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The Volt is dead


Parliament

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36 minutes ago, Grippe said:

The reason the volt was built wasn't to make a profit off of customers.  The reason the volt was built was to make a profit off of government subsidies.

 

GM made a nice profit off of the volt.

Close - I've always thought that the reason for the Volt (and many other small cars) is that the Auto companies need to meed CAFE standards. So by selling crappy cars for little to no profit, it allows them to sell pickups and large SUV's that have crappy mileage but huge profits.

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1 hour ago, Wally Fairway said:

Close - I've always thought that the reason for the Volt (and many other small cars) is that the Auto companies need to meed CAFE standards. So by selling crappy cars for little to no profit, it allows them to sell pickups and large SUV's that have crappy mileage but huge profits.

Closer than you think - that is actually a quote directly from one of the accountants I've worked with from time to time at GM.  They wrote down a production loss but never claimed the subsidies they later received (which bumped them into the green on the product line).

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8 hours ago, 'stache said:

And the technology is further along than it would be otherwise when we finally realize a petroleum based transportation system is unsustainable. But old people will be dead by then so who cares.

Long after we go to electric cars, we will still be pulling oil out of the ground. Unless you think we will stop using plastics, oil based lubricants, and all the other stuff made from refining crude oil. 

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6 hours ago, Vito Andolini said:

The Volt concept was a really cool looking car. The reality was really meh. Yes, the transition from concept to what will actually be plausible in the real world is usually substantial, but this was quite disappointing.

volt-concept-reality_opt.jpg

People have proven time and again since day 1 of prius that the people that want to buy a Prius or peer vehicle, want to buy a vehicle that everyone knows is “environmentally friendly.”

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I bought a hybrid a few years ago.  From a technological standpoint, I think hybrid electric vehicles are silly.  However, I was able to buy it at a fair discount to the same vehicle in standard configuration, so who am I to turn down improved gas mileage?  It's a daily driver, not a statement.

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15 hours ago, 'stache said:

And the technology is further along than it would be otherwise when we finally realize a petroleum based transportation system is unsustainable. But old people will be dead by then so who cares.

we don’t need earth forever.  hell, we’re already about to go to mars!  I say we just keep burning the black stuff.  

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7 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

People have proven time and again since day 1 of prius that the people that want to buy a Prius or peer vehicle, want to buy a vehicle that everyone knows is “environmentally friendly.”

And the rest of us have figured out that 99.9% of those assholes are shitty drivers. 

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Carmakers might be able to sell more electrics to a broader audience if they didn't make them all look so stupid.  Tesla, who makes the most visually appealing electrics, started out great with the Lotus body, but then even they started making them look fucked up with their screwed up lack of symmetry on their current models.  I'd never even consider buying a Volt, or a Prius or any of the others, because the all look goofy and cheap as hell.

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Carmakers might be able to sell more electrics to a broader audience if they didn't make them all look so stupid.  Tesla, who makes the most visually appealing electrics, started out great with the Lotus body, but then even they started making them look fucked up with their screwed up lack of symmetry on their current models.  I'd never even consider buying a Volt, or a Prius or any of the others, because the all look goofy and cheap as hell.
This x1000. Give me an electric Mustang. I'll sacrifice an exhaust note for cheaper operating costs and loads of instant torque.
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17 hours ago, Wally Fairway said:

Close - I've always thought that the reason for the Volt (and many other small cars) is that the Auto companies need to meed CAFE standards. So by selling crappy cars for little to no profit, it allows them to sell pickups and large SUV's that have crappy mileage but huge profits.

A friend of mine had one of these, and the Volt seemed to me to be pretty damned far from "crappy." It was actually an above-average family sedan, especially for a guy who had solar panels on his roof...

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1 hour ago, Hmbre97 said:
1 hour ago, Hairy Biped said:
Carmakers might be able to sell more electrics to a broader audience if they didn't make them all look so stupid.  Tesla, who makes the most visually appealing electrics, started out great with the Lotus body, but then even they started making them look fucked up with their screwed up lack of symmetry on their current models.  I'd never even consider buying a Volt, or a Prius or any of the others, because the all look goofy and cheap as hell.

This x1000. Give me an electric Mustang. I'll sacrifice an exhaust note for cheaper operating costs and loads of instant torque.

