Get ready, Chevy Volt due this November. Update!!!

[chargerboy69]

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2012/08/gm-suspends-chevy-volt-production-over-slow-sales/1

The responses at the bottom of the article are PRICELESS...

Many are worth reading.   

This is the second time they have halted production. They just need to stop it. . permanent.

[ACUDANUT]

Don't tell the guy who started this post.

[Ghoste]

I'm sure he'll turn up anytime to tell us what a huge success the low sales are.

[chargerboy69]

More good news about the total failure that is the Chevy Volt.  If this was any other car it would have never been put into production let alone being allowed to continue.  Another example of government interjecting themselves into business and it working out so well.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/10/us-generalmotors-autos-volt-idUSBRE88904J20120910


"Nearly two years after the introduction of the path-breaking plug-in hybrid, GM is still losing as much as $49,000 on each Volt it builds"

[Ghoste]

They have to keep making them for a little longer cuz the current Commander in Chief said he wants one when his final term is over.

[1970Moparmann]

Well, look at the bright side - When the car first came out, it was estimated that each car COST $200k.  Now it's only $49k plus the cost of material. 

[Ghoste]

So subsidation does work?

[JB400]

It's there way of paying you to take one.  They just haven't paid enough to make me want one.  If they did,  I'd have more zero's in my bank account.  By the way, all those zero's would be behind another number with no period. And not the amount that I owe either.

[NHCharger]

More good news about the total failure that is the Chevy Volt.  If this was any other car it would have never been put into production let alone being allowed to continue.  Another example of government interjecting themselves into business and it working out so well.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/10/us-generalmotors-autos-volt-idUSBRE88904J20120910


"Nearly two years after the introduction of the path-breaking plug-in hybrid, GM is still losing as much as $49,000 on each Volt it builds"

Yup. read that article today.
Also read an interesting article about the future of GM. Many people won't buy a car from government motors and many people will never forgot how the GM bond holders got screwed in an illegal bankruptcy proceeding to appease the unions. There are several economists that are predicting GM will go bankrupt again but the current administration is suppressing all this until after the elections.

[Ghoste]

But they said they were all better and paid up a few months after the buyout.

[1974dodgecharger]

The volt is a great car someone claimed they modifified it to run quarters in 9 secs....

[JB400]

The volt is a great car someone claimed they modifified it to run quarters in 9 secs....

Believe it when I see it.

[Ghoste]

You can make tremendous power with electric motors don't ever discount that part.  Torque is almost instant and big, they can come on far quicker than an internal combustion engine.  The problem with electric cars has and cotinues to be cost and range.

[JB400]

You can make tremendous power with electric motors don't ever discount that part.  Torque is almost instant and big, they can come on far quicker than an internal combustion engine.  The problem with electric cars has and cotinues to be cost and range.

I'll agree, but there's one other issue as well; weight.  That's why most of the Tesla cars are made out of aluminum and carbon fiber.   There becomes a point weight and power cancel each other out.  That's how you get a couch potato.

[mauve66]

quit talking about me like i'm not here, my couch enjoys my company......................

[Ghoste]

I think the Tesla is being made lightweight in an effort to get range too.  I'm not discounting weight but acceleration from a standstill and torque are closely related (just ask any 1970 GSX Stage 1 owner) and electric motors have a pretty amazing torque curve.

[1974dodgecharger]

you guys are being negative nancys here...come on VOLT is awesome....

[JB400]

you guys are being negative nancys here...come on VOLT is awesome....

How about giving us some positive amps to go along with all the negative voltage?  And yes, everyone knows the mileage the thing gets. I can't give my full opinion on the thing, it breaks the rules.  All I can say is it got shoved into service.  GM did not learn a darn thing from their last attempt at an electric vehicle.

[Ghoste]

Believe it or not, in many ways I think it is an interesting car.  I just don't think its a sales success or the answer to our troubles.  I don't even think its an engineering masterpiece just interesting that they were able to bring a very old technology into the light of today in a short order.  I stop short of awesome though.

