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Varchild2008 (77.53)

Bleak Future of OBAMA MOTORS

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July 30, 2010 – Comments (12)

Bleak Future of OBAMA MOTORS

When's the last time General Motors earned "Truck of the year honors?" 
This year's truck of the year is the Dodge Ram....That's a Chrysler vehicle.
Last year was the Ford F150.....    
Year before that was the TOYOTA TUNDRA

????????

What about Car of the Year?

This year it is the FORD FUSION
Last year it was the NISAN GT-R
Year before that it was Cadillac CTS    (good job GM... First Win in 6 decades)

(THIS IS according to Motor Trend)

So....  That brings us to the Chevy Volt....   For $41,000 you get a vehicle that gives you less miles than you would get on a Hybrid....  340 miles before your next fillup versus in some cases as much as 400 miles on some Hybrids..  

Don't believe me that the VOLT gives you a whopping 60 miles less than today's Hybrids?
Gee... Not a problem if you don't....

Cause.. FORD ESCAPE HYBRID  does just that: http://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/f26/400-mile-tank-4426/

Then you have the problem with finding outlets to recharge your battery...
You have the additional concern regarding whether enough energy exists to support the Electric Car Concept.   If thousands of cars are electrically charging up within a 50 mile radius....  YIKES!

And what happens to your Electric Bill?      Running a Stove to cook your meal while your Laundry is going and your Car is recharging up and 2 of your Televisions + DVR is running and something is cooking in your Microwave....      YIKES!

Do people want the additional expense of recharging their cars when they have to fill up the VOLT with GASOLINE anyhow in order to achieve the full 340 miles....   That's right.... CHEVY VOLT is not a 100% electric only vehicle...  You still have to go to the Gas Station for Gas.

Then we have the news of how ridiculously expensive Electric Car Batteries are when you need to replace them.  

Looks nice and drives nice are not going to become the TOP Concerns of prospective electric car buyers.    People are going to want to know what the TRUE life-time costs of owning one of these are when those costs show up in Consumer Reports article..... good luck selling the Chevy Volt.

And if the Chevy Volt is a massive FLOP then where does that leave GM?

12 Comments – Post Your Own

#1) On July 30, 2010 at 10:19 AM, drgroup (66.42) wrote:

Don't be surprised if have the obama regime makes a law similar to the health-care law that mandates everyone has to buy one of these flop cars. If they can do it with your health, they can do it with your car...

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#2) On July 30, 2010 at 10:48 AM, Varchild2008 (77.53) wrote:

Obama is already handing out TAXPAYER subsidized $7,500 to anyone that buys one of these LEMONs.  

So unfortunately  I don't have to buy a Chevy Volt cause I already did.  We all bought one.

The hillarious part of it is that if you don't have the time to recharge that CHEVY VOLT then you are stuck with a car that gets you only 300 miles per fillup.

Cause after the first 40 miles your electric battery is dead and has to go sucking up GAS.

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#3) On July 30, 2010 at 11:01 AM, lh100 (22.64) wrote:

Do you believe the crap you are actually saying?

Passing Healthcare as a socialist program like forcing to buy a brand car? Even the chineese dont do that.

The US was the last nation to adopt such a program. Wait, the last nation that is not a third world country.

You can argue all you want about the benefits of such a program, i would probably agree with you on more than a few points, but i am just sick of seeing everywhere people tagging Obama with a socialist name.

***

 

As for the topic on hand, i think you underestimate how the cost of electricity is lower than gas. Granted, the VOLT will need gas(and premium on top of that!), which is to me weird, but i think something needs to put in perpective here : according to this website http://gm-volt.com/about/   , 78% of drivers drive less than 40 miles per day. I don't know the source of that study and if it is 100% reliable (since this obviously is a biased site), but you don't actually need to fill your tank that much, only when you drive above that 40 miles level, and then you fill it only for the miles you drove about that level.

Hard to compare with an hybrid, which will consume gas as soon as you reach a certain speed.

