Below are the two top highest voted entries from an initial field of over 100. The winner of the vote below will not only get to test drive the Chevy Volt in New York City at the end of the month, but will get their travel expenses paid up to $500. This generous prize is from GM-Volt.com sponsor NetLook.com. Please vote for your favorite in the forum below.
ENTRY 1
Volt Nation
I have been an active member of Volt Nation, following the Volt from the beginning, even donating my time to do graphic design work. I tell people everywhere I go about the benefits of the electrification of the automobile and why the Volt is going to be a winner. These are all similar reasons that anyone at GM-Volt.com can cite as justification, so what makes me different?
I have deployed several times in support of US operations around the globe and am very proud of the service I have done for my country. That pride is tempered by the knowledge that war, while at times necessary, is exceptionally wasteful. We are wasting lives, resources and time on propping up a system that is harmful to the environment and potentially devastating to a peaceful, verdant future.
Imagine if we as a nation had vehicles that demanded less or required no gasoline. Imagine how that would affect our foreign policy, putting fewer of our troops, my brothers and sisters, in harms way. Fewer dollars would be spent to use the military to protect oil assets in far away lands and more dollars would be spent on the renewable infrastructure and smart electrical grid that is so desperately needed here.
National defense can be secured in many ways. I believe that the electrification of the automobile is one of the most potent weapons we can develop. Promoting renewable energy use and the electrification of transportation with vehicles like the Volt will take value away from oil. The less that oil is worth, the less influence oil rich countries in the Middle East will have on our foreign policy. When that happens, perhaps we really can achieve the dream of peace in our time.
-Harrier1970
ENTRY 2
Why Wouldn’t I want a Volt?! ….I can’t think of even one reason NOT to!
As an astrophysicist who worked on NASA’s “moon shot” throughout the 1960’s, I’ve always thought of GM’s decision to design, develop and market an electric automobile as not unlike America’s decision to design, develop and launch a man-bearing rocket to the moon. It has the same kind of overwhelming risks, heart-pumping excitement and huge potential rewards. It demands developing break-through technologies and facing overwhelming challenges unlike any encountered before. It risks enormous financial losses ….as well as painful losses in global prestige…. in event of failure.
So I have followed the Volt’s development at GM-Volt.com with genuine fervor since 2007. A day seldom passes without my reading most of the topics and comments on this remarkable blog. I even flew from my home near the Kennedy Space Center to a truly milestone event sponsored by GM-Volt.com ….VoltNation in NYC two years ago this month…. where I was privileged to meet and speak with Lyle Dennis, Bob Lutz, Tony Pozawatz, Andrew Farah as well as others on GM‘s Volt development team. Upon returning home afterward, I was PUMPED!
One thought I shared with several GM and other attendees at VoltNation was that I believed we had relied on American ingenuity and hard work to beat the Russians to the moon ….and that GM could count on it to beat their competitors world-wide to a viable EV design ….a design that could be manufactured in large numbers and that would revolutionize automotive design (just as we revolutionized space travel).
And the GM team has not shirked from the task. The car is powerful, quiet, responsive, reliable, handles well and meets the daily driving requirements of most Americans without using a single drop of gasoline ….at a cost for electricity roughly one-fifth that for gasoline! In addition, because the Volt’s EREV architecture embodies two independent sources of power (or “fuel”), the likelihood of ever being stranded along a street or highway is vanishingly small by contrast to present-day cars. Also, an electric motor’s inherently much higher reliability will greatly reduce maintenance requirements (and costs). And “range anxiety”, an unfortunate aspect of ordinary EV designs, completely disappears with the Voltec EREV design.
So in short ….moon shot or not…. there’s simply not a single reason NOT to want a Chevy Volt!
-Nasaman
This entry was posted on Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at 5:43 pm and is filed under Test drive, Volt Nation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Mar 14th, 2010 (5:48 pm)Cool, both good entries. I will go with…
One Small step for Volt…
+5
Mar 14th, 2010 (5:50 pm)Thank you both for your service to this great nation. USA and the Volt Nation.
+1
Mar 14th, 2010 (6:06 pm)Vary hard to pick… Two very deserving people and I dare say, people that have made America proud.
Mar 14th, 2010 (6:08 pm)Both excellent. I am sure this will be a close race. I voted for nasaman.
For some entertainment see Voltex at http://www.evcast.com/members/evcast
+1
Mar 14th, 2010 (6:13 pm)Once again, congratulations to all who participated. Well done to all. As to these two finalists, I wouldn’t presume to choose between them. Equally outstanding, IMHO.
-1
Mar 14th, 2010 (6:44 pm)Way too hard to decide. I can’t do it. I’m just gonna cover my eyes and click.
Mar 14th, 2010 (6:56 pm)Both great but there can only be one winner so I vote for……..
Mar 14th, 2010 (7:19 pm)Hope the VNT have good weather for the demo drives. Latest NY weather shows high temps of about 58. All here will enjoy hearing feedback on Volt handling, balance, and acceleration.