[JB400]

Taking Washington out of the equation,  my e brake stops the car at neat,  The "other" problem I have with the car is "Are we actually ready for such a car?"  And when I say we, I mean us as a technological civilization.  Here's my arguments.
1. Our infrastructure.  Right now, our utility companies are working overtime just to keep things going, not counting trying to upgrade our current system up to todays' parameters.  What is trying to be done is we are trying to put our cars on the grid instead of at the pump.  Good idea, but we haven't upgraded our grid to handle  the loads that will be placed upon it just with cars, let alone our households and businesses.  Making our appliances more efficient helps out quite a bit, but, the I don't think the electric hybrids are efficient enough not to overload the grid.  Yes, numbers are low now, but I think the goal is to get at least 25% of the households to have one by 2020.
2: Performance. Yes, electric motors give a lot of torque, but the Volt only has 273lb-fts of torque. Oh wow, I think it might have moved one hair into the seat.
This car is not very efficient.  It only goes 35 miles gas free.  375 total miles on a tank of gas.  It costs $1.55/day to charge the car up entirely, depending on cost of electricity.  Do you want to add another 30-40% /month to your household electric bill to go only 35 miles/day?  I have the sales brochure, only because I was curious about it. I'm sure your Caravan can do better than this car.  FYI: this car takes "special tires" to get maximum efficiency.  I don't even want to know what they cost.  I could probably buy a few sets of drag slicks for the price of one set of tires for this thing.
3. Training. Do you know how to work on one without getting put in the hospital?  I here you have to wear some special clothing just to keep from getting electrocuted.  Unfortunately, not every dealership today has someone qualified to work on the darn thing.  I can only guess at the cost in time and money.
Is the Chevy Volt a good idea, yes.  Is it a step in the right direction, yes. But there is a lot more work that really needs to be done first before we are really ready for it.  I think Chevrolet and the government was in too big a hurry to put the thing in production.  I think more time should be spent to fully understand what we are doing before we do it.  Let's take a look at it before we take the plunge.  I think that everyone looks at the benefits of it, but hasn't spent the time to understand the consequences.

[Ghoste]

I'm 100% with you my defending of electric motor performance potential was just that, they have huge performance potential.  I didn't mean the Volt as it comes from GM was going to set any records only that as an electric motor, if someone wanted to modify it for a drag race, don't discount it out of hand.
The Volt as a viable practical automobile I have spoken against all along.

[JB400]

Electric drag cars are pretty cool.  I seen on t.v. where a guy was building an electric Lamborghini.  He was testing it at some open road event.  As far as racing the Volt, I;m sure It has probably been done on some back road. or by a magazine somewhere.  But, I think the real winners would be government motors ( NOT General Motors) if we really started excepting the car into our culture.  Sorry, I'm a bit on the rebellious when it comes to those things.  For now, I'm all for those that would race a hybrid; the college kids building their own electric cars; or those enthusiasts that build their own electric rides.  I myself wouldn't mind driving the Tesla roadster.

[Ghoste]

I've driven a couple, its a strange experience.  The silence is surreal, akin to a very high powered golf cart.  Steers, brakes rides and drives like a normal car but when you slam the pedal it is instantaneous, again much ligh a very high powered golf cart.  Surreal to have no engine noise though.

[Cooter]

 Surreal to have no engine noise though.

And as many have stated long before me, pretty gay too. What was the line in "The new guys" movie when they were in the prius? "It feels like I'm in a huge Vagina"....NOBODY beats a man at his own game. 100 Years of Gas powered cars has the American addicted to speed/noise/culture/history/etc. NO electric car will EVER surpass these things we car guys hold near and dear. Period.

[JB400]

  Surreal to have no engine noise though.

And as many have stated long before me, pretty gay too. What was the line in "The new guys" movie when they were in the prius? "It feels like I'm in a huge Vagina"....NOBODY beats a man at his own game. 100 Years of Gas powered cars has the American addicted to speed/noise/culture/history/etc. NO electric car will EVER surpass these things we car guys hold near and dear. Period.

I agree.  I favor alternative fuel more than I do alternative powerplant.  Alternative fuel may not have the range, but it is cheaper to convert to it than it is to switch poweplants.