Dan.

as to the major thrust of the video, i would say that the only people who would actually be more inclined to by an EV are those who had already decided to do so anyway.

the way that you sell an EV to the general public is the same way that you sell any product: by identifying attributes that buyers value in an automobile and then identifying on what attributes the EV performs better than an internal combustion engine. for example, low end torque is better in an EV, an EV is (most likely) quieter, maybe an EV requires less maintenance…these are the kinds of things that a typically buyer will find more compelling.

as to the Volt specifically, the EREV implementation is the right decision; you can’t put too much faith in the range projections for EVs because there are too many conditions under which the actual range may vary – and if you guess wrong and run out of electricity in an EV-only vehicle, you could find yourself in considerable difficulty. furthermore, few people really own an EV-only vehicle as an only vehicle: as a practical matter, it can only be, at best, a second vehicle. however, the Volt can be the only car that you own. this is an important feature that makes the Volt a more practical vehicle than any of the proposed EV-only options.

pjkPA:
This video doesn’t mention creating Hydrogen with solar power.
Hydrogen fuel cell electrics are the future.  

I must respectfully disagree. Storing electrical energy by electrolysing water, compressing the hydrogen gas for storage, then using a fuel cell to produce electricity is only 24% efficient. Using a charger and batteries is 85% efficient, more than 3x better than using hydrogen! Even if we used one battery to store that solar electricity and used that battery to charge an EV, the overall efficiency is still 72%, still 3x more efficient than using hydrogen. Do you really want to have to pay for 3x more of those expensive solar panels?

While almost all automakers will have an EV or plug-in hybrid within 3 years. No H2 fuel cell cars will be available for sale before 2015, even then only if the costs can be substantially reduced and more hydrogen refueling built. Improved battery technology now under development might render H2 fuel cell vehicles obsolete before they arrive.

Both GM and Ford have changed their hydrogen programs, the hew plan is for plug-in hybrids like the Volt using H2 fuel cell as a range extender only. That way, most local driving can be done on much cheaper electricity, they can use a less powerful but cheaper fuel cell, and since the fuel cell will be used much less it will last longer.

Baristaguy: Don’t give up on the internal combustion engine yet.There is new technology coming out that will change how many people look at the “old” way of propelling a vehicle.As for me, I look at some of these little glorified golfcarts that pass as cars, and consider how Government Motors want to put us into them.It’s like the perfect storm:The government mandates what kind of cars they want us to buy, and can manipulate the safety and fuel standards to whatever makes that happen.It’s just another way to achieve a dubious goal the current regime has…population control.So, have a nice day!  

Surely you aren’t referring to the Volt as a golf cart, if so, you are more uninformed about this car then you are your politics.