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.
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.
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.
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.
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>.
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.
We looked at a number of sources to determine this year's greenest cars, from KBB to automotive trade magazines to environmental organizations. These 14 cars emerged as being great at either stretching fuel or reducing carbon footprint.
Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Labs have observed a reaction in lithium-air batteries that could help improve the design of these cells for electric vehicles and other applications.
Healthcare might seem to be an unlikely target application for the Internet of Things technology, but recent developments show small ways that big-data is going to make an impact on patient care moving into the future.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 3
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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