Next Question
RSS
No, the volt is doomed to fail.
Why?
1) The Chinese are creating a similar car that has better range and at a cheaper price.
2) A $40K car is beyond the average person's budget. While the FCC claims that the average car price is around $28K, they fail to consider that their stats are including high ticket luxury cars, which the average family does not purchase. The real world average runs more around $20-24K.
3) Even with a $10K incentive, the car after taxes, insurance, etc would be too expensive
4) Most families tend to buy cars for the family, which tend to be larger, the volt is too small for this market. And is too expensive for single individuals in this economy.
5) The technology is weak, as a result their vehicles lack any decent range. GM has failed to implement its real world knowledge of legacy electric cars like the GM impulse, and should be thinking of using regeneration systems to increase the vehicle's range, something their engineers or management seem unwilling to implement or unable to grasp.
Source(s):
FCC, GM impulse program
Permalink | Report
The GM Volt will receive a lot of media attention but may not become a large part of vehicle sales, at least in its initial year of production. True, the Volt will be one of the first plug-in electric vehicles sold to the general public, will use state of the art batteries (Lithium Ion vs. Nickel Metal Hydride) and have the potential to never use a drop of gas. However the main problem with mass adoption will be the high price tag. Although GM's original goal was to price the car under $30,000, the complexity of the project has sent prices soaring. The latest projections are that the Volt will have a near $40,000 price tag and price that high will limit sales. Second and third generation Volts will bring the price down but those aren't planned until the mid to late 2010's.
One of the best sites to get up to date information on the GM Volt is: http://gm-volt.com.
Tags: volt, gm, hybrid, car, plug-in
Helpful Answer?
(1)
(0)
Permalink |
Report
The thing I don't understand is what happen to the EV1? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1 talk about a project that would have SAVED GM. The problem with electric cars is that maintenance is almost none existent. This would kill all thos oil n go type places as well as most auto mechanics.
Source(s):
http://www.reuters.com/article/gwmInnovationAndDesign/idUS96695480220090602
http://www.chevrolet.com/experience/fuel-solutions/electric/
http://gm-volt.com/
Permalink | Report
I definitely hope the Volt succeeds. Its success will be a stepping stone on which a lot in the auto industry—not just GM—depends. However, we need to keep things in perspective. I am not sure how the branding/marketing will change in the future but the specific 2011 model that GM engineers are working on today is more about greeting the technology at the door. Upon its success, we will be looking at a slew of hybrid/plug-in vehicles.
Ray Young's conference call yesterday seems to reassure that this is still the direction GM is pursuing. As I understand it, the plan is:
1. Bring the Volt out of the door in time.
2. Do the best to make it a success.
3. Use the experience to build cheaper plug-ins. The market wants cheaper cars—the experience of Tesla Roadster™ has already taught us that.
Source(s):
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gm-cfo-reiterates-committment-to-volt-laun...
Permalink | Report
Permalink | Report
Electric and hybrid cars still have a long way to go before they become mainstream.
The concept as being an eviro-friendly choice is troublesome because it may just simply offset carbon emissions from direct burning of gasoline or diesel to indirect burning of coal or some other fossil fuel in the production of electricity.
As far as the bankruptcy thing goes, personally I wouldn't touch a GM or Chrysler product right now. I would, however, purchase a Ford product.
Permalink | Report
GM will suffer for a while, as the adoption period will be long (5-10 years?), but in the end all vehicles will be electric, it's the future.
The thing is - we do need an infrastructure. Recharging stations and, most of all, a network of clean energy producing plants (solar, wind, wave...) to power those recharging stations, so we don't produce electricity by burning coal to power this new generation of vehicles.
This is a revolution people. As big as the industrial revolution. Believe me.
Permalink | Report
Permalink | Report
Source(s):
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2009/01/the-top-10-best.html
Permalink | Report
Answered Question
M$1
June 03, 2009 06:02 PM
Will GM Volt become a large segment of Vehicle Sales?
