THE VOLT GIVES A JOLT .

[RIMSPOKE]

THE CHEVY VOLT IS ONE STEP CLOSER TO REALITY WITH THE ANNOUNCEMENT

YESTERDAY THAT THEY WILL GO ON SALE WITH A BASE PRICE OF $41,000 .

AND ARE EXPECTED TO BE IN SHOWROOMS NEXT NOVEMBER .

GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES ARE A BIG PART OF THE SALES PITCH .

FOR ALL THE HYPE , IT CAN STILL ONLY GO 40 MILES WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF GASOLINE .

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/27/AR2010072705834_pf.html

THEY ARE CALLING IT NEW AND REVOLUTIONARY BUT IT SEEMS TO ME

THAT THE SAME RULES APPLY THAT HAVE BEEN THERE FOR ELECTRIC CARS FOR THE LAST 100 YEARS .

HIGHER COST WITH A LOWER RANGE .

TAKE AWAY THE GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES AND THEY COULDN'T SELL ENOUGH OF THEM TO JUSTIFY THE COST OF PRODUCTION .

PERHAPS THIS WILL CHANGE SOMEDAY BUT I DON'T THINK WE WILL BE THERE UNTIL THEY CAN BE SOLD ON A LEVEL PLAYING FIELD .

[robspeed]

The truth is we are many steps behind the Japanese and Koreans in the electric-car marketplace. the vast majority of Americans drive less than 40 miles per day (including myself when I am not going to see Jenna) so an all-electric commute is possible for most people out there. Like any new technology it will take the early adopters to pay the price before volume makes economies of scale happen and make it affordable for "the masses". In this case the government is the early adopter with its subsidies. Lest you poo-poo that automatically I suggest you look at the other industries that have sucked and continue to suck the government tit since the end of WW2 to the present. this includes the oil and mineral industries and every other major industry out there. Socializing costs and losses while privatizing gains is a long time-honored tradition in this country. This time we taxpayers are actual shareholders and I wish "GM" success...

[RIMSPOKE]

YEARS AGO I SAID THAT UNLESS THE CAR CAN BE TAKEN ON A TRIP

MOST AMERICANS WON'T BUY ONE . I DON'T THINK THAT HAS CHANGED

AND IS SURELY THE REASONING BEHIND THE LITTLE GAS ENGINE & GENERATOR .

IT STILL AMAZES ME THAT THIS ONE CAN'T GO ANY FARTHER ON A CHARGE THAN THE 1918 BAKER ELECTRIC !

SURELY IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY WILL MAKE THIS IDEA MORE VIABLE

BUT NO ONE SEEMS TO BE ADDRESSING THE HUGE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS THERE WILL BE WITH DISPOSING OF

OLD BATTERIES IF MILLIONS OF ELECTRIC CARS HIT THE ROADS .

THIS GUY SURE ISN'T IMPRESSED WITH THE VOLT :

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/30/opinion/30neidermeyer.html?_r=3&ref=opinion

DIDN'T GM TRY THIS BEFORE ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1

THE EV-1 PROGRAM TOTAL COST WAS A BILLION DOLLARS .

THEY MANAGED TO MAKE 1,117 CARS .

ALL THE CARS WERE LEASED AND RECALLED WHEN THE LEASES WERE OVER .

FOR SOME REASON , THEY WANTED TO INSURE THAT NO CARS WOUND

UP IN PRIVATE OWNERSHIP AND MOST OF THE RECALLED CARS WERE

CRUSHED !

A FEW OF THEM STILL EXIST ON LOAN TO MUSEUMS .

I SURE HOPE THAT THE VOLT WORKS OUT BETTER THAN THE LAST ONE .