 

Also, your theory that there will be a lack of batteries to buy is a bit weird to me : If you can run on gas after power is depleted, then what is the problem? Also, if the demand is strong enough, i don't see why there would be a lack of them.. not to mention the Departement of Energy is actually subsidising that industry like crazy.

My concern would be the recharge time in general for fully electric vehicules : Do i really want to wait a few hours(or even half an hour..) to finish recharging my batteries to continue along the way? That makes no sense.

I have heard however that they are developping portable chargers that you can change whenever you need to in your car.

The Volt is in my opinion not for the masses, mostly for early adopters of a real car that can work on electric power but have gas as backup. For sure there are still massive problems with those kind of cars, like you mentionned the cost of changing the battery. But in time, this, like all new technology, will cost less as mass production arrives.

Volt could be a flop, i competely agree. I am not sure what they have projected, but at 41K, it's still expensive for a car. 

 

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#4) On July 30, 2010 at 11:12 AM, Varchild2008 (77.53) wrote:

I agree... Obama should be tagged with a COMMUNIST meme.
Socialist just doesn't cut it anymore.

Everything Obama wants to do has to be Taxpayer Subsidized and anything that isn't taxpayer subsidized has to be given a 6 month Moratorium so it goes away.

"As for the topic on hand, i think you underestimate how the cost of electricity is lower than gas. "

Doesn't matter what Electricity costs when 300 out of the 340 mile tank is GAS!!!!

Only 40 miles is electric..... Do you honestly think you are going to recharge your CAR every 40 miles?

Most of my trips to go anywhere I like to go on Weekends are always beyond 40 miles.

"Also, your theory that there will be a lack of batteries to buy is a bit weird to me "

Huh?  I never said that.... I said the cost of replacing your battery is SKY HIGH right now....   Expect to pay $16,000 for one of these batteries.

Granted the costs will come down eventually..... But who wants to buy a CAR knowing that

"I have heard however that they are developping portable chargers that you can change whenever you need to in your car. "

Well until we see whether these perform some kind of MIRACLE then I can't comment on them other than to say that I already Charge up several devices in my car....

I have to charge up my (GPS) and my (CELL PHONE).

Where am I going to plug in this Portable Charger when I am charging up these other devices and what is the impact of having a Portable Charger attempting to charge up the electric battery while my CELL PHONE is getting charged up?

Seems like there's still going to be astronomical problems even with these portable chargers... How long will it take to charge up your battery with a Portable Charger versus an outlet?  If it takes even longer than an outlet then what is the point?

Unless you are completely lost in the middle of the desert and it is 40 miles to the nearest gas station... you then may use a Portable Charger.... woopie!    But not enough of us are going to see the point here?  Standing or sitting idle in the heat waiting for your Electric Car to charge up isn't what I consider to be a whole lot of FUN.

And you do it for a whopping 40 miles.... just 40 lousy miles.... Cause without GAS this thing has no "sustainment mode."

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#5) On July 30, 2010 at 11:15 AM, drgroup (66.42) wrote:

lh100 ..."but i am just sick of seeing everywhere people tagging Obama with a socialist name."

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but here goes: obama is a socialist. If you can't see that, then G-d help us all.

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#6) On July 30, 2010 at 11:38 AM, davejh23 (< 20) wrote:

Are you comparing apples to apples?  Do the Volt and the Escape Hybrid have the same size gas tanks?  If so, then your argument is valid.  If the Volt has an 8 gallon tank and the Escape has a 16 gallon tank, then who cares?  In any case, I'd love to support an American car company, but ALL of them are building crap.  I'm convinced that all OEM parts are designed to last 5 years or so...just out of warranty.  If that turns out to be the case with all these hybrid batteries, most hybrids will be worthless within 5 years...I would NEVER consider buying a used hybrid.  I live near a high volume Ford dealer, and they have the largest Service department I've ever seen.  The Service side makes FAR more than the sales side.  How much do you trust MotorTrend?  They put the Ford Focus on their top 10 list three years in a row, and it was one of the most recalled pieces of junk Ford ever built.