I believe the biggest demo drive rush will come from the high torque acceleration minus the straining engine rpm noise. The usual gasoline engine friction concerns are history with electric drive. The T battery should act as both a means of weight balance (low and centered) and bracing for the frame.
=D-Volt
+1
Mar 14th, 2010 (7:19 pm)Both are strong essays and both sound like deserving people. However, I voted for Essay 1– it has a decent argument. Who doesn’t want world peace?
Mar 14th, 2010 (8:20 pm)Both are heart-felt and convincing arguments, I may just have to flip a coin.
+1
Mar 14th, 2010 (8:33 pm)Thanks for all your enthusiasm, Lyle. Word of mouth is the best advertising. GM should give you an early Volt.
Mar 14th, 2010 (8:58 pm)Both are excellent essays and are truly on the point.
I voted for Nasaman because (as old as I am) I remember the dispair when the Russians put Sputnik in orbit. Our rockets at that time were falling over and exploding.
The people at Nasa pulled on their belt and said—We are going to do this! GM has in effect done the same thing.
Thank you both.
Mar 14th, 2010 (9:01 pm)I wont say who I voted for . that is what I like about democracy .
The best person will win and that is a good thing .
Next thing is for the winner to sit down with Lyle and put all their
thoughts into words .
It would be a very interesting report I am sure .
Mar 14th, 2010 (9:04 pm)Both essay’s are well written and express strong points, but I feel Nasaman’s is a more positive message when taken in it’s entirety. Wanting a Volt is about many things and I think this is very well expressed in Nasaman’s not finding a reason to not want a Volt, Double negative = positive. We positively want one.
Mar 14th, 2010 (9:10 pm)Two Excellent entries. Tough decision.
Mar 14th, 2010 (9:12 pm)I watched my video lose by a mile when about 12 votes tallied in about 1/2 hour. I just wish two people would have won that were’nt so attached to the site ( graphics contributor and nasaman, being so obvious who they were ( ” I’m an astrophysicist who worked for the Space Agency” ). Their essays were very good – but I wish this “contest” didn’t appear so much as a popularity contest.
That said, I’m SO GLAD I made the video and I will not be able to make the trip since I’m in the top 10 but I am in Seattle and can’t afford airfare.
The winners are great guys who already know Lyle personally and I’m glad for them. There were several amazing essays and any one could have won. My hat’s off to all who participated.
No worries as I know if the Volt gets off the ground I’ll buy the first one that’s not price gouged by a dealer. Perhaps 2012?
Dealers I’ve spoken to in my area hardly know a thing about the car. One owner of my nearest Chevy dealer kind of laughed and didn’t take the Volt seriously. He wouldn’t put me on any list, and none existed. I’m gonna perservere – and post my experiences here.
As to those who dug the “Buy Buy Miss American Pie” video, don’t worry, I am inspired. I’m about to begin a viral video campaign on the Chevy Volt – hoping it may educate, entertain and inspire many to contact their dealers and GM requesting they build it.
IF YOU BUILD IT – THEY WILL COME.
RECHARGE! James
+2
Mar 14th, 2010 (9:48 pm)Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think that people submitting essay’s knew that *we* would be voting to pick the top ten and the top one. It was my assumption that Lyle or Lyle plus some helpful assistants would do the choosing and tell the rest of us what the results were. Based on that assumption, I don’t think these two said those things about themselves to get *our* vote (popularity contest). Participation in the site was stated to be part of the ranking, so it was natural for them to reference something about participation in the site and Volt Nation. JMHO
Mar 14th, 2010 (10:02 pm)Good luck to both finalists. I really hope that the majority of the people that visit this site will all purchase a Volt as soon as it’s available. Hopefully the excitement shown in these entries, as well as all the people who have commented on them, is evidence that the Volt will be a big hit come November.
Nasaman, have you been to WSMR in the past? I’ve been there a few times for work, I’d have to imagine you’ve been there too given your career.
Mar 14th, 2010 (10:29 pm)I hope whoever goes on the test drive takes good notes. I’m still interested in knowing why the VOLT has a beer tap shifter that’s so big, it looks like the emergency cut off switch for a nuclear power plant. This is an electric car. Push buttons would have been good, leaving more room in the center console. I’m just saying….
Mar 14th, 2010 (11:09 pm)JMO, but I kinda like the mega-shifter. I think that at least *some* folks think “wussy” when they think “electric”. The mega-macho-shifter kinda de-wussifies the vehicle. Seems like we have to retain *some* good ‘ol ICE cues, don’t we? After all, the Volt’s being sold as a “no adjustment necessary” ride. Things may well have changed in the years since I first drove a Prius, but that “start button” felt really weird. I pushed it and — nothing. Didn’t even know the thing was “on”. (lol) I know that the Volt will have the same “start” process, but couldn’t a “Button Shifter” be bumped too easily? As I said, JMO.
