The Plug-in Hybrid Chevy Volt for 2010 doesn't look bad. Wonder if you could shoe-horn a 502 into it? Maybe you could soup it up by just plugging it into 240 VAC:noway:
Chevy Volt - Nice Looking Plug-in
pnugene
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Personally, I believe GM's push for SUVs was the money to be made. They made more money on each SUV than they could make on a dozen smaller cars. I can't blame GM for marketing and making/selling the trucks.
Now, the lack of forsight, is definately a problem. When the SUV craze came to a halt, they were caught with their pants down. I'm sure they realize that now. So now they are trying something different, and the Volt is a huge step. I hope it pans out for them - I think it's a great attempt to come back. I just don't understand some people's anger towards GM. I really don't think they did what they did, to purposly screw people over. They were shortsighted, and have or will pay the price.
So..... GM made money when it was there to be made. Now they need something different, and they came up with the "new" type of hybrid that OTHERS are trying to copy. I wish GM the best, and I hope they can stay in business. Even if they don't, I believe the Volt was a good honest effort. One that may even push the hybrid/alternative fuel vehicle market in a different direction. Best of luck to them :thumbsup:
I think the reason people got into the SUV craze, is because they simply saw others driving them and wanted to belong. Most people want to fit in, and just blindly follow the herd. I cannot stand SUVs. They are ugly, and most will never see an road trail. Urban cowboys all the way. I've got respect for true truck enthusiasts, but these SUV types aren't it. I'm amazed with high fuel prices, people are still buying these things.
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To me? Nothing, to California? and by extension the U.S. You can be the judge.What on earth did GM do to you that caused you so much anger to write your post??Do a little more reading, and maybe you'll see that they really aren't just an evil company colluding with the oil companies to screw you.
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb4695/is_200103/ai_n17398981
Basically California has a pollution problem cause by cars with tail pipes, so they created a mandate to make 3% of cars sold in its state to be zero emissions. Seems reasonable to me. Not to GM, who sued California and won. Then they stopped making electric cars, sold the battery technology to Chevron, and Chevron sued Toyota to stop using the batteries it was leasing from GM to make its electric cars. Does that about cover it?
Call me a tree hugger....I would buy one.
Already drive a Honda Civic Hybrid 45 mpg 40% city 60% highway. Yup got my diamond lane sticker...thank you Arnold. Got my fed tax credit...thank you Mr. Bush. Saved 45 minutes commuting each day with that commuter lane pass. ROI in time saved earned back in 3 months. It was a no brainer.
Wife has a Toyota Camry Hybrid 39 mpg 50% city 50% highway. 100% highway with car full loaded with family at 70mph....47 MPG. Several trips along I5 from Bay Area to San Diego.
We don't even think about gas bills in our household. It is a non event.
Blown BBC Elky very fun, but not my daily driver. 7 to 10 Smiles Per Gallon hauling stuff from Loews.
I love trying new technologies for fun and exploration.
Already drive a Honda Civic Hybrid 45 mpg 40% city 60% highway. Yup got my diamond lane sticker...thank you Arnold. Got my fed tax credit...thank you Mr. Bush. Saved 45 minutes commuting each day with that commuter lane pass. ROI in time saved earned back in 3 months. It was a no brainer.
Wife has a Toyota Camry Hybrid 39 mpg 50% city 50% highway. 100% highway with car full loaded with family at 70mph....47 MPG. Several trips along I5 from Bay Area to San Diego.
We don't even think about gas bills in our household. It is a non event.
Blown BBC Elky very fun, but not my daily driver. 7 to 10 Smiles Per Gallon hauling stuff from Loews.
I love trying new technologies for fun and exploration.
You mean exactly like this global warming, go green, reduce your carbon footprint, buy a hybrid thats boring, looks like crap and has very little use / purpose outside of transporting bodies?
That there is a two way street but I do agree with you to an extent. SOME did, for sure. Others, even though they dont 4x4 every weekend need trucks and SUV's for things like hauling, towing, camping....which, per my eyes, would surely SUCK in one of these hybrids if it could be done at all. Might be able to tow a shopping cart of groceries home and with distance limitations could probably camp in the city park with the homeless since you'd probably run out of juice before you could get to a campground.
For me - I just cannot and will not be able to afford ANY kind of new car and honestly, with quality issues among all manufacturers I will never make an effort. I'll cut holes in the floorpan of a mid 60's chevy II and use my feet first. And yes, thats probably because I like the flintstones and want to belong and follow the caveman heard.
mmmmmkay....most of the people in hybrids and priuses look like they are on the way to a cult meeting.
"Prius - getting you to your scientology meeting as cheaply as possible so that you have more money to give to your leader"
Im going to start taking pictures of this phenom. Hybrid drivers are always those people that look confused for no reason, wear huge frumpy glasses, women always have short manlilke haircuts and whether man or woman they seem to all wear the same khaki like pants.
