Comments on: Chevy Volt Integration Vehicle Update

By: Herm

Herm — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:04:03 +0000

GM is paying $12k for the battery, $8k for the cells to LG and the rest to build it. I hope is not really $20k.. how much would a 5 year lease be?

By: Lev

Lev — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:27:53 +0000

Ya I’ve heard of this hypermiling. Here on the New Jersey highways there is no way you could get away with that. I also don’t think automatic transmissions and normal engines can live very long if cycled like a hybrid engine. But for once, I did try to cruise with power off in an old beater. Kinda fun!

By: wwskinn3

wwskinn3 — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:07:12 +0000

How good is the A/C? Been 100+ degrees here in Houston lately.

By: jonboinAR

jonboinAR — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:53:29 +0000

Although I think I know how you meant that, it’s true both ways! (if not intentionally).

By: jonboinAR

jonboinAR — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:50:12 +0000

I think that any given driver will very quickly get used to whatever conditions they find in the Volt that differ from the traditional ICE car. When a driver’s Volt goes into regen mode for the second time I imagine they’ll already be tuning out the sound of the ICE. It will be a considerably milder adjustment than, say, going from an auto trans to a stick. I think it would be a mistake for GM to be doing any fakey compensating.

By: Thomas Gilling

Thomas Gilling — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 17:17:27 +0000

Lexus and Toyota will get a right shock when they see they could have innovated in this space. While the worlds first Hybrid Only Luxury car is coming from Lexus, Cadillac will hopefully later make the worlds first electric luxury car.

By: Noel Park

Noel Park — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:19:25 +0000

The pollution has to come ashore somewhere to kill 60,000 people.

You are correct that these ships burn the dirtiest fuel available, and they have NO pollution controls of any kind. Anyone who lives in a community adjacent to a port is at EXTREME risk. Diesel exhaust is know to cause cancer, and at least 30 other health “end points”. I won’t bother you with the whole list today.

By: hayley

hayley — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:57:02 +0000

“Advanced foreign engineering”… lol I agree with Dave G that you’re mistaken if you think China (since you say cheaper, I assume you don’t mean European) has some engineering advantage over the US… so it’s your post that doesn’t make “cents” to me

By: maharguitar

maharguitar — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:41:43 +0000

It was on straight freeway and the nearest other car was 1/4 mile away. Under those conditions, the car handled normally. Power steering is irrelevant at those speeds. The car was in neutral. It was really no big deal. Cars are designed to behave well when the engine is off because sometimes it happens. I’ve had a fuel pump die on me under similar conditions.

I know guys who do this regularly when driving their big pickup trucks down hill. It can save a bunch of gas. Or, so they say.

By: CS Guy

CS Guy — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:24:57 +0000

Good job of proving your own point.

I, however, do not find humor in the deaths of 60,000 people each year attributed to particulate and carcinogenic chemicals in the exhaust of these cargo ships.

Energy efficiency does not matter if the price of that “efficiency” is $330 Billion yearly.