Tom: OK lets all chant in unison WHATS THE PRICE! WHATS THE PRICE!
Tom  

DonC: The article says that they use a compressor and refrigerant to cool the cabin. They use a separate system to cool the pack. No mention of a compressor or refrigerant for this circuit, only a “chiller unit”. Without mention of a compressor I’d assume this is a simple heat exchanger aka air cooled process. I’ve never looked at a Tesla, but if that wasn’t the case, and if Tesla did use a compressor and refrigerant to cool the pack, why does the battery overheat on hot days?  (Quote)

Never heard of Tesla’s battery overheating. They do (or did) circulate coolant constantly while the car is plugged in regardless of whether it is charging or not. The post that I linked was specifically about their HVAC system. The quote references the cabin cooling AC system and notes it us similar to conventional systems except for the extra loop to condition the battery. The speak specifically about the compressor and the associated coolant loops in the quote I provided and have again copied part of below. Prowler could give first hand experience. I think the conditioning is also discussed in their battery white paper.

“This uses a compressor similar to the one in a domestic fridge — only ours is blue and works off 400 volts. It’s at the front of the car, and pumps the refrigerant through the chiller unit in much the same way as a standard car’s system.

There is one added complication, though — we also have a requirement to keep the ESS cool. The ESS has its own coolant circuit, with a pump that circulates a water/glycol antifreeze mix round the ESS and then through a separate chiller unit to the right of the ESS behind the passenger door. This allows us to achieve cell temperatures within a range that supports long life and efficient performance.”

Dave K.:
Hope GMAC, ALLY, or some other form of financing can convert the State and Federal tax credits to instant rebates. This will be huge in this economic environment. Think The White House would consider 1.9% on the purchase of EV? They will get what they want. More EV on the road. And and source of income as well.Just as hundreds of small changes in aero add up to 40 miles electric on the Volt. Small changes in finance enabling will pay dividends for all involved.=D-Volt  

That sure is helpful, Dave K.

Many more would be so much more closer to being able to get Volts (from the financial perspectives, because of the huge fuel savings if we do high annual miles and currently get only about 20.5 mpg, which I think is the national average).

Every tiny bit of help for the purchase logistics helps enormously! That is how close the affordability is.

Getting this all started up, in this very special case only, really I think, needs some extraordinary additional financial logistics methods and help from many parties.

If GM is going to get the ball rolling expeditiously, how about a warranted buyback (from someone if not GM) of the battery for when it is ten years old, yet have the buyback paid in advance as a grant?
Many have stated the reasons for residual battery value. Could we possibly count on that somehow, someway, in advance at time of purchase?

Noel Park: I remember one summer we went from Lake Tahoe up the back roads to Mt. Lassen.

That’s a beautiful drive. If anyone here has never done it, they should… all the way from the Volcanic ntl monument between K-falls & Lassen all the way down to Yosemite. There are not very many mountain ranges where someone can travel the long direction staying at high altitude. In most cases you end up sticking to the valleys and passes. That’s not the case for this drive, you stay up in the high altitude mountains the whole way.