Chevy Volt a Failure - GM to Layoff 1,300

Seems like a lot to think about when you you step on the accelerator. The Volt represents a huge cost savings until you compare it to gas cars of similar size and features. That comparison shows that you could have saved $10,000 to $12,000 if you bought a Cruze

 

And this is why once battery technology comes through, the electric car will bury the internal combustion engine for family and commuter vehicles.

Earlier in this thread, the Tesla showed a battery that gets 300 miles per charge. It's just a matter of time.

 

In other news the USA will become the worlds top oil producer by 2020

http://online.wSportsJournalists.com/article/SB10001424127887323894704578114492856065064.html

 

And if it drops to $1.50 again someday, it will still be more expensive than plugging in your car.

 

Citation for average daily driving distances being longer than 35 miles for "most people?"

 

A lot of ground to make up when the Fed Gov decides to drop the $7500 subsidy. That would make the differential around $20,000 .

Once we are no longer "oil dependent" on the Middle East will the anti fossil fuel crowd lose steam leading to less R & D on alternatives?

At this point most car sales are driven more by economics than "greater good". Some will will be driven by the idea of being better stewards of the planet, but most will be driven by their wallet.

 

I think the potential control of CO2 emissions, rising petroleum costs, improved battery life and growing availability of charging stations will combine provide sufficient incentive for consumers to increasingly consider EV products.

These vehicles will need to perform, too. So I'd also like to see an EV race circuit to promote the vehicles beyond the green crowd. Demographics would probably skew a little different than your typical NASCAR crowd but I'd love to see crew guys dropping in a new battery during pit stops.

 

NYC who was suppose to be all Hybrid Cab by 2012 is now moving away from the plan. New plan is called "The Taxi of Tommorow". Idea was to chose a manufacturer that would make the most durable cab for NYC and that all companies would use. The car chosen - a gas model .

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/politics/2012/10/6538091/combusted-death-hybrid-taxis-new-york?page=all

 

From the story...

 

This is a textbook case of trying to shoehorn a political dynamic into an economics argument. At a given price for gasoline a hybrid's bottom-line impact is independent of whether one owns or leases a medallion. The fact is that there's a cozier relationship between medallion holders and their regulatory overlords in San Francisco than in New York. Indeed, of late San Francisco's been modifying its medallion scheme to make it easier for owners to transfer (i.e., sell or lease) these little bundles of rent-seeking at great profit. Little wonder, then, that medallion holders might jump at the chance to line up behind what City Hall says it wants.

 

Yeah. I'm not sure a City Hall / TLC tussle speaks very clearly to the advantages or disadvantages of the technology or its economics.

 

I read it as the company trickling down the cost of gas to the hack in NYC. If the hacks were not paying for the gas, NYC might be making a different choice. Right?