Chevy Volt a Failure - GM to Layoff 1,300

Saw a Chevy Volt in the wild this week for the first time in I don’t know when. Per Wikipedia it held on for seven more years after the creation of this thread.

 

My daughter inherited the RAV4, and my wife has wanted an electric for some time. We almost pulled the trigger on a Tesla, but she hated the braking system. It felt like you were always downshifting. I get the science behind it, but she hated it.

So we got a Hyundai Kona electric from CarMax. It was 25,000 with 4K miles on it.

She. Loves. It.

It is her to work car and around town car. It has every feature under the sun (air conditioned seats!) and is fun for her to drive. She drives at the most 75 miles in a day, so we just plug it in at night. No added wiring at all. It’s just like plugging in an extension cord. We don’t even charge it every night. We try to keep between 125-175 on the charge.

Honestly, we couldn’t be happier. Every family should have an around town electric if they can find an affordable one.

 

I have a lot of Indians (dot, not feather) in my area and about 60% of them drive Teslas. They are all just about overseas IT hires, no slightly not surprising.

They do lack a lot of common sense, however. They're amazed that you can't just roll up a 16' x 50" cattle panel for their trellis and fit it in the back of a RAV-4, for example. (They are stiff metal that lays flat. The best you can do is bend the ends together and fit them however they may.) Surprised also they don't just hop on CurryBook and learn that out.

 

People overestimate how much they actually drive. It’s very American to complain “I’m not going to ever drive 300 miles, but I like to know that I could!”

I could see people owning electric for everyday driving and then choosing to rent a hybrid or gas vehicle for family vacations where range becomes an issue.

 

The Fed has that kind of power.

 

Meanwhile.

https://www.pilotonline.com/2024/06...-out-of-clean-car-emission-standards-mandate/

“Once again, Virginia is declaring independence — this time from a misguided electric vehicle mandate imposed by unelected leaders nearly 3,000 miles away from the commonwealth,” Youngkin said in the announcement. “The idea that government should tell people what kind of car they can or can’t purchase is fundamentally wrong.”

Although it's state law passed by both houses and signed by a previous governor that Youngkin tried to get repealed but couldn't, he just his AG write an opinion that he doesn't have to follow the laws he doesn't like. Not the first time.

 

Volkswagen will invest up to $5 billion in Rivian and the companies will cooperate on software for electric vehicles.

 

VW buying low. Rivian's stock has been nothing short of a disaster, down 88% from its high in 2022.

 

If it's a day that ends in 'y', it means a Tesla recall.

Tesla recalls its Cybertruck for the fifth time in less than a year

 

Did we chase Ragu away? He’s been conspicuously absent around here.

 

Electric car technology has now reached the Packard/DeSoto/Hudson/LaSalle stage of gas car technology. Maybe I'm off by a decade or two, but we're in the 1940s of EV development. I anticipate there will be some improvements forthcoming, just as the horseless carriage has improved.

 

Elon's Cybertruck is his version of the Spruce Goose. I've got no complaints about my Hyundai Ioniq, and plenty of other carmakers have pretty robust electric offerings. In 14 months of ownership, I've spent $50 on maintenance (tire rotation and inspection) and haven't stepped foot in a gas station excluding vacations. Electric definitely isn't for everyone - if you don't own a home or have access to a garage, I'd advise against it - but it's great to just drive the damn thing and not worry about anything else.