It's about damn time. Seriously, American car companies are so far behind the curve it's embarrassing. Toyota is kicking everyones ass because they've invested in fuel saving technology. Get with it GM! Getting rid of the Hummer is not nearly enough...how about investing in electric vehicles???

they actually are going to fund the production of their new electric car, Volt. it actually looks pretty sweet:

Guys, this is the way it is supposed to work. They're not doing this because they finally "heard" all the people griping about it. They're doing it because they can finally see the profit potential in a time frame they (and the shareholders) can accept.

It's business.

When the investment in new technology costs less than keeping the status quo, they'll invest. No amount of b*tching is going to speed up that timeframe.

Yes I saw this. But it annoys me that this is still a "concept" car. Hopefully gas prices and crappy sales will compel them to stop d**king around with the Volt and speed up production...

Unfortunately "...For someone who drives less than 40 miles a day..." is going to make it unattractive until they extend the range.

Agreed but, instead of being proactive in their business practices, they are being reactive. They should have been able to predict the gas price surge and sluggish sales. They should have invested in electric vehicles 5 years ago so they would have it for mass production today. IMO, they were being complacent - part of being a successful business is anticipating where the market will go in the future...there's probably some cool business term for that, but I can't think of it...

Agreed. The technology exists for electric vehicles to travel longer distances, but i think that involves larger batteries and not so good looking cars...it seems that a lot of issues with electric vehicles lay within battery design/engineering...

Yes and no. It may seem they're being reactive but I assure you they've been monitoring this for years.

There's strategic planning and then there's execution. The second part will only occur when the market will tolerate it. In other words, when their strategic plan matches the market conditions.

If they act "too soon", the stock would get creamed and that doesn't do anyone any good.

Dude... I drive less than 40 miles a month. I'll take one.

Good for you!
Unfortunately I will be able to get to (but not home from) work.

About time they dropped the hummer, I always get a laugh when I see one driving around town because they are always in pristine condition like they just drove off the lot. f**king douchebags that buy them won't even use them for anything fun, just drive around town and think their better than everyone because they have this ridiculous vehicle.

"Chevy Volt's range-extending power source kicks in to recharge the lithium-ion battery pack as required. We expect a driving range of an estimated 640 miles."

it has a gasoline powered generator used to re-charge the batteries as you drive so it is not like you have to stop, plug-in, and wait to charge every 40 miles. it will obviously use some gas at this point but it should still use less fuel to charge the batteries than to actually operate the car...right?

They're actually not very good off road vehicles at all...the H1 is too big, and the H2 and H3 are just watered down and pretty weak.

There were several electric/hybrid/high mileage cars made in the past, and no one wanted them.





The technology just really isn't there yet. It's hard to match the energy per pound of gasoline, and it's ease of use. There's a gap between batteries (more storage, long charge) and supercapacitors (less storage, short charge) in terms of energy densities and convenience, when something new is found between them then you'll have your electric car. Right now the thing we have that fits between them is gasoline.

Hydrogen, both in terms of production and use in an actual vehicle, is like a terribly inefficient version of gas.

Didn't GM throw money into a hydrogen concept?

What a joke.

Yeah...Several companies have. The material technology to make a tank small enough and strong enough to hold a high enough pressure for a good range doesn't really exist yet, especially not in a form affordable to the average person.

Yay no more Hummers?!? That would be great.

I actually think people in NA will begin to buy /rent their homes closer to their employment or will work closer to home. People here already are, because in the face of an obesity epidemic it's fantastic to be able to walk/jog/bike to work, and with gas at $1.45/l this morning, nobody wants to drive any more!

I'm also with SK. With the exception of the occasional weekend trip here or there, I don't drive at all. I'd love an electric car! (Though will they work at -45C?) Actually, I don't think my city is even 20km across, so I'm sure this would be a great car for everyone here, providing it works in winter.

Yes!! That means no more pretentious douche-nozzles in Hummers to smash into me while attempting to parallel park when I'm visiting Canmore/Banff!!

....Shouldn't GM and GE be holding hands, retooling, and cranking out as many wind-op-turbines as fast as they can?.....or is all just to goddam simple to understand....end game is now.

...even if every combustion engine on earth were otherwise powered, solvents and plastics need to be refigured too. The medical safety and sanitation industries are just as petrol-reliant as the transportation industries.

...start saving your spit. salicylic acid is a catalyst. Muuhaaaaha....MMMuuuuhhhaaaa...


..ha