1. Bob Lutz is the co-inventor of the Chevy Volt
2. Lutz says it is a chance to reinvent the company
3. Product development needs to stay focused on the future
4. GM is still open for business
5. Lauckner believes GM will be profitable at 10 million units (that is nearly half of their desired goal in 2006)
6. Bankruptcy won't affect Volt. Suggesting Volt monies have already be appropriated and won't be salvage in the bankruptcy.
7. Volt will be a key technology.
If Volt cost 40k and the government gives a 10k tax rebate, will Volt become a large segment of the automotive sales?
2. Lutz says it is a chance to reinvent the company
3. Product development needs to stay focused on the future
4. GM is still open for business
5. Lauckner believes GM will be profitable at 10 million units (that is nearly half of their desired goal in 2006)
6. Bankruptcy won't affect Volt. Suggesting Volt monies have already be appropriated and won't be salvage in the bankruptcy.
7. Volt will be a key technology.
If Volt cost 40k and the government gives a 10k tax rebate, will Volt become a large segment of the automotive sales?
Interesting Question?
Yes (0)
No (0)
- In Cars & Transportation |
- |
- Report |
-
Share
RSS
Best Answer Chosen by Asker
| June 04, 2009 12:26 AM |
Why?
1) The Chinese are creating a similar car that has better range and at a cheaper price.
2) A $40K car is beyond the average person's budget. While the FCC claims that the average car price is around $28K, they fail to consider that their stats are including high ticket luxury cars, which the average family does not purchase. The real world average runs more around $20-24K.
3) Even with a $10K incentive, the car after taxes, insurance, etc would be too expensive
4) Most families tend to buy cars for the family, which tend to be larger, the volt is too small for this market. And is too expensive for single individuals in this economy.
5) The technology is weak, as a result their vehicles lack any decent range. GM has failed to implement its real world knowledge of legacy electric cars like the GM impulse, and should be thinking of using regeneration systems to increase the vehicle's range, something their engineers or management seem unwilling to implement or unable to grasp.
Source(s):
FCC, GM impulse program
| Asker's Rating: |
Permalink | Report
Reply
| June 04, 2009 02:17 AM |
One of the best sites to get up to date information on the GM Volt is: http://gm-volt.com.
| Asker's Rating: |
• BYD can create the equivalent car to Volt for 22k.
Tags: volt, gm, hybrid, car, plug-in
Helpful Answer?
(1)
(0)
Helpful: davepamn
Tip fazworld for this answer
Reply
Other Answers (11)
June 03, 2009 06:47 PM
I believe hybrids and alternative vehicles will become the dominating segment of vehicle sales. What I think people don't understand about the Volt is that it still requires gasoline. The GM Volt is full electric with a small gasoline engine to charge the battery pack. The thing I don't understand is what happen to the EV1? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1 talk about a project that would have SAVED GM. The problem with electric cars is that maintenance is almost none existent. This would kill all thos oil n go type places as well as most auto mechanics.
Source(s):
http://www.reuters.com/article/gwmInnovationAndDesign/idUS96695480220090602
http://www.chevrolet.com/experience/fuel-solutions/electric/
http://gm-volt.com/
Permalink | Report
Reply
June 04, 2009 01:47 AM
The EV1 was way too expensive in fact everyone who drove the EV1 did not actually own the car but instead just leased the vehicle. If you read the cost and program cancellation section of the Wikipedia page you have a link for, then you would've already known. Also the battery technology used in the car were not adequate for providing the range or durability required by the mass market. The car itself was a tiny, super-light two-seater, which was not exactly what American consumers were looking for.
