GM's Nonexisten Volt: The Latest Comercial

Cities are forced to buy GM buses? Give me just one link supporting that bunch of baloney. I guess you can say anything on here as long as it is trashing an american auto manufacturer.

 

What is with that "forcing cities to buy busses comment?"

However, did you look at the Tahoe Hybrid brochure? They don't even know what size engine it will have!?!?!

 

I'm guessing Stev0 is thinking he is in FHOP where wild statements with no backup proof is standard operating procedure.

You are giving GM an awful large benefit of doubt by using the word "will" in your statement.

The above mentioned PDF states:
"Limited availability in select markets starting Fall 2007."

Yet their web site, Hybrid Technology: Chevrolet Tahoe: Chevrolet states:
"Limited availability starting early 2008."

Me personally, I wouldn't give their statements much credence - considering the very large wiggle room they are giving themselves with the weasel words "Limited availability."

Just how small of a number are they talking about to qualify as limited???
ONE????

 

That did not seem remotely correct to me, so I looked up a few numbers.

More than 500,000 Prii have been sold in the US. If they displaced vehicles getting the US fleet average (22 mpg), get 46 mpg, travel 15K miles per year on average, that's over 170 million gallons of gasoline saved per year (Or about half a day's US gasoline use.)

GM has sold about 1000 buses (and has orders in hand for about 1700 more). The average city bus travels about 35,000 miles per year at 3.5 miles per gallon, or about 10,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year. Estimates of hybrid savings vary, but the most credible I've seen suggest that the hybrid buses reduce fuel use by about a third. Total that up and the current GM fleet saves something over 3 million gallons per year. (If necessary, I can give credible internet citations for the facts in this paragraph).

So, unless I've gotten something very wrong, I don't think the savings from the GM hybrid buses are anywhere close to the savings from Prii. The GM hybrid bus fuel savings, at present, are about two orders of magnitude smaller.

 

You are soo right about that. GM really has no reasonable hybrid vehicles. At least ford has a nice hybrid example in the Escape. By most accounts the Escape hybrid is a pretty good vehicle.

 

How does a MAN bus running on compressed natural gas stack up against a GM Hybrid bus for CO2 and other emissions? CNG busses are in general use here along with an electric rechargable bus on the city loop and an electrified tram running through the city north south and about 12km southwest to the bay. There are plans to extend the electrified light rail passenger system

When you say GMs hybrid busses reduce emissions, what are you comparing them to?

Having busses that reduce greenhouse emissions is great but for a lot of people a bus ride isn't an option. I travel across the city and would need to take 3 buses to work and the journey would take 2 hours each way, in a car, about 45 minutes. Also being a shift worker means the bus isn't available when I start or finish most shifts.

 

OK, granted it's old news, but they've done it before so one could assume they'd try to do it again.

 

Hey, I'd also trash Trabant, Yugo, and other companies that make nothing but crap, too, but nobody's brought them up yet.

 

No, it is about being realistic. Does your memory go far enough back to when GM (and Firestone) bought and trashed the electric rails in order to sell busses? Yeah. All about saving energy - not about profit in any way. Oh... and of course you're wrong anyway - as has already been pointed out. But I'm guessing that won't matter much to you.

It has nothing to do with trashing an American manufacturer. It has to do with the Volt right now. And it seems that GM - an American manufacturer - is the one promising us what it already knows it cannot deliver. We can trash other makers in other threads. This one is for GM.

What's an order of magnitude or two among friends? Nice work as usual.

 

Gonna cost more because of the radio and wipers.

Wipers, Stereo Raise Price of Chevrolet Volt to $35,000 | Autopia from Wired.com

 

GM's advertising campaign is reminiscent of the old Ford campaign on "Quality is job one". They spent millions on an advertising campaign hyping their quality, when they should have spent that money to improve the quality of their cars! The Volt is nothing but a pipe dream--I'll believe it when I see it!

 

I wonder if they'll itemize everything.

Car with radio and wipers: $35,000
add windshield: $36,000
add four wheels: $37,000
add brakes: $38, 500
add seats: $39,500
add steering wheel: $41,000

 

Thats how my dog gives me a bath!:lol:

THe volt is cool, but I'll stick w/ my Prius! Besides, I'm not paying 35k!!!

 

Let's not forget a redesign of the body because it drives like a brick in wind tunnels.

add sports car looking body because "that's what our consumers want" : $54,988

And I really have to wonder . . . are they talking in 2007 dollars, but will adjust later? $56,998

 

ROFLMAO!!!!

Okay, I haven't even followed the link. It's the sheer lunacy of this entire premise that's got me going!

 

Wasn't that the K car?

 

When GM gets this to market they will only accept Canadian dollars.