Re the voting, they were both great – so I voted for one of them.
Be well,
Tagamet
/night all.
// just sent my daughter to Calif for surgery, so you guys on the Left coast watch out for her (g)
///VERY touching “laying on of hands” ceremony for her at church today.
Mar 15th, 2010 (12:24 am)Submission 1 goes right to the first round of what I hope this car does for the country, for people, for the nation. Put the best technology to work here in America, and stop subsidizing the world with our dollars by protecting the World’s oil supply with American dollars, and american youth.
Mar 15th, 2010 (12:25 am)I applaud GM for taking the lead on the electrificatoin of the auto industry. I can’t wait to own one.
Mar 15th, 2010 (2:51 am)Hi all,
As Tag wrote (My thoughts are with you Tag and your daughter), “the essays were good so I voted for one of them”.
As you know, I’m from Belgium and I’m involved in promoting EVs and EREV’s in my country. Gradually the public servants and politicians become aware of the importance of the question and – I dare to write it – it is because I learned a lot from this site and its contributors.
What is lacking is a demo program, so please GM think about Belgium in other terms than closing the Antwerp factory and bring some Volts here to convince people. I may help.
Best regards,
JC NPNS
Mar 15th, 2010 (5:07 am)The best way to wipe out the “wussy electric” feeling is a good strong push on your lower back imediately after pushing the accelerator to the floor. If I can get that feeling for a while off of the $1 worth of grid power I have packed away, then it’s a very memorable experience. There are plenty of cars that give economy by laying off of the accelerator, probably all off them, but I see very few people using that feature for some reason.
Mar 15th, 2010 (5:59 am)Uncontested! I was just thinking of all the times I’ve walked by an interesting car and stopped to look in the window. I’d be more impressed by seeing something out of a jumbo-jet cockpit (read Max Bob-ish) than I would if I saw something like a blender. It WILL be all about the experience, but first we need to get the butts in the seat. JMO
Be well,
Tagamet
PS Thanks JC!
Mar 15th, 2010 (6:11 am)Have you seen this one? Don’t know where she’s plugging in to. But fun to watch.
Chevy Volt: An American Evolution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmPa40TbwrY
=D-Volt
Mar 15th, 2010 (6:31 am)Well done to everyone who here.
Hopefully I will see you a Voltnation.
Mar 15th, 2010 (6:32 am)You didn’t get the e-mail? That’s the port where all the power stored can be used for having fun. As Cadillac says, the car turns you on.
Mar 15th, 2010 (6:49 am)She’ll be in our thoughts and prayers.
Mar 15th, 2010 (9:26 am)Thanks.
Be well and believe,
Tagamet
Mar 15th, 2010 (10:33 am)Gee, I wish I thought of doing something like this for the contest.
http://green.autoblog.com/2010/03/12/its-still-friday-is-there-a-chemical-cure-for-range-anxiety/#continued
That would have been the winner!
+1
Mar 15th, 2010 (11:02 am)At the Austin, Texas SXSW film conference GM brought the LA Chevy Volt and offered 25 rides for the AustinEV Club. We got to drive the car with some other VIPs. They let you put the car in high sport mode and come to a stop and punch it in a closed parking lot. I was so blessed to not only get to drive it but get to feel that EV power of the car.
To the winner of this contest, it is a great experience and as a warning it goes by very fast, so take pictures. You will want one.
Thanks GM for the Austin preview of the Volt!!
see the event at Chevy – http://chevrolet.posterous.com/
+1
Mar 15th, 2010 (12:52 pm)Both really interesting essays, however Entry 1 gets my vote. As a Mom of young children, I love the perspective of less dependence on foreign oil and gas. Let’s leave our children a better world! Thanks Entrant 1 for your service to our country!
Mar 15th, 2010 (2:17 pm)Sorry I know that this is somewhat off-topic, but any noticable torque steer? In plain English does it pull to the left or right under hard acceleration? My Saturns were/are generally too wimpy to have this, but I have noticed it in some more powerful rental cars. Torque steer is not a big deal if you’re prepared for it, although it’s still generally considered as a negative attribute in a vehicle’s design.
Congrats on the test drive.
Mar 15th, 2010 (3:59 pm)There is not any that I could tell and not any engine vibration being in all electric mode at the time. I was to early a driver to feel re-gen mode transition. Please qualify my review I was very excited!
Mar 15th, 2010 (6:00 pm)I can imagine, I felt that way just watching the Opel video.
Mar 15th, 2010 (11:10 pm)Aw, gimme a break give it to the grunt. He’s a regular guy who is the greater market GM is aiming for. I know, I know the old(er) guy is a good guy to but cut a bro some slack. Besides we’re all gonna go for a ride this November! I’m ready, YO!
Mar 16th, 2010 (6:33 am)Thanks for your votes, everyone! I’m really looking forward to the test drive —and I’m hoping someone there can get video of it to share (along with my writeup) with everyone here!