Lectric Mustang  

 

name for a bar or boy band?

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11 hours ago, Rimbo said:

A friend of mine had one of these, and the Volt seemed to me to be pretty damned far from "crappy." It was actually an above-average family sedan, especially for a guy who had solar panels on his roof...

I meant much more broadly about crappy small cars. As a better example, I've said for quite a while that Chrysler could be very profitable if they could sell only Ram trucks, Jeeps, and Chrylser Mini vans and stop making all the cars they make. But they would never meet CAFE standards, so they have to make other higher mileage crap.

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I meant much more broadly about crappy small cars. As a better example, I've said for quite a while that Chrysler could be very profitable if they could sell only Ram trucks, Jeeps, and Chrylser Mini vans and stop making all the cars they make. But they would never meet CAFE standards, so they have to make other higher mileage crap.
My rental this week is some kinda Dodge. I know rental cars aren't loaded up with options, but wow this thing. It will literally make you wanna buy another brand.

Regarding pickup, Dodge easily hangs with Ford and Chevy when it comes to innovation and quality. That was completely untrue up to 5 years ago.
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I look around at the cars on the road in Austin and see so many Volts, Teslas, Prius, et. al. in the hybrid/electric space.  And half the homes in our neighborhood have solar panels.  And I wonder how in the world with all these advancements, and with even internal combustion engines getting such better mileage than they did 10 years ago...how is the world still using about 90-95mm barrels/day.  

Oh yeah, brown people in other countries want shit.  

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I rented a Volt while visiting a client in Ohio. The damn thing shut down on me in the middle of BFE. A shit ton of Windows errors popped up on the screen and the car just shut down and I mean shut down. Doors wouldn't unlock, trunk wouldn't unlock, nothing. I had to go through the backseat to get to the trunk in order to get my bag out. Weird that they were Windows errors, I think they only used that for the entertainment system.

Called the rental company asked for a replacement to be brought out to me and someone to haul that PoS away. 

 

 

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I look around at the cars on the road in Austin and see so many Volts, Teslas, Prius, et. al. in the hybrid/electric space.  And half the homes in our neighborhood have solar panels.  And I wonder how in the world with all these advancements, and with even internal combustion engines getting such better mileage than they did 10 years ago...how is the world still using about 90-95mm barrels/day.  
Oh yeah, brown people in other countries want shit.  


The poor, unwashed, Trump-voting mouth breathers in fly over country don't own EV's or hybrids. Because you can't put truck nuts on a Prius.
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2 hours ago, Parliament said:


 

 


The poor, unwashed, Trump-voting mouth breathers in fly over country don't own EV's or hybrids. Because you can't put truck nuts on a Prius.

 

Have you perhaps noticed the sheer volume of SUVs and Pickups on the road? Please spare us all the Trumpkin bullshit. Hypocrisy is real and liberals drive SUVs too. 

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On 12/22/2018 at 10:21 AM, Hornius Emeritus said:

The Bolt is Chevy's 100% electric vehicle, right?   The Volt was some kind of hybrid technology. 

Wouldn't you love to be selling those two in Mexico. "Bamos a comprarnos un Bolt" "Un Volt?" "Pos siiiii, weyyy, acavo de decirtelo"

Be like "Who's on First" all damn day.

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On 12/23/2018 at 2:14 PM, Wally Fairway said:

I meant much more broadly about crappy small cars. As a better example, I've said for quite a while that Chrysler could be very profitable if they could sell only Ram trucks, Jeeps, and Chrylser Mini vans and stop making all the cars they make. But they would never meet CAFE standards, so they have to make other higher mileage crap.

I think you may be mistaken.

Most American carmakers are killing off all of their sedans next year.

Ford is killing all but the mustang.

Chevy is killing most...

I read this like 6 months ago

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Have you perhaps noticed the sheer volume of SUVs and Pickups on the road? Please spare us all the Trumpkin bullshit. Hypocrisy is real and liberals drive SUVs too. 

Liberal here - Tesla driver - possible solar panel user in the next 12-15 months (hoping to build a new home starting this spring) and I had and will have a Tahoe again.

Plus while I think emissions from cars and power plants are the pressing issue and so EVs and renewable energy are an absolute must, when we go all electric rare earth metals shortages and mining operations will be the environmental disaster.
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