I'd rather drive an empty truck than be one of those folks on my way to a cult meeting in a hybrid.
See how this game works? I enjoy it but I must proclaim - I have a LOT more up my sleeve on these cult hybrid drivers than everyone put together here combined can come up with about trucks and SUV's. They're the easiest group to hound and irritate because there is literally no cool factor to fall back on. And I can always - ALWAYS - end the argument with a hybrid driver with a simple truthful / factual statement - "You're ugly and there aint a thing in the WORLD that you can buy to fix that"
I don't drive a hybrid, but I respect the people who do, even if my old VW diesel gets better mileage.
Making a personal attack on these people is a red herring. The fact is, if you drive an SUV or truck just to haul yourself to work, you are throwing money away, but then isn't that what America is all about: being arrogant and doing whatever you please, no matter what the consequences.
Making a personal attack on these people is a red herring. The fact is, if you drive an SUV or truck just to haul yourself to work, you are throwing money away, but then isn't that what America is all about: being arrogant and doing whatever you please, no matter what the consequences.
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"throwing money away" would be to buy a second car when you need your SUV, even if only on the weekends or even 1 weekend a month. The rest of the time, you drive it because it's the car you own.
I can't see me saving any money by buying another car, as I need my SUV regularly. I spend $5 a day on gas to drive to/from work in my SUV. If I buy a car that gets 40mpg, I'll spend $2.50 per day, for a whopping savings of around $650 a year. Oh dang, I still have to pay for that 2nd car, and the insurance for that 2nd car, and the maintenance for that 2nd car..... Somehow I think driving my SUV is BY FAR the financially responsible thing to do in my case, and typically in most people's cases.
Just because "they" (me) are "throwing money away" at the gas pump, it's offset elsewhere - insurance, maintenance, or taking a hit (HUGE hit) if you sell your current SUV. Most people (you included IMO) don't seem to get that you're not saving anything if you buy a 2nd car just to use less gas.
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I know what you're saying re: gas savings, but I think you missed my point. My point was, it's still an additional car (I still need the room of my SUV) - even FREE, that 2nd car is not worth it IMO.
Insurance alone will eat half my MPG savings. In my case, that assumes a pretty low $300 per year insurance, and that leaves $300 for gas, oil, "fixing it up", etc. I'm not $$ ahead, despite getting much better gas mileage in my daily driver. It typically does NOT make financial sense to own a 2nd car in an attempt at saving some gas.
Insurance alone will eat half my MPG savings. In my case, that assumes a pretty low $300 per year insurance, and that leaves $300 for gas, oil, "fixing it up", etc. I'm not $$ ahead, despite getting much better gas mileage in my daily driver. It typically does NOT make financial sense to own a 2nd car in an attempt at saving some gas.
I really like the idea behind an electric car, but I was genuinely surprised when I saw the published performance figures of the Volt. I incorrectly assumed that it would be more like the EV-1, only better as technology has had 20 years or so to improve. I was looking at a range of maybe 150-175 miles per charge with no internal combustion involvement.
When I was in the market for a new car a couple of months ago I visited the Volt portion of Chevy's Web site. I guess they knew a lot of folks would be surprised to see them working on a car like the Volt because they had a paragraph or two devoted to the "Hey, aren't you guys the ones who killed the electric car?" crowd. I read the explanation given as to why GM did what it did to the EV-1, and it seemed sort of vague- the EV-1 served its purpose, it helped them learn a lot, the time wasn't right to keep the car around, new technologies will make their next offering better, etc.
GM should have kept the EV-1 around (or some sort of derivative) for R & D purposes, maybe even selling a few hundred a year in select areas of large population centers where they could have more cost effective service facilites. They could have done this and learned from the real-world experiences of their customers. Yeah, I know, woulda', shoulda' coulda'.
I'd buy an EV-1 type vehicle, but I'd want it to have a 150 mile or so range and be rechargeable over night from a standard 110 outlet. Moreover, it wouldn't be my only vehicle. I'd still have my truck, my Chevelles, and probably some sort of SUV. 4X4s aren't optional where I live- they are required.
Would my owning an EV-1 or a Volt make a big difference in the world? No it wouldn't, but it would be or could be a small part of a larger picture. I'd guess that the days of fossil fuel burning power plants are numbered, and that wind, solar, and nuclear are more likely candidates. Polution free or as close to polution free as we can get is the way of the future.
When I was in the market for a new car a couple of months ago I visited the Volt portion of Chevy's Web site. I guess they knew a lot of folks would be surprised to see them working on a car like the Volt because they had a paragraph or two devoted to the "Hey, aren't you guys the ones who killed the electric car?" crowd. I read the explanation given as to why GM did what it did to the EV-1, and it seemed sort of vague- the EV-1 served its purpose, it helped them learn a lot, the time wasn't right to keep the car around, new technologies will make their next offering better, etc.
