Comments on: GM to unveil Chevy Volt at company’s centennial event

By: monte

monte — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:17:20 +0000

I’m just saying that AC motor takes a lot of energy, and is no way powerful enough to run a car. I was going to figure out the amount of electricity it would take to run that car 40 miles, but I’m at work right now and don’t have time.

By: beatusmongous

beatusmongous — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:05:01 +0000

Also, your AC system in your house runs both a fan and a compressor, so it has two motors running, not just one.

By: beatusmongous

beatusmongous — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:04:04 +0000

My laptop draws next to nothing when I charge it, and I don’t really think a plug-in will draw all that much considering the size of the battery. Your AC is a 240 socket that runs quite often, and draws near 50 amps each time. The Volt is supposed to plug in to a 120 socket, and trickle for 8 hours. I’m sure the draw is less than 20 amps, otherwise it would trip the breakers all the time. I think charging the Volt would draw less than running a rear projection big screen all night.

By: monte

monte — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 01:46:21 +0000

I want to know what this thing will do to my electric bill. If I run my A/C for a month my bill just about doubles, and the motor in that wouldn’t propell my to work.

By: Collossus

Collossus — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:47:06 +0000

You said it beatusmongous, but as I can attest here in the TN valley we have no shortage of nuclear power(and Hydro). but if they dont start construction on some new reactors soon we will be in trouble very soon.

By: beatusmongous

beatusmongous — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:01:06 +0000

“Can someone pelase explain to me how an electric car is a good thing without nuclear power?”

I’ll explain where it is a good thing: In my pocketbook.

But then, when the price of these things is so high, my pocketbook hurts to even think of getting one.

My hope is that when Smart, Mercedes, and Nissan bring their EVs in 2010, and Toyota and VW bring their plug-ins that same year, the prices of this type of technology will be just a bit above the prices of the current ICE offerings. I’m not paying $43,000 for a ForTwo EV (current price after conversion to EV from Hybrid Technologies), or anywhere near that for a Nissan Cube, let alone the Volt. My budget is around $25,000. That’s it.

By: riktoven

riktoven — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:45:47 +0000

Can someone pelase explain to me how an electric car is a good thing without nuclear power?

Which is better, to burn gas/diesel in your car to move or to burn diesel/coal at a power plant, transmit the electricity (with losses) over transmission lines to charging stations where it is converted (with losses) to some level the car can handle, where it charges the cars battery (with losses) to then be used to power the wheels (with BIG losses)?

Thermodynamics is a biatch, and I don’t want to hear anymore about electric cars until we get a fair bit more than 14% of our electricity from clean and efficient nuclear power plants.

“Save the Planet!”

Hippie morons.

By: 928dreamer

928dreamer — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:08:55 +0000

You are right, the Volt itself will not save GM, but the developed technology may. The tech will improve and expand across the model lineup.

Just like toyota has a hybrid version of everything, so GM will have a “Volt” version of most of its fleet in 5-10 years.

By: RaineMan

RaineMan — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:01:41 +0000

Has anyone thought of taking one of the all-electric cars that already exist… and strapping in one of the little Honda generators that are used to power boats, aircraft, or for when the power goes out at home? The new ones they have out weigh maybe 20 pounds… and it’s gotta put out enough juice to charge batteries off of. Just charge it while you drive.

By: xyunya

xyunya — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:54:49 +0000

I guess everyone here already assessed and digested the fact that 40K starting price Volt will not save GM. I just want to dispel bad news: if not GM in its current form, but the visionaries who build GM will be remembered probably forever. Sloan School of Management at MIT, Sloan-Kattering Cancer Center, Sloan Center at Caltech. The current clowns at the helm will be remembered in anuses of history where they deservingly belong.

By: SickofGarbageMotors

SickofGarbageMotors — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:06:34 +0000

Looks like Bob Lutz is planning for an early retirement.

By: carlos

carlos — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:03:04 +0000

they could have but the japanese would have seen pictures in the press 3 years ahead of time leaving it useless when it came out

By: beatusmongous

beatusmongous — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:23:07 +0000

It’s a good thing GM wasn’t the one to develop the atomic bomb. We would have lost for sure.

