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This discussion relates to Technology Review's article Is GM's Volt Ready to Roll? .

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  jpm000001
  

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  09/18/2008 03:27 PM

  battery mfg?

  What manufacturer did GM choose for the battery cells?  Anyone know?
  
  I have a feeling this might be a case of the typer-writer company trying to make a computer.  But who knows maybe it'll work if those damn Li-ion batteries come down in price.

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  b_calder
  

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  09/18/2008 03:28 PM

  engineering objections

  The talk coming out of Detroit makes it sound like the Prius never happened and the ABC123 doesn't operate well at 150 degrees. I thought the problem was cold. (Not to mention that the self-assembling nature of the material that was touted as a breakthrough in purity is now going to not-be-so-good.

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  jhbretz
  

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  09/18/2008 04:08 PM

  get clued in

  check out http://www.gm-volt.com

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    CodeVoyager
    

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    10/11/2008 05:34 PM

    Re: get clued in; don't believe the hype

    
    GM fiddled around while Toyoto brought the Prius Hybrid to market. Now, late to the game, GM executives arrogantly seek to win with a Hail Mary Pass: hail, the Chevy Volt plug-in.
    
    Meanwhile, the reality is that consumers lack confidence in the firm's manufacturing prowess and it is set to go the same way as Lehmann Brothers--into the junk heap of history.
    
    The market amounts to a referendum, and GM's shrinking proportion of domestic sales urges a more conservatve approach.

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  don.m
  

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  09/19/2008 10:36 AM

  Seriously

  It didn't seem like GM can get it right what "people want"  They didn't want a "crappy little electric car" that could drive 40 miles on a charge in the 90's. but now they are willing to add 10's of thousands of dollars to the sticker price, prolong time to production, complicate engineering and reduce buyer confidence to give the volt another 40 miles by plugging in.  Seriously if the car is going to reach the 600+ mile range per tank on the engine charging the system, then drop the battery and work on a more efficient generator and remove the battery pack's completely.  40 miles isn't enough for the headache of plugging in.  With the reduction in cos, a still very decent "mpg" they could then compete with the prius and give people want they want and need. A good "US" alternative.  It seems to me like these automakers are like big pop stars, surrounded with people feeding them full of BS warping their sense of reality.

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  mkogrady
  

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  09/19/2008 12:23 PM

  Volt gets Zapped!

  40 miles Round trip covers a great many drivers. However, battery life is a huge problem for a car that may cost as much as $40K (or about $800/mo car payment), and the batteries may not perform as expected, or worse - wear out too darn soon (battery pack for this car is reportedly $10K or so). What's the drivetrain warranty on these again?
  
  GM should have invested some money into creating a Natural Gas powered vehicle in their line up too. Take some of those Federal bail out dollars and get a line up and runnng to do CNG until the Volt is ready. Otherwise GM may not be around for too much longer!

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  mander30@cox
  

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  09/19/2008 06:20 PM

  Chevy Volt  Sportscar  Insurance  Affordable

  Looks like a sportscar, Is it?  Insurance?  Talk to me as it sure seems like an upper class dream.  Tell me about affordability...  This hope about 40 miles on a battery tells me nothing on how it compares to a Toyota Prius.  Please find some comfort for me as the car name sure sounds like a sports car.   My fear is that some PRES/VP is comforting himself with a sportscar hardo...  My common sense tells me what's the story?

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    mkogrady
    

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    09/22/2008 07:02 PM

    Re: Chevy Volt  Sportscar  Insurance  Affordable

    All the Eco-Greenie Millionaires will park them next to their 700 hp Corvette's that go 0 - 60 in 4.1 seconds and burn high octane E85.
    
    You know - that Ying-Yang thing.....yet amazingly, both American Made!

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  longflattail
  

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  09/21/2008 02:44 PM

  Who Killed the Electric Car

  Why is it that GM continues to perpetuate the lie that they cannot make a viable 'electic' car...
  
  Watch the movie "Who killed the Electic Car" and you will know more...
  
  http://www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com/

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    gabrielg01
    

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    09/21/2008 03:20 PM

    Re: Who Killed the Electric Car

    So they had a working electric vehicle already on the market. It was not perfect, but it was working.
    
    Imagine how far we would be today if they made small improvements to it year after year.

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    wtfchuck
    

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    09/29/2008 04:14 PM

    Re: Who Killed the Electric Car

    I believe GM made mistakes with the EV1 electric vehicle and could have possibly marketed it better but I would suggest that you don't blindly accept everything you see in a documentary at face value.  The film maker clearly had an agenda and IMO, big conspiracies like he proposed between GM and 'Big Oil' don't hold up under scrutiny and application of common sense.

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