GM to Road Test Volt Batteries in July

[Jonnycat26]

Originally Posted by daniel

To demonstrate the serial hybrid concept

SO now you're talking about a 'demo', and not a 'mule'. They're entirely different concepts, and are in no way/shape/form on the same level.

And what's great about this is the fact that most car companies will not talk about mules. GM is taking what's usually behind the curtain and bringing it out into the open.

[daniel]

Well, I honestly and sincerely hope I'm wrong, and that they bring this thing out and make it work. If the Volt actually appears at the dealerships, and if it does what they're promising, and if it's the first car to provide that functionality, I will buy it.

On the other hand, if Toyota or Honda or some other company comes out with a "real" electric car or a PHEV-30 first, then I'll buy that. First to market gets my business. And that means a car I can test drive before I buy it, and not have to wait an unreasonable time to get it (as for example the 18 months to two years I'd wait if I ordered a Tesla now).

[patrickindallas]

Originally Posted by jayman

...of risking their cubes.

...and grow some cubes, and deal with it

...and grow some cubes

That, sir, must be regional dialect!
It must be real cold where you're at.


Back to topic:

When the stars aligned enough for me to be able to buy a new car, I did not buy an American car for one reason only: There were exactly ZERO low-polluting ones for sale.

For me, it came down to either the Prius or the Civic Hybrid.

I've always driven American cars (except for that awesome '71 SuperBeetle I had as a teenager! ), and I would probably still be driving one today if any of the domestic makers had had one to sell me.

I, like daniel, want GM to succeed, but it almost looks like they don't want to do so.

[patsparks]

Some companies are very small and only have enough eggs to have 1 basket. GM is massive so they have enough eggs to have a lot of different baskets to put them in. It was GM that built a (what they considered fragile) basket to put just a few eggs in, in the form of the EV1. After putting some eggs in the EV1 basket in 1997 then some improved eggs in, in 1999 they crushed the, in terms of total size of GM, this very small basket.

If GM had considered the EV1 a development and testing program they could have left the EV1 on the road and by now be 11+ years ahead of the game. They could have been thumbing their nose at Toyota with 11 years of development and testing. I'm sure if GM kept leasing the EV1 to people who were fully aware the vehicle was being leased to them because they were participating in a development program they would have an abundance of test pilots. It could have specified on the least that owners and drivers must not make any unfavourable comments to public or media and if unsatisfied with the EV1 it may be returned.

I don't care who is first, I just look forward to being able to buy an affordable, reliable electric car, GM threw that away back when "GM officials claimed that they stood no chance of ever making a profit on the EV1 itself" so crushed the basket and the eggs in it.

No one wants to see any company fail, GM seem to want to fail. I want them to be successful. The bigger faster thirstier road they are currently on will not make GM successful into the future but electric and hybrid just might.

[jayman]

Originally Posted by patrickindallas

That, sir, must be regional dialect!
It must be real cold where you're at.

Well, our winters can dip to -40. In Feb we had a quite prolonged stretch of -30's. Brrrrr!