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#7) On July 30, 2010 at 12:45 PM, Varchild2008 (77.53) wrote:

DAvejh23

You miss the point of my post..... 

A Ford Escape isn't exactly a Car.... of course....

But... I was just pointing out that the miles you get with the VOLT does not rival what you get with other options out there..

People have to consider just how much money you end up forking over .... over the life of the VOLT versus other options.  Cause the BIGGEST Chevy Volt Myth out there is that somehow you will save $$$ over the long haul.

I believe you would not save any money buying a VOLT.....But instead pay far more money over the life of the car versus another option such as a FORD ESCAPE Hybrid.... Or any kind of HYBRID for that matter. 

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#8) On July 30, 2010 at 12:50 PM, Varchild2008 (77.53) wrote:

"How much do you trust MotorTrend?  They put the Ford Focus on their top 10 list three years in a row, and it was one of the most recalled pieces of junk Ford ever built."

I actually had the pleasure of driving a 2010 model Ford Focus last year when my Ford Taurus 2003 was in the shop.

I found the Ford Focus to be an absolute pleasure to drive and I loved the features of the car.  Of course this comes from the perspective of someone who hasn't bought a car in over 5 years.

I can easily see how FORD FOCUS wins these Motor Trend recommendations over and over...  It is an excellent vehicle that made me like it more than my 2003 Ford Taurus.

And again.... All of this junk about "But My FORD from 10+ years ago had to be repaired often" is just that... Ancient garbage from a decade or more ago that simply no longer applies to FORD Cars today..

American Automakers have finally gotten their act together and their cars perform with far better durability and dependability than any vehicle made by the Japanese Automakers.

American vehicles do not need to be repaired much....

Even my FORD Taurus has been relatively maintenance free when subtracting the car accidents that don't count.

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#9) On July 30, 2010 at 5:25 PM, Melaschasm (64.90) wrote:

The best thing about the Volt is that it is a hybrid, not a pure electric car.

The worst thing about the Volt is the $41,000 price tag. 

Only a few people willing to pay $41,000 for a fuel efficient car.  Most people with that much money want either a fast car, or a big truck/SUV.

I would love to see a stat comparing the Prius to using the Volt as a gas only vehicle.  Just what equivalent gas mileage would this car get?  That GM is not promoting such a comparison makes me suspect that it gets similar or worse "MPG".

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#10) On July 31, 2010 at 2:31 AM, keechi242 (< 20) wrote:

"...19 AM, drgroup (63.38) wrote: Don't be surprised if have the obama regime makes a law similar..."

 

It's the Obama Presidency, not régime, Fool…

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#11) On July 31, 2010 at 4:36 AM, rtr101rtr (< 20) wrote:

Then there is the problem with cold.  If you car is too cold, the battery will not be used at all even if fully charged until it heats up.  Too cold as in any where from 32F to 50F.  That pretty much rules out efficient use of the battery during the winter.

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#12) On August 03, 2010 at 11:50 AM, lh100 (22.64) wrote:

#5) On July 30, 2010 at 11:15 AM, drgroup (63.01) wrote:

lh100 ..."but i am just sick of seeing everywhere people tagging Obama with a socialist name."

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but here goes: obama is a socialist. If you can't see that, then G-d help us all.

 

Having lived in a socialist country, i can tell you right away that Obama, or the US for that matter, is not socialist. Not even close. Your politcal view on Obama does not bother me at all, but the rethoric lies around him being called a socialist does.   

 GM being "owned" by the US is the first stepping stone of the socialist movement? Is that what you are implying? Owning debt is very different than owning the corp. 

 

 

Back on topic, i think the VOLT will appeal more to urban population. With the 40 miles limit, rarely will anybody driving around the city will reach it.

 Problem is cost : no way that extra cost is saved in gas on a relative short term period. It's much smaller too then other cars for trunk space. But again, i think it could appeal to urban areas. 

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