Check out these great videos and commercials at:

http://www.chevy-volt.net

Doesn’t talk about battery size; how big are they and how much space do they take up? You can’t see in the windows of the modified Prius. How well will they handle repeated cycling? That’s always the kicker. What does it cost?

I’ll take GM’s E-flex approach, thank you. It appears it will be a more solid and integrated technique.

That’s missing the point. Solutions are needed now.

60,000,000 new vehicles are produced worldwide each year. Affordable high efficiency, very clean vehicles are needed in massive quantity right away. Well proven “full” hybrids, like Prius, with fulfill that need.

Of course, that paradigm is coming… but no where near as soon as you hope. Time will establish their reputation. That takes years of real-world miles though. Patience.

>> You can not assume parallel hybrids like the Prius will evolve into higher mpg cars;

What is there to assume? The prototypes are already on the road. For example… http://www.google.org/recharge/

Along those lines, the best use of hybrid tech today are the new GM full size SUV hybrids. Going from 15mpg to 22 mpg saves a lot more gas than anything else. But that’s another discussion.

The game changer here is the E-flex chassis. A new paradigm. Electric first, then supplementary generator driven by whatever fuel is the best local solution. This is why the Volt is important. Far more important than the Prius every dreamed about. The Volt will change our future cars, not just improve the current 100yr old solution.

GM is on the right track in more ways than one.

There is no confirmed other numbers/modelsyet, but apparently the 1.4L turbo is going to be a option on no fewer than 6-8 models in the lineup by 2010. Basically everything on the Astra platform will be getting it….which is ’supposedly’ going to produce 1.5 to 2 million cars for GM by 2012.

1. Security/insurance: If theres a supply disruption you won’t spend hours in lines at the gas station.

2. Uncle Sam needs you. Someone needs to pay off the deficit !

3. You will make friends due to the cool car you drive.

4. Fuel prices will go up. The question is by how much?

Well I poked around on Google/Yahoo a bit, and sure enough I did come up with several references to the 1.4 turbo in the Cobalt. Thanks for the heads up. Who knew?

It’s always amazed me that the Cobalt is several hundred pounds heavier than the Aveo, and yet the mileage ratings are strikingly similar. Evidently the 1600 cc engine in the Aveo is a generation older than the 2200 cc (2400?) Ecotec in the Cobalt. I had heard of the 1.4 naturally aspirated Ecotec in Europe. I assume that is the one they intend to turbo for the Cobalt.

My suggestion was to use the non-turbo 1.4 in the much lighter Aveo, thus giving it usefully more mileage. If a turbo Cobalt can get 35-40, imagine what a non-turbo Aveo could get. No response though. Globalization or no, I guess European GM doesn’t talk to Korean GM.

The Aveo is pretty light, and not that bad looking, IMHO. Also, I think that the 5 door is to be restyled for 2009. As Rick Lupori famously said on the Fastlane blog, “It’s a pretty good car in search of a drive train.” I think that a credible Yaris, Fit, Versa fighter would be a good thing, Volt or no.