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Architect
User Rank
Gold
Re: Last to the Party
Architect   12/6/2012 4:50:34 PM
 

Bob Lutz told me before I talked with Mark that the Converj/ ELR should have been on the road by now.

The ELR is perfect for the well heeled who have a high responsibility quotent.

Perhaps the most beautiful American Automobile in many decades. I'd rank it right up there with the one designed my my Friend Gordon Buehrig... the 20Grand.

Holding it back for too long is like shooting youself in the foot.

Yes these cars are conceptually like the WWII submarines... run by electric, built by Electric Boat with motor generator sets in the back and they essentially have unlimited range.

GM's designs are vastly superior to Elon's although he deserves some credit.

GM is not dipping it's toe in the water at all... it's almost up to the knee.

You have to credit Lutz with all this and for those who want to whine and cry about government involvement you should whine and cry about Ed Whitacre who may have known how to build incandescent light bulbs but had absolutely no idea what the hell a Car company is and what makes it go.

Rattner did not know what he was doing in putting ED in charge because important product has been delayed as a result of Ed's cavalier and ignorant attitude. How frequently do you change lightbulb designs? Have they changed yet?

That is something worthy of upset!

And today it was announced that GM has sold more cars in China than the US this past month.

Bill Dickens

 

Charles Murray
User Rank
Blogger
Re: Last to the Party
Charles Murray   12/6/2012 4:34:31 PM
NO RATINGS
Good point, tekochip. It's often said that it's best to be second. Let the trailblazer make the mistakes. But it's important to be right behind that trailblazer, otherwise you might be left behind.

Charles Murray
User Rank
Blogger
Re: Purely EV are not as Eco Friendly as you might believe...
Charles Murray   12/6/2012 4:30:07 PM
Professor Michalek and the other contributors, who wrote the paper that was published by the National Academies, were very clear in saying that the Leaf has no emissions from the tailpipe. Their point is that when you weigh the emissions from the battery manufacturing process, and add those to the utility powerplant emissions, the pure electric vehicles don't do as well as hybrids.  

Charles Murray
User Rank
Blogger
Re: Last to the Party
Charles Murray   12/6/2012 4:22:54 PM
NO RATINGS
No, Architect, I don't think Mark Reuss was joking when he said "electrify and educate." That said, it might not necessarily mean that GM is planning a headlong dive into pure electric cars. He could have been making a reference to powertrains like that of the Chevy Volt, which has gasoline on board, and isn't a pure electric. The reason that some of the experts believe GM is "dipping a toe in the water" with the Spark is that its U.S. sales will be in California initially, whereas companies like Tesla and Nissan are making a broader effort.

GTOlover
User Rank
Platinum
Re: The "WHY" is easy
GTOlover   12/6/2012 4:09:28 PM
Not to mention that donating to the right party ensures taxpayers continue to pay if your R and D goes bankrupt! Nothing like free markets (as dictated by the state and federal government) to stimulate sales <sarc>.

Thinking_J
User Rank
Platinum
Re: Purely EV are not as Eco Friendly as you might believe...
Thinking_J   12/6/2012 4:03:28 PM
Your Leaf has zero .... REALLY zero.... emissions?

Let us forget - for the moment - where you get your electricity.

no tire wear? (it doesn't all go to making a thicker road!)

no plastic parts that out gas fumes while degrading?

no paved road requirements? Most made with asphalt (oil based)

no lubricants used on those electric motors?

Unlimited life span to this car? (re-cycling, re-purposing, is rarely without emissions)

 

Like my mom said.....

If I have told you once , I have told you a billion times! Stop exaggerating!

......You were supposed to laugh...(sigh)

Architect
User Rank
Gold
Re: Last to the Party
Architect   12/6/2012 3:36:55 PM
NO RATINGS
You Quoted Mark Reuss in Design News,

He said Electrify and Educate.

Do you really think that he is joking?... I don't believe so.

Last year at the NAIAS I asked him where the hell the Converj was?

His comment... Next year will be the big unveiling and there will be lots of Alt energy vehicles.

The Converj should have been on the road a year and a half ago. It was a huge mistake not pushing it up in the Assembly process.

 

 

randy2000nc
User Rank
Silver
Business Model Fails
randy2000nc   12/6/2012 2:59:33 PM
A key sticking point in the business model of electrical vehicles is the resell value. When the owner goes to trade their vehicle after several years of use it is very likely that the battery will require replacement. How could the seller expect to get a decent sales price for the car when any future buyer would also have to splurge for a new battery? I'm not sure about the rest of you but I always look for a good trade-in on one of my older vehicles prior to buying a new one.

tedhastings
User Rank
Silver
Re: Purely EV are not as Eco Friendly as you might believe...
tedhastings   12/6/2012 1:58:14 PM
So are you using solar or wind power to recharge it?

billvon
User Rank
Iron
Re: Purely EV are not as Eco Friendly as you might believe...
billvon   12/6/2012 1:05:06 PM
NO RATINGS
I have a Leaf and it is indeed zero emission.  No CO2 (or any other form of pollution) at all.

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