Sales of the GM Volt.

[mrsleeve]

^
you live in hippy gotta have the hybrid land, to be smug and shoe how big of a douchebag you are and have everyone see how you are saving the environment

[rwh11385]

^
you live in hippy gotta have the hybrid land, to be smug and shoe how big of a douchebag you are and have everyone see how you are saving the environment

Actually, you couldn't be more incorrectly prejudiced...

That's the mantra of the Prius driver, but the early adopters of the Volt are all techies. He's near Palo Alto which has been an epicenter of Volts.

And it has been studied and shown that the bailout was a waste and only generated public jobs while stifling private growth

[mrsleeve]

So your saying that the mantra of the average hybrid driver has changed for the volt??

Ok sure I can buy that, for the 1 particular region. But not the rest of the hippiy hybrid buying unwashed masses

[rwh11385]

So your saying that the mantra of the average hybrid driver has changed for the volt??

Ok sure I can buy that, for the 1 particular region. But not the rest of the hippiy hybrid buying unwashed masses

Who said Volt buyers were average hybrid drivers? That's your ASSUMPTION. And wrong. Remember - your average green-bleeding hippie HATES General Motors and scoffs at the Volt, and wants to wait for the plug-in Prius instead. The Prius has the "best message" about themselves and how much they care for the environment.

http://gm-volt.com/2011/06/16/electric-vehicle-manufacturers-to-early-adopters-drivers-needed/

The top reasons given for choosing the Volt have been reducing dependency on foreign oil, the car is made in America, it has a range extender, and it is technologically innovative.

Interestingly, Landy said a rather high 86 percent did not own a GM vehicle previously. Among the trade-in vehicles have been BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus.

Landy cited a number of common characteristics for first-generation Volt consumers.
They are:
• People who others come to for advice about cars and electronics.
• Typically are the first to have the latest technology.
• Willing to try something new and unproven when making a big purchase.
• Read about technology advancements and new product introductions nearly every day.

Absolutely nothing about the environment - more about buying AMERICAN car and not using foreign oil.

[nando]

^
you live in hippy gotta have the hybrid land, to be smug and shoe how big of a douchebag you are and have everyone see how you are saving the environment

Actually, I live there. I wouldn't be surprised if my area was the highest Prius owners per capita, or close to it. Theres a reason they piss me off so much..

And if you're missing out on the market - your loss. It's no coincidence that stock ownership is highest among the wealthy.

[tjts1]

Wireless charging and charging through the road while the car is moving will make the volt even more irrelevant.

http://www.reuters.com/video/2011/08/04/charging-electric-cars-wirelessly?videoId=217893522

[Wiglaf]

i can't see that ever happening. Look how difficult it is just to get a basic electric car going.. it's almost 2012 and we have maybe 3 overpriced models to choose from, and it seems even they are built by companies reluctant to jump in with both feet.

[mrsleeve]

Wireless charging and charging through the road while the car is moving will make the volt even more irrelevant.
http://www.reuters.com/video/2011/08...eoId=217893522

you are aware how much it costs to build 1 mile of secondary road, let alone fucking limited access highway with current construction right???


Yeah whos is going to pay for that, Obama ran outta money if you have not heard.

[z31maniac]

Wireless charging and charging through the road while the car is moving will make the volt even more irrelevant.
http://www.reuters.com/video/2011/08...eoId=217893522

Never happen. At least not in our lifetimes.

We have to much area to maintain infrastructure at that level.

[tjts1]

you are aware how much it costs to build 1 mile of secondary road, let alone fucking limited access highway with current construction right???


Yeah whos is going to pay for that, Obama ran outta money if you have not heard.

Limited access? Why? You think this can't be retrofitted to existing roads?

[Wiglaf]

I think electric's largest problem is people's attitudes.

-A lot of people still buy a car based on worst case roadtrip scenario and end up with a big SUV as the commuter car. These cars are for the daily grind, running arrands, etc. Most people don't go more than 50 miles in a day, let alone 100. You're allowed to keep the bigger SUV/minivan/whatever for those occasions. If it's a once per year scenario then it would be better just to rent the thing than keep one.

-A lot of people seem to have this attitude like charging stations have to be everywhere. I don't expect my employer or shopping center to fill my tank with gas.. this is really just more range anxiety.

If gas stations were looking forward they would have at least 1 quickcharge station and ramp up as demand increases.

-most car guys seem like they can only think of golf carts and the prius when visualizing an electric car. This is akin to viewing the potential of gas cars based on the geo metro.

-car manufacturers are not realizing into reality, or marketing, nearly half of the advantages of an electric drive. It's like we keep al of the disadvantages and get a portion of the advantages. Thanks guys, I'm sure this will turn out GREAT.

[mrsleeve]

^

Umm dude, have you ever been in a rural area???? Where I live, big SUVs and Trucks are REQUIRED for many of our roads, especially in winter, (we do have at least 6 people campaigning smart cars year round but they are CRAZY and never leave the confines of town)

Limited access? Why? You think this can't be retrofitted to existing roads?

Limited access highway is a fucking expressway, highway, interstate, freeway, ect.....

[Wiglaf]

my e30 with snows gets by fine even in 6" of snow. most other cars are similar.. I wouldn't say a truck is required unless for working on a farm or something.

If you rack up over 100 miles just going to work and back then perhaps an electric won't work for you, but that is not remotely the majority.

smart cars are kinda dumb though, if you really cared about economy and can't afford electric then why not a honda fit or TDI? both scored better and don't look as stupid.

[mrsleeve]

^

Dude hahaha we get 6-10 a night many many days in a row by mid januaray we have 150 inches of snow on the ground in the valley and way more if you live at ll up the mountain, and they dont plow the roads, it just gets beat into hard pack. the pot holes in town will swallow a smart car in the winter and even in summer. many of our roads that are just a few miles outta town are little more than fire service roads, that get a pass with the grader 1 time a year 2 if your lucky. I have a buddy that lives on a road named 4x4, its called that because you need it to get down it in the summer, no exaggeration .

Really in many many places you need something bigger, I have been to lots of places in NY, PA, MI, WY, the Dakotas, even OH that you would be hard pressed to get by with a little car alone. the only people that live solely with a car are those that live in town and never venture out of it, you need to remember this. Not everyone likes to live in urban centers where everything you could ever want is with in a 10 min drive. Sometimes in the winter it takes people that long to get to the bottom of the drive way.

[rwh11385]

EVs aren't the solution for everyone, but you are going to see some sort of electrification eventually on most vehicles.

Talking to a friend, he thought it was going to be all battery-based, but had to show him the 918 RSR and GT3 hybrid with flywheel accumulators and then he found more articles about ultra-capacitors, etc. There are going to be some applications where people whose profile is suitable to plug-in at home and possibly work, and people whose demand is too great for that (work truck or delivery vans, etc.) and make more parallel operating hybrids rather than series (like plug-in Prius or the Volt or CX75)

As long as people are proactive and design in fun and enthusiast while also being economical, the future can be more than just bore-fest (Prius). Lot of talk of stuff like driver-operated boost button to release KERS system's stored energy (Porsche's GT3 hybrid has it, similar to Indy's Push-to-Pass)