$20,000 over sticker for Chevy Volt is simply supply and demand
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From: Bob Cooper on 10 Aug 2010 16:48 In article <4g5166pcuqg4ri7sujgtkasdemtlo8tlq7(a)4ax.com>, pgranzeau(a)cox.net says... > > > Let's assume the Volt gets about 40 mpg when the engine is running. If > you drive 400 miles a day, you get 10% better gas mileage, or 44 mpg. > And if you drive 100 miles a day, you get 40% better gas mileage, or 56 > mpg. > Although much about the Volt isn't known, one thing that seems pretty clear is it is targeted at consumers who drive about 40 miles a day, but don't want to worry about being stranded with a dead battery, want the ability to take occasional longer trips, and have a place to plug in. That's a pretty big market. Since it's motivated purely "electrically" it may not be suitable for continual long distance driving with basically an ICE generator powering electric motors to propel it. The Prius is "mostly" driven forward by mechanical torque from its ICE. From what little I've read the Prius has no issue with cross-country. Don't know if that will be true with the Volt. I might be wrong, but that's how I understand it now. > I agree, $41,000 is too much for me, but I've always driven inexpensive > cars (the current Prius is the most expensive car I ever bought, and the > only one for which I ever paid more than $20,000. In fact I only paid > more than $10,000 for two other cars, one of which I still have). > > GM needs to amortize the cost of developing the car, in the first place. > They are using technology that American automakers have never used > before. No part of the electric drivetrain has been made in the USA > previously, nor have batteries of the type the Volt will use, either. > While components of the Volt may never be reduced in cost to the level > that we will be buying $18,000 Volts, surely the cost of production will > fall as time goes on. > > When I still owned a home, I might have had the infrastructure to own a > Volt--a 110V outlet and a power cord. I now live in an apartment, so > owning an electric car I would not be able to charge is, unfortunately, > not something that makes sense, and I'll just have to keep on driving > the Prius. All good points. The big questions are how the car will perform, and how soon the price will come down. It strikes me as a real good idea for a commuter/grocery car within its battery charge range. Just doesn't seem right for long range, but I could be wrong. Offhand, the 10 or so commuters in my family travel 12-60 miles a day but 3 live in apartments without a place to plug-in. Don't think any of them would want the Volt at the suggested price though. Right now it's just promises. Has to prove itself in the marketplace, and I won't bet either way. This car could make or break GM. Very interesting.
From: Bob Cooper on 10 Aug 2010 16:52 In article <$OWlTtItOFYMFwdE(a)yewbank.demon.co.uk>, clive(a)yewbank.demon.co.uk says... > > In message > <michelle-40096C.09085009082010(a)reserved-multicast-range-not-delegated.ex > ample.com>, Michelle Steiner <michelle(a)michelle.org> writes > >That's 40 miles on just the initial battery charge; after that, the > >gasoline motor kicks in to recharge the battery, and you'll keep going for > >so long as there is gas in the tank. > If the engine hasn't run for six months how do you know it hasn't seized > on you? I read somewhere it does a monthly self-test start-up. Another question for short commuters who always plug in is old gas. There might be a mode to run the ICE so the the tank can be emptied every year or so to refresh the gas, or a recommendation to not plug in to do the same thing.
From: hls on 10 Aug 2010 17:03 "AZ Nomad" <aznomad.3(a)PremoveOBthisOX.COM> wrote in message news:slrni633qj.bj7.aznomad.3(a)ip70-176-155-130.ph.ph.cox.net... > On Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:06:47 -0500, hls <hls(a)nospam.nix> wrote: > > >>If Obama wants to incentivate business and hire people, wonder why he >>doesnt commission a group to locate the strategic areas in the USA where >>hydroelectric projects would be suitable and efficient to servics the >>power >>grids, and then BUILD them. We need the water, and we need the "juice". > > Name one location where it's cost effective and hasn't been done > already. > Dont know.. Let Obama figure that out. He has pissed away so much money already, we could use his monetary urine as a power source.
From: hls on 10 Aug 2010 17:42 "Clive" <clive(a)yewbank.demon.co.uk> wrote in message news:ncSDX8A9SVYMFwfK(a)yewbank.demon.co.uk... > In message <Xns9DD0429E09542chuck(a)127.0.0.1>, chuckcar <chuck(a)nil.car> > writes >> I still prefer the idea of a hydrogen internal combusion engine >>better, but such things as removing the ammonia produced may be a >>problem I suppose. > Where does the ammonia come from? > -- > Clive You need a source of hydrogen. Natural gas is, or was, a convenient source. Hydrogen from hydrolysis of water is another source.
From: Ant on 10 Aug 2010 18:31
In article <MPG.26cb77f023c25eb4989695(a)news.eternal-september.org>, Bob Cooper <bc(a)nowhere.com> wrote: > In article <$OWlTtItOFYMFwdE(a)yewbank.demon.co.uk>, > clive(a)yewbank.demon.co.uk says... > > > > In message > > <michelle-40096C.09085009082010(a)reserved-multicast-range-not-delegated.ex > > ample.com>, Michelle Steiner <michelle(a)michelle.org> writes > > >That's 40 miles on just the initial battery charge; after that, the > > >gasoline motor kicks in to recharge the battery, and you'll keep going for > > >so long as there is gas in the tank. > > If the engine hasn't run for six months how do you know it hasn't seized > > on you? > > I read somewhere it does a monthly self-test start-up. > Another question for short commuters who always plug in is old gas. > There might be a mode to run the ICE so the the tank can be emptied > every year or so to refresh the gas, or a recommendation to not plug in > to do the same thing. You need an Amp, yes!! THE Amp, mfg in Yugoslavia and currently at the cutting edge of electrical technology. The battery will last for a whole week without charge and it is about the size of a pack of cigs....Plus, plus the car will do 100 km/hr sustained all the while towing a large boat. |