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

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

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

This is pretty exciting- bravo to GM for stealing a bit of Toyota thunder.

Wait, only 40 miles? I can't even get to the office and back on that.

the total range is estimated at about 650 miles. after 40 miles the regular engine kicks in to charge the lithium ion batteries to power the electric engine.

I cant help but think all these "new" electric cars are bullshit. Who Killed the Electric Car showed some of the great technology they already had years ago. Now these new cars seem to be only half that advanced and some how its a miricle of modern design. They are holding back for money. We know they can build something amazing, they have done it before but to convice you to buy their trash they give you a blurry translation of what once was and call it "new"

Whatever, Ill stick to my gas powered hybred. Powerfull, endless range and $10000 cheaper then that. Also you have to look at the carbon being used to produce the electircity and the CO2 used as a direct pollutant from driving it.

So its an expensive, dirty, car with no range and low to average power. No thank you.

Comment hidden because you are ignoring dag.(show it anyway)

^ That's crap DrPawn - electrical grid power plants have the economy of scale on their side. Any energy they produce is way more efficient and green than energy derived from an IC engine in your car.

The point with this one- is that for your everyday running around you don't need to use any gas at all. But you still have the range of a conventional car if you need it with the included small generator.

You must not have watched the video- or read the comment right above you. It has a range of 650 miles. Not that much different than your hybrid- which I'm sorry - does not have an "endless" range either.

Jesus what a load of crap has been spilled here.

There are SO many things wrong about this that I can't even be bothered to write them all down. When the gas engine is running (and it will be, 40 miles is nothing) it's just a hybrid without the benefit of a gas engine also doing some of the work.

They already have working li-ion battery packs, even in automotive use, eg. the Tesla Roadster. And that (if you believe them) has a range of over 200 miles, not to even mention the performance difference. Sure, it's a light little thing, but still.

It looks like a Chrysler Crossfire with some beautifications made with a large sledgehammer (and the Crossfire already looked like a dog taking a dump).

It has a long bonnet, even though it supposedly has only a small gas engine and electric motors are also known to be quite small. So it doesn't have any room at the back. This would be acceptable in a city car, but by the looks of it, it ain't. And why would you need a car that can only do 40 miles if you're not using it in a city?

So it's a slow, ugly car with no place to put your stuff in, is completely useless on a longer trip compared to a normal hybrid, or even a normal car, is too big to be a proper city car, the batteries are going to blow out at some point