GM should have kept the EV-1 around (or some sort of derivative) for R & D purposes, maybe even selling a few hundred a year in select areas of large population centers where they could have more cost effective service facilites. They could have done this and learned from the real-world experiences of their customers. Yeah, I know, woulda', shoulda' coulda'.
I'd buy an EV-1 type vehicle, but I'd want it to have a 150 mile or so range and be rechargeable over night from a standard 110 outlet. Moreover, it wouldn't be my only vehicle. I'd still have my truck, my Chevelles, and probably some sort of SUV. 4X4s aren't optional where I live- they are required.
Would my owning an EV-1 or a Volt make a big difference in the world? No it wouldn't, but it would be or could be a small part of a larger picture. I'd guess that the days of fossil fuel burning power plants are numbered, and that wind, solar, and nuclear are more likely candidates. Polution free or as close to polution free as we can get is the way of the future.
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The Volt is a PR campaign for GM more than anything. They want to better their perception in the public's minds and look environmentally responsible. It's already been said the Volt won't make money for GM and may very well lose money due to high development costs and low production volume. It will be what's known as a "halo" car. Now what makes more sense to me is the Cobalt XFE. 37 mpg for a lot less than $20k in a car that actually looks good (IMO), doesn't need to be recharged, and has a "normal" drivetrain. And when it's out of warranty you could probably find someone who could work on it outside the dealer network. Then the Cobalt's replacement, the "Cruze" (not as good looking as the Cobalt IMO), when it gets here in 2009 or 2010 will probably get even better mileage.
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The Volt would probably do this, or at least get close, if you disconnected the gas engine. Problem is, people don't want a car that only goes 150 miles and then leaves them "stranded" when the battery dies. So GM is attempting to deal in a production mode where you can't please everyone's individual wants for the car, but can get most of them reasonably close.
I think it was something like 90% of people drive less than 40 miles a day during their normal commute, one of the reasons for the 40 mile electric-only goal. If you want to go somewhere on the weekend, it will still get you there and back, but use a little gas in the process.
I'd bet once it comes out there will be people that figure out how to disconnect the gas engine completely.
If that means that America is all about having choices and freedom to drive what you want, spend what you want on what you want....and general overall freedom of choice then I can say I agree with you.
I just hate that the hybrid / prius folks dont think this is a two way street. Give me enough time with a hybrid driver thumbing their nose at people that drive trucks and I could make them cry like a little girl.....maybe all it takes is the showing that the land outside the prius battery plant has been so contaminated and destroyed that it was picked up by nasa for rover testing and other stuff.
My point is drive what you want but dont preach to me or tell me how I am wasting money, killing the planet and blah, blah, blah.....I've been conserving, recycling, picking up trash, and taking care of mother earth as best I can since I could walk - LONG before this Al Gore, the sky is falling, cult of global warming crap so I got plenty of credits to burn and just because I drive a truck or others drive a truck (gonna throw out an annoying buzz word here that drives me NUTS) doesnt mean our "carbon footprint" is larger, doesnt mean we arent "green", doesnt mean we hate the planet and support terrorism and it doesnt necessarily mean we are throwing money away (any idea on the actual spending and recycling, clean up volunteer work, forest volunteer work, etc of those hybrid drivers? - right....they could be shooting off cans pr paint into the atmosphere for fun while burning tons of wood and leaving their AC on all day long).....it just means we CHOOSE to drive a truck or SUV just as you choose to drive a hybrid.
The next time a hybrid / prius driver gives me the stink eye maybe thats what I should do - get out and confront them. "Hi there, show me your home power bills, how much you have recycled and all of the volunteer work you have done over the years to make this place better, safer and cleaner. We can compare, winner takes the others car"
I'd drive the prius into the wall and load the mess into the bed of my truck.
Think of all the car parts you could buy for your old Chevy, instead of feeding the oil companies. It is wasting money if you drive a guzzler for daily transportation. I'm sure people laugh at me for driving a "clown car" but actually I'm the one having the last laugh.
Yeah I get that, but that is also one reason why I'd have more than one vehicle.
For instance, if I'm taking a long trip I drive my F-250, not the Chevelle or the Blazer. The truck gets about 20mpg on the highway, its roomy, comfortable and with a 29 gallon tank it has an average combined range of well over 400 miles. My Blazer will only go about 300 miles on a tank. The Chevelle? I don't even want to think about it.
So, if I had an electric car with a 150-175 mile range, I wouldn't plan on driving it on a long trip. I'd drive it to work- 26 mile round trip (40 miles or so total per day with lunch break, running errands, etc.) and charge it up every 3 days or so. I think all it takes is a little planning ahead.
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