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

excerpt:

quote:

---

Among other things, when asked if he thinks the Volt will work out, he said “There would have to be some horrible surprise for it not to work.”

He talked about how the initial Volt plan intended a lot of batteries and 100 mile range, but was later changed to 40 miles and less batteries by VP Jon Lauckner.
He is quoted as saying the Volt team said “2010 is an impossible target”.
With respect to production numbers of 60,000 he says “Within a few years we hope to be producing hundreds of thousands. This is potentially the reinvention of the automobile.”

---

Wow! That last sentence. Powerful stuff.

ETA

At writing, 84 comments TODAY. Many, I'm sure, from autoworkers. Good reading

[ 17 November 2007: Message edited by: bliter ]

[ 19 November 2007: Message edited by: bliter ]

from the other thread:

quote:

---

Electric vehicles are immeasurably better than those consuming fossil fuels, regardless of how the electricity is produced.

---

You've bought into the sales document I see. Gas > electricty > kinetic is less efficient than gas > kinetic as we've got an additional conversion in there that does not operate at 100%... And a hybrid that is capable of re-generative breaking hits numbers that exceed both.

The only thing immersurably better than gasoline fueled vehicles is to not need a vehicle... Unfortunately our society isn't exactly well geared to that (back to on-demand personal transportation being regarded as a right).

Look, I'll agree long term that the electric generation is better than the gasoloine powered car... The same long term scale the Americans policy makers are working on. The only method that would reduce to the levels we need to reach in time to actually have an effect is to remove vehicles from the road.

quote:

---

Three items that come to mind are the Bermuda underwater turbines, Scotland's Wave Power project and the U.K.'s Mersey Estuary tidal project.

---

There are also purely electric cars being made in Canada.

For example, the Zenn electric car is in production here. They almost had to shut down ops and take it out of country due to regulations, but then those were quickly fixed when the story became public.

Zenn is now ok to drive in Canada

[/URL]Who's killing the Canadian electric car?

In the USA, Tesla Motors is about ship it's first production line - this link has some blogs by owners who have been test driving them [as the final stage of testing] - see left side column -
Tesla Roadster

and more photos, etc -
Tesla Roadster

So the world of auto manufacturing and consumption is about to change, apparently [I hope]. If that happens, the entire energy industry will be changing along with it. That will, in turn, upset the US imperialism and dollar-hegemoney that funds it. We can expect a big fight, and further episodes of "Who Killed the Electric Car?"

etc - guide to electic cars in canada -

Noah_Scape:

quote:

---

There are also purely electric cars being made in Canada.

---

The advantage of this over the current hybrid is that it is a plug-in. One could remove the gasoline, or diesel, generator and run on the batteries alone if one were not more than 40 miles between charging facilities.

With gasoline here, today, at a $1,10, and my short trips, that's certainly the way I'd be using my Volt.

[ 19 November 2007: Message edited by: bliter ]

Ugly, you say?! Hummer and Aztek is ugly.

The Volt? A thing of beauty that will last forever. Well, a long time, with care.

True its nose is a little blunt but, I'm sure, more than compensated for by a sweet ass.

Here's comment #115 that I thought of particular interest:

quote:

---

# Randy Says:
November 19th, 2007 at 7:42 pm Quote

GTX said: Excellent stuff. Nice to see some real information without Lutz’s Shangri-La PR filter applied. I feel more confident about the project when I hear real people actually acknowledging real problems.

GTS, Don’t knock Bob Lutz, he is the a major contributor to the volt idea and a big supporter of the concept. Without him, I doubt it would happen. It’s like his child. Read the new book “Zoom, The Global Race to Fuel the Car of the future” Lutz is one of the few great visionary’s left in the lackluster American Automobile industry. GM took their eye off the ball and let Toyota take the cheese. The Volt is do or die for GM and Lutz knows it. Fortunately, Toyota has stumbled with their plug in Prius and there is some breathing room. Go GM.

---

To view car and read comments:

http://www.gm-volt.com/2007/11/17/your-questions-answered-by-top-chevy- volt-executives-part-i/#comments

[ 19 November 2007: Message edited by: bliter ]

[ 23 November 2007: Message edited by: Jingles ]

[ 23 November 2007: Message edited by: Jingles ]

The picture of the car provided in the T. Star link was clearly taken with a wide angle lens that has exaggerated the size of the front of the car - not intentional, I'm sure, but to give adequate depth of field.

http://www.newstarget.com/PhotoTour_Energizer_Batteries_1.html

[ 25 November 2007: Message edited by: bliter ]