Comments on: GM’s Chevy Volt Vehicle Line Engineer’s Volt Nation Briefing

By: JoeAlvord

JoeAlvord — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 01:19:08 +0000

I hate to inject politics and I won’t do it again, but:
Senator McCain has voted against the extension of the tax breaks for alternative and renewable energy systems and either been absent or voted against all other alternative and renewable energy bills. (Absence counts as a no vote)
Senator Obama has voted for them and pledged to continue to do so.
Draw your own conclusions.

By: mien green

mien green — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 19:08:06 +0000

I doubt if GM would hold much sway to GW’s administration policy decisions. He’s a tool of the oil cartel, not the automotive, unless there’s a convergence of corporate interests.

By: Eletruk

Eletruk — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:37:29 +0000

Methinks that if GM & Lutz want the government to provide tax incentives to help sell the Volt, they better put a bug in the ear of our "Great & Clueless Leader". (‘What? $4 a gallon for gas? I wasn’t aware of that!’). They really need him to not veto it.

By: Neutron Flux

Neutron Flux — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:05:31 +0000

Should have ended,"we are not smoking from the pipe you think!"

By: Neutron Flux

Neutron Flux — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 18:02:08 +0000

I can’t figure out What Bob Lutz is thinking from post #8 "Statik. Bob seems to say the battery cost is $10,000 more than we expected but last reference to battery cost was around $10,000. was Bob thinking A123 was going to give him the battery for free? Even if they had originally estimated $7,000.00, that is only 3 more grand not 8. The increase 8 grand in cost has not been justified based on battery cost. GM had to know what kind of battery testing they would have to do on the batteries before Bob made his now infamous "comfortably under $27,000.00" quote, so that was not the increase. Or are the batteries now being priced at $15,000.00 plus charging the customer up front to cover premature failures, IE the customer funding the insurance policy instead of the company taking reasonable risk based on sound engineering? If I buy a Prius Plug in & retro fit a $10,000 16KWh Lithium Ion battery into it I get $32,000. But I think I figured it out, They need an extra 5 g’s profit up front to cover losses from long term maintenance that won’t be needed. I’d rather pay GM than some terrorist hatching country. Just give it to us straight Bob like you always do, the customer will save 5 G’s in maint. over the life so GM is collecting it up front, the customer will keep most profit from gas savings. That I can live with and the cost is justified. We know GM is in business to make money and not a charity so level with us, we are smoking from the pipe you think! And the battery cost excuse don’t cut it!