yeah, it is a nice car. and while it may have "some" of the technology used in the EV1 (btw: that movie you referenced is great and shows what idiototic decisions GM made) but it is no way an EV1. check out the specs to see all the differences. also, they are not talking about leasing these cars.

check out
http://www.gm-volt.com
for more info

they have numerous interviews with the leaders of this project and talk at length about the support they are getting from GM as they believe this will turn their company around as no other company has anything quite like this. It will also wean our addiction to oil

Wow.. nice car.. you know they made these before already.. The EV1. Hundreds of them, they were pretty awesome, everyone that owned one loved them. Then they took them back after the 2 year lease.. stored them next to an oil drill for a while, then demolished them all.

I believe the name of the 2 hr movie on them is called: "Who killed the electric car?"... yes, that's it. I wonder if they'll do the same thing to these cars... http://www.videosift.com/video/Who-Killed-The-Electric-Car-1

"Clearly, a typical gasoline tank wouldn’t survive a single one of these tests."

Well, technically you can use your gastank for target practice, and it is pretty hard to cause ignition (let alon a nearly impossible explosion)

But, yes, this should outrage everyone that auto and oil companies have colluded for decades on preventing alternative energies. Look at the EV1 documentary!

Now, I agree that right now, hydrogen is less efficient than gasoline, but you are missing some major points. Instead of pollution all along the cities and freeways, in a hydrogen based economy, the pollution would only occur near the hydrogen production plant. This plant could be solar, nuclear, coal, etc. And if all the source pollution was in a few mega-large plants, it would be rather cost effective to scrub pollution from ONE plant, instead of 50 million car exhausts. (duh!)

Not only that, places like Canada where hydroelectric is primary energy source, or France where it is nuclear -- over production of electricity to generate hydrogen is really irrelevant.

Can you imagine a city where the only pollution is oil, antifreeze and rubber? No lead, CO, toxic fumes.

What is really dumb is this technology is waiting on "Fuel Cells"... when it worked in the 70s!!! WTF! I hope the auto execs all go to jail, or hell, or both.

Bamdrew don't even bother, Quantumushroom is really a political polemist from the Republican right wing, ever since he joined his prerogative has been to muddle the arguments taking place across contentious issues such as the war in Iraq, torture, global warming and others.

He doesn't represent anything but the right wing need to mess up the argument so much that easy, clear, decisions suddenly become clouded via the addition of question extraneous to this debate. Like you know that - Everyone kept saying Iraq is on the brink of a civil war, and Right Wing polemists would instantly say "Well what is a civil war?", suddenly the whole goddamn country spends 3 weeks deciding if the escalating violence is really a civil war or not.

Let's look at his arguments:

1 . "Is the earth warming? Sure. Climate is a dynamic system with constantly changing temperatures. We're supposedly long overdue for another ice age."

This is has been proven wrong by ice cores records from the poles, which contain a temperature record going back some 650,000 years. Climate is dynamic system but the temperatures remain within definable scientific bars, various data across the world show that the rising temperature is causing problems. It just proves that his arguments come from right wing talking points.

2. "Did human activity cause the current warming trend? Unlikely. Global temps were higher during the Middle Ages."

Again. This is has been proven wrong by ice cores records from the poles, which contain a temperature record going back some 650,000 years.

3. "The people crying about this are the same who want government to micromanage everyone's lives. Freedom frightenes them. They lie(d) about gun control, tobacco, and the "epidemic" of obesity. If you want to take it to the next level, they're the same liars that banned DDT, causing the needless deaths of hundreds of millions to malaria."

Remember what I said? He brings in arguments that have nothing to do with the discussion.

Seriously I won't even bother answering your paranoid idea that somehow global warming policy institutes an infringement on personal autonomy when the only people affected via global warming policy change are actually large corporations willing to overcharge their consumers for profit, but unwilling to increase their costs to save the enviroment (see oil companies).

They lied about tobacco and epidemic obesity? Really? Then why did Cigarette companies settle with the American people to the tune of 246 billion over 25 years in November 1998? Why is heart disease the number one cause of death in america? Obesity my friend.

Quantum clearly you don't know facts about studies done on DDT, while proven to be beneficial against malaria, the dosage required for it to fight effectively would cause preterm birth and early weaning, abrogating the benefit of reducing infant mortality from malaria. Toxicological evidence shows endocrine-disrupting properties; human data also indicate possible disruption in semen quality, menstruation, gestational length, and duration of lactation. The research focus on human reproduction and development seems to be appropriate. DDT could be an effective public-health intervention that is cheap, long lasting, and effective. So you are telling me when presented with all this evidence from Lancet you are still willing to spray your populace with DDT?

If it's so beneficial maybe we should start using radioactive medicines for our ailments like they did in the 30s and 40s?

Now of course next you're going to say that change in environmental policy will be deterimental to Economic prosperity and growth. That's just bullshit from people who know nothing about current market forces and policies. American big businesses unwillingness to institute environmental policies is only costing them market share in the world.

Currently Detroit's car manufacturing industry is suffering behind Toyota and Honda, because both these companies still aim to produce high range SUVs with MPG rates that are so dismal that American cars can't be sold in China because they don't meet environmental standards. Hell it's most parts of the world that American can't export it's cars to anymore, because it does not meet MPG requirements. Remember when GM was the number one? It's not anymore it's Toyota. Which is ironic because GM almost cornered the market on electrical cars with the EV1. Notice how I talk about MPG, MILES PER GALLON not even CO2 emissions or such. MPG.

This is human hubris, what kind of world do you want to leave to your kids? grandkids?

-------------

"A very successful PR campaign perpetuated by extraordinarily powerful companies has injected the idea that there is still debate on these issues among scientists, when there very much is NONE."

The same has been applied to the ideas of evolution. Creationists and ID supporters keep saying there is a debate among scientists about where or not evolution occurred, when again there is no such debate and there is consensus.

I'm 6'4" and I have no problems with my 2005 prius. I like the way it looks and really like paying $20 for a tankful which lasts a week and a few days. Another thing I like...Waiting at a stop or in stop and go traffic without the engine running. Clarkson has very different priorities than I do. It may take me a while to break even on the purchase price differential, but at least I'm doing something about out dependence on oil in the meantime. And yes, I would prefer an EV1 or a hydrogen fuel cell car but I don't see any for sale at a price anyone would pay. As for diesel, you may burn less, but it's far more polluting than burning gasoline.

I really liked the EV1 from General Motors before they pulled it off the market for dubious reasons.

At no point did I advocate the Prius. It's a celebrity matchbox car.

I really liked the EV1 from General Motors before they pulled it off the market for dubious reasons.

I wish people knew about this and the desert full of rusting, crushed EV1s. You think Joe Camel cartoons for kids is evil... this was truly evil.

I drove one of these cars, and they were amazing. They go 50-100mph at the same accelerations as 0-50. Just crazy fast and a leap year ahead of even modern Priuses. Auto makers basically stalled 5 years of development and are now realizing Prius demand is again creating waiting lists.