Comments on: BIG NEWS VIDEO: Bob Lutz Discusses His Chevy Volt Test Drive and the Current State of Development

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:05:56 +0000

(72
Eric)

The car will be more closer to $40,000 or higher, also its your opinion about the prius. It looks like a car to me, and it gets better milege than your dual exhast V6 accord gets, which is the main reason why people want the Volt, I don’t want to be offensive to you its just what prius did led to gas conservation

By: mike from cincinnati ohio

mike from cincinnati ohio — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:42:58 +0000

I want to test one out. please GM let me test one out!

By: Eric

Eric — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 20:41:32 +0000

We’ve always been a Honda family. I think things are about to change. If this car really lives up to what I’m expecting and is under $25 – 30K it looks like my matching V6 dual exhaust Accords, my beautiful Accords, may well be traded in on matching Volts.

Have I lost my mind? For GMs?!!! We hate Priuses. They’re not a REAL no-gas option. Let’s face it… They’re fake cars, Sorry if I offend anyone, that’s just the way it is.

I can’t wait to actually physically test drive one of these. They really are a sharp vehicle and “silent” to boot!

Oh God… Here we go! Never bought American! Fingers crossed!

Leaping in 2010!

By: lauri

lauri — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 23:01:23 +0000

I live in L.A. and have solar panels. I make enough extra power to “Fill Up” the Volt every day and still have enough juice for my home! No more gas bill, no more electricity bill. Screw the Terrorists. There are answers- There is abundance- Do not buy into fear. The answer will be up to each of us individually and not the Government.

By: David

David — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:41:03 +0000

So, if the \Volt is going to be over 40K (I’m not sure of the current guesstiment), why not go ahead and get a Phoenix?

By: Tagamet

Tagamet — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:58:29 +0000

Jeremy P@68
I know that the cool screens are available, but I’d fear scaring off anyone over 50 or 60. The Volt 1.0 needs wide acceptance of both price AND user friendliness to take off. I’ve been pushing for KISS and “Let’s get the Volt’s wheels on the road!” slogan.

By: Jeremy P

Jeremy P — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:40:41 +0000

I also suspect the software and display features may be something a little more up to date. When The video was talking about two displays that could be configured to display items on each screen, I think he was talking about something most people haven’t seen. it sounded very much like somthing that aviation companies have been using for the past 8 years of so. It’s called a glass cockpit with very limited buttons and controls. Pretty much you either have a cursor control device that allows you to click on screens and and select a GUI menu interface or it can be touch screen. Companies like Honeywell, Universal Avionics, and Rockwell Collins have been making them for some time. It can show all perameters of the engine, battery, doors, just everything you could imagine and still have screens for radio, cd and navigation system. Everything is ran by a onboard computer that can have software updates to fix bugs or add features to the displays. Here is a link to see it in an aircraft.

http://www51.honeywell.com/aero/common/documents/GulfstreamPlaneViewAdvancedCockpit.pdf

The cool part is if GM does it right, they can add provisions in the car for future technology that will allow you to plug in a device, add some software and you have the latest feature installed in your car. I may be wrong but i have seen them on aircraft and if they are putting a variance of this system in a car we are all going to have on great treat.

By: Jeremy P

Jeremy P — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:21:14 +0000

{ 57 Kubel “The ultimate solution would be to build our energy infrastructure (motors, controllers, batteries, etc…) on American soil, so that no outside nation has the means (whether on purpose or not) to bring us into another energy crisis.”}

I think GM is smart by buying the batteries overseas at this time. I would also like to see them made in America, but why not work with a leading battery manufactor who knows about batteries. Let them develope the battery and also be liable should any trouble arise down the road. Then once everything is working smoothly we just do what the Chinese have been doing to us for years. We reverse engineer their own battery and produse it here with an american label on it.

By: Jeremy P

Jeremy P — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:04:44 +0000

I think the cost is going to be well within range. If gas goes up to only $5.00 a gallon and you currently use an average full tank of 18 gallons a week, that is $4,680 a year or $23,400 in fuel over five years. If you bought a new cheap car for $20,000 dollars and you add in the $23,400 dollars in fuel the cost for 5 years is $43,400. Then you still have to deal with the rising cost of fuel during the time you are driving the conventional gasoline car. Even if the new Volt is 40,000 dollars it will be about the same over the course of a 5 year loan. Plus once is is paid off think how much you will save. Now imagine you drive a new big SUV and you currently use 40-50 gallons a week. How much would you save now. Also the only way to stick it to the oil companies is to start buying electric and tell them we are no paying their prices anymore while they still make record profits…!!!!!

By: Schmeltz

Schmeltz — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:02:14 +0000

Excellent interview and thanks for sharing. It seems we can often learn more from these little “aside” interviews, than the big Corporate ones such as this previous week’s Annual shareholder meeting.

Just think, despite what sounded like some thrashing of the vehicle at 70-80 mph, the ICE still didn’t kick on. Great stuff!