: Honda Insight Forum all agree that we get more than the EPA ratings. And not because we are hypermilers, either. Still, I'm not bashing the Prius in any way. it is just that most vehicles (and drivers) don't live up to the EPA ratings, just that most cars don't bother to show people what mileage they are getting and so they never notice. But we can be sure that GM service departments are going to be flooded with customers convinced something is wrong with their Volt when it is only able to travel 38 miles on a charge, instead of 40.