By: 02WRXPSM

02WRXPSM — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:50:02 +0000

Revolutionary, as in twice the price of the Toyota and Honda offerings, 1/3 the range of the Tesla and loaded with Chinese batteries, Korean motors and American “craftsmanship.”

By: Rafa LL

Rafa LL — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 02:38:37 +0000

I know but GM leaks information and then change it, and then retracts it and then change it again so many times about the same product that we all get tired really quickly.
-BTW the Volt will be a revolutionary vehicle (Crossed fingers) but what about that Camaro and the ZR1, we already know the inside color of the trunk before we can buy it.

By: Xile

Xile — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 01:46:47 +0000

There is no doubt that there will be a tax credit for this car which will bring it down to the low 30s. It will be a good way for our government to help GM with only the slightest sniff of a bailout.

@Rafa – The Volt was introduced in 2007. By my calculations, it’s been 1.5 years. By the time it comes out, it will have been about 3 years. I don’t think 3 years for a vehicle that is revolutionary is too long. I just hope they get it right.

By: F451

F451 — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:52:38 +0000

It is simply a crying shame, and angers me, that GM has now placed itself in such a precarious position with its latest corporate news that does nothing more than foster lack of customer confidence to the point that many will have reservations as too whether they would even purchase a Volt even through they previously would have.

By: Rafa LL

Rafa LL — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:44:47 +0000

Have you noticed that Chevrolet delay their new models so much time that the competition can actually develop a competitor and launch it before Chevrolet. Camaro and Volt have been around about a century or so…

By: 928dreamer

928dreamer — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:42:01 +0000

No question, the early buyers of this car will be like the early adopters on any new technology. They are paying more and are OK with that to be able to say they were first. There will be plenty of politicians and hollywood celebs who want to look “green”.

As battery technology improves and better mass produciton techniques come on line for the battery packs, the price will come down. Not only that, if you upgrade the batteries, the car will have better range.

I think this was a good move for GM. I just hope it is not too late and that the technology does not run into too much teething.

By: monte

monte — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:33:47 +0000

$40,000 is way too much, I don’t think it will sell much at that price. The technology developed will benifet them in the long run for future models.

By: beatusmongous

beatusmongous — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 22:00:17 +0000

You got that right, Johnny.

Actually, Frost, an EV city car would be great for the majority of daily commuters. The Volt should be a family car for long range trips and the like. My opinion, though.

By: frost

frost — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:58:16 +0000

it would be a good idea for GM to revive their electric car program that they killed off in 2000. that way they can have a all electric city car, and the volt for people who travel more then 60 miles a day.

By: johnnycanuck

johnnycanuck — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:47:52 +0000

The Volt is going to give a whole new meaning to the term ‘sticker shock’.

By: mayer_ray_nagin

mayer_ray_nagin — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:42:14 +0000

I would wait for this to drop well below 30k – say 27k.
40 bills is way too much.

By: rds130

rds130 — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:40:30 +0000

Not to sound like a hater because I really commend GM for making the strides they’ve made, particularly in the last 8 years or so, but I’m concerned the technology bugs, management disagreements and November 2010 promise production date could harm GM in once the car is actually released. I don’t believe the Volt will tank, but if it does, GM as a whole probably won’t be far behind. And if GM goes, the entire industry and America as a whole is going to have a tough time. Granted, it’ll never happen, but again, it does concern me as someone finally giving GM props for their products.

By: jumpoffit

jumpoffit — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:39:05 +0000

but people have to actually BUY the Volt for that to happen howsmydriving

By: howsmydriving

howsmydriving — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:34:17 +0000

Volt just might save GM from tanking.

By: slider5634

slider5634 — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:31:48 +0000

^^^^ Which is really too bad since their product lineup has made leaps and bounds in the last few years — and that’s high praise from me considering I’ve hated GM for most of my life.

By: xyunya

xyunya — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 21:25:02 +0000

Bad omen. Olds lasted 103 year before its demise. Centennial events don’t favor GM very well.