Report
June 04, 2009 03:07 AM
Read the Book "Plug-in Hybrids"
Quote:
Chelsea Sexton: "The EV1 caught the eye of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), a regulatory body searching for ways to meet the states Clean Air Act and clear its smoggy skies". Sep 1990, CARB mandated if companies wanted to do business in California, they had to produce a percentage of zero emission vehicles: 1998 - 2%, 2001 - 5%, and 2003 - 10%. "The Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate might as well have been a kiss of death for the EV1." Automotive News in 1998 figured GM spent $350 million for the EV1 development. People outside GM believe the company spent $600 million on its multi-year lobbying and public relations campaign to kill the ZEV Mandate. In late 2001, GM and Ford and Chrysler sued Calfornia to block the ZEV mandate. By 2005, of the 800 EV1 available for public lease, all but 78 were hauled off to Arizona and crushed.
Report
Quote:
Chelsea Sexton: "The EV1 caught the eye of the California Air Resources Board (CARB), a regulatory body searching for ways to meet the states Clean Air Act and clear its smoggy skies". Sep 1990, CARB mandated if companies wanted to do business in California, they had to produce a percentage of zero emission vehicles: 1998 - 2%, 2001 - 5%, and 2003 - 10%. "The Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate might as well have been a kiss of death for the EV1." Automotive News in 1998 figured GM spent $350 million for the EV1 development. People outside GM believe the company spent $600 million on its multi-year lobbying and public relations campaign to kill the ZEV Mandate. In late 2001, GM and Ford and Chrysler sued Calfornia to block the ZEV mandate. By 2005, of the 800 EV1 available for public lease, all but 78 were hauled off to Arizona and crushed.
June 03, 2009 08:40 PM
The Chevrolet Volt is important, I agree. However, I am not sure if it is a good thing to put so much importance on the Volt. I definitely hope the Volt succeeds. Its success will be a stepping stone on which a lot in the auto industry—not just GM—depends. However, we need to keep things in perspective. I am not sure how the branding/marketing will change in the future but the specific 2011 model that GM engineers are working on today is more about greeting the technology at the door. Upon its success, we will be looking at a slew of hybrid/plug-in vehicles.
Ray Young's conference call yesterday seems to reassure that this is still the direction GM is pursuing. As I understand it, the plan is:
1. Bring the Volt out of the door in time.
2. Do the best to make it a success.
3. Use the experience to build cheaper plug-ins. The market wants cheaper cars—the experience of Tesla Roadster™ has already taught us that.
Source(s):
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/gm-cfo-reiterates-committment-to-volt-laun...
Permalink | Report
Reply
June 04, 2009 03:13 AM
Volt is a hybrid like the Prius with the exception that it can be plugged in and recharge. Volt can run 40 miles on pure EV mode. Volt can interchange its frame moving from a car to a truck.
Report
June 03, 2009 08:46 PM
GM has an uphill battle in order to get Americans to buy GM cars no matter what kind of car. Many people are shifting towards Ford when it comes to buying American as a result of Ford not receiving aid from the government. That doesn't mean GM can't sell large volumes of cars in other markets. I mean Americans are no way the only major buyers of cars in the world. However I doubt GM will have enough customers in the next few years in order to sell the millions of Volts that have to be sold in order to be a success. Especially since Toyota has made itself into a dominant force in the hybrid market.
Permalink | Report
Reply
June 04, 2009 02:30 AM
"Large" in this case is relative to the total amount of sales, so yes, the volt will probably be a large segment of GM's sales, but it will not be a large segment of overall vehicle sales. Electric and hybrid cars still have a long way to go before they become mainstream.
The concept as being an eviro-friendly choice is troublesome because it may just simply offset carbon emissions from direct burning of gasoline or diesel to indirect burning of coal or some other fossil fuel in the production of electricity.
As far as the bankruptcy thing goes, personally I wouldn't touch a GM or Chrysler product right now. I would, however, purchase a Ford product.
Permalink | Report
Reply
June 04, 2009 09:13 AM
It's a bet in the future, and they have no chance but to do this. Obama won't stand for older oil tech anymore, and he's absolutely right. GM will suffer for a while, as the adoption period will be long (5-10 years?), but in the end all vehicles will be electric, it's the future.
The thing is - we do need an infrastructure. Recharging stations and, most of all, a network of clean energy producing plants (solar, wind, wave...) to power those recharging stations, so we don't produce electricity by burning coal to power this new generation of vehicles.
This is a revolution people. As big as the industrial revolution. Believe me.
Permalink | Report
Reply
June 04, 2009 07:10 PM
I don't think so, I think people will be weary of buying any GM vehicles for quite some time and even if they aren't the large price tag is probably too much for most consumers when you can spend anywhere from $10K - 20K on a vehicle from a reliable car company that didn't burden the taxpayers with such a hefty burden....
Permalink | Report
Reply
June 04, 2009 09:49 PM
I do not think that the Volt will become a large part of U.S. Auto Sales. It may be "big" like the Prius is, but the Prius didn't even make top ten cars sold in America last year. The two best selling vehicles in America last year, even with 4+ dollar a gallon gas, were the Ford F-150 and the Chevy Silverado. America loves big cars too much for any hybrid to gain a decent chunk of the market share.
Source(s):
http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2009/01/the-top-10-best.html
Permalink | Report
Reply
June 05, 2009 12:09 AM
Toyota had to subsidize the Prius to keep cost low. The Prius became Toyotas profitable line.
Report
June 05, 2009 07:23 PM
The Prius may be the best selling hybrid, but it is far from being Toyota's profitable line. It is there public image line. Check my source for best selling cars of 2008. Two Toyotas on it. The Camry (#3) and Corolla (#5). Prius didn't make the top ten. The Corolla and Camry are the Toyota profit lines.
Report
Answer this Question
Related Questions
Ask a Question
Buy Mahalo Dollars with Credit Card or PayPal
Top Members
Most Popular Tags
Categories
- Anonymous
-
Arts & Design
-
Beauty & Style
-
Books & Authors
-
Business
-
Cars & Transportation
-
Consumer Electronics
- Coupons Deals
-
Education
-
Entertainment
-
Environment
-
Fitness
-
Food & Drink
- From Email
- From Iphone
- From Twitter
-
Health
-
History
-
Hobbies
-
Home & Garden
-
How Tos
-
Humor
-
Jobs
-
Legal
-
Local
-
Love & Relationships
-
Mahalo Answers Community
-
Money
-
Music
-
News
-
NSFW
-
Parenting
-
Pets
-
Science & Mathematics
-
Services
-
Shopping
-
Social Science
-
Society & Culture
-
Sports
-
Technology & Internet
-
Travel
-
Video Games
Welcome New Members
- nightelf11, November 28, 2009 09:21 PM
- nellzay, November 28, 2009 09:13 PM
- just_jems, November 28, 2009 08:46 PM
- redfly, November 28, 2009 08:46 PM
- caryliz69, November 28, 2009 08:39 PM
Mahalo Dollars are the currency of Mahalo Answers.
Each Mahalo Dollar costs $1.
Once you earn more than 40 Mahalo Dollars, you can request to be paid via PayPal. Each Mahalo Dollar is currently worth $0.75 when paid out via PayPal. Learn More
Volt will cost about 40k
Quote : Plugin hybrid
GM initiality built 660 lead-acide battery packs with a 70 to 90 mile range per charge In 1999 GM release the last 182 EV1s which used the Nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) battery with a range of 140 miles. 1994, Energy Conversion Devices put NiMH batteries in EV1 and it goes 201 miles at 55 miles per hour or 135 miles in city driving and set a electric land record of 183 mph. GM partnerships with ECD for the building of NiMH batteries. 1994, US advanced Battery Consortium testifies to CARB that NiMH batter isn't good enough yet. 1996 NiMH in a Solectria sedan goe 375 miles on a single charge. Mitsubishi build a demonstration plug-in hybrid for CARB. ECD converts a Toyota Prius to plug-in hybrid with 20 miles all electric and gets 70-80 mpg. 2002, Rav 4 EV is pulled from the market. 2006, Saab demonstrates a plug-in hybrid that runs on electricity and ethanol.