Pages

Jump to bottom

5 comments

1 Buck  Fri, Mar 2, 2012 9:09:30pm

GM to Idle Chevy Volt Output as Sales Slow‎

General Motors Co. will idle production of its Chevrolet Volt battery-powered car for five weeks beginning this month because of slow sales.

2 Interesting Times  Sat, Mar 3, 2012 8:25:58am

Limbaugh, Fox News, Tea Party Get What They Want With False Attacks on Chevy Volt: 1300 GM Lay-Offs

No doubt there are many contributing factors, but in January, GM CEO Dan Akerson explained: “We did not design the Volt to become a political punching bag and that’s what it’s become.”

He had been called in to testify by the Tea-Party crowd running the U.S. House in a hearing witch-hunt titled, “Volt Vehicle Fire: What Did NHTSA Know and When Did They Know It?” Yes, that’s a reference to Nixon and Watergate!

In fact, NHSTA concluded it does not believe the Volt and other electric vehicles “pose a greater risk of fire than gasoline-powered vehicles.”

Has there ever been a more relentless partisan campaign against American products and American jobs than this?

3 Buck  Sat, Mar 3, 2012 10:00:04am

You miss the point, GM is failing where Ford (and Toyota) are succeeding. Blame the right is a funny reaction. even from you.

4 Spocomptonite  Sat, Mar 3, 2012 12:02:52pm

re: #3 Buck

You miss the point, GM is failing where Ford (and Toyota) are succeeding. Blame the right is a funny reaction. even from you.

Hybrids are hit and miss, but ALL Electric cars aren’t doing well in the U.S. Both the leaf and the volt missed their projetions. And it is Republican’s fault in part.

First, electric motors and batteries are more expensive than gasoline engines and a tank. At least we have a tax credit to make the price point more competitive… that Republican want to repeal.

Second, European and Japanese automakers have an easier sell in their respective areas because gasoline is so expensive through taxes and whatnot, making the increased upfront costs of electric actually worth it in the long run. But Republicans just want to lower gasoline prices even further, ensuring that the U.S. will be even further behind in adopting what is an inevitable technology sooner or later.

Third, European and Japanese automakers are in countries that take emissions and the threat of climate change seriously. Their governments actively support R&D into electric cars, thinking long-term benefits over short-term costs. Meanwhile, Republicans want to eliminate the EPA, think Climate Change is a grand conspiracy, and press for subsidies/support for pipelines and new oil drilling. Supporting electric vehicles is antithetical to a lot of their ideologies.

So yes, speaking from a strictly policy standpoint, a lot of Republicans are working to sabotage electric car sales in the U.S., whether they know that or not.

5 Bob Levin  Sun, Mar 4, 2012 3:01:07am

Actually, electric cars in the US are not quite ready for our geography. Our family would very much like to get an electric car, but our mechanic told us that our preferred automaker doesn’t make a good hybrid—yet, and the commutes are too long, the car will run out of power.

The technology is progressing, there needs to be more infrastructure conducive to electric cars, similar to gas stations, and the US will be on the way.

And that’s the choice for many families. The demand is there, the technology isn’t.


This page has been archived.
Comments are closed.

Jump to top

Create a PageThis is the LGF Pages posting bookmarklet. To use it, drag this button to your browser's bookmark bar, and title it 'LGF Pages' (or whatever you like). Then browse to a site you want to post, select some text on the page to use for a quote, click the bookmarklet, and the Pages posting window will appear with the title, text, and any embedded video or audio files already filled in, ready to go.
Or... you can just click this button to open the Pages posting window right away.
Last updated: 2023-04-04 11:11 am PDT
LGF User's Guide RSS Feeds

Help support Little Green Footballs!

Subscribe now for ad-free access!Register and sign in to a free LGF account before subscribing, and your ad-free access will be automatically enabled.

Donate with
PayPal
Cash.app
Recent PagesClick to refresh
Detroit Local Powers First EV Charging Road in North America The road, about a mile from Local 58's hall, uses rubber-coated copper inductive-charging coils buried under the asphalt that transfer power to a receiver pad attached to a car's underbelly, much like how a phone can be charged wirelessly. ...
Backwoods Sleuth
3 days ago
Views: 191 • Comments: 1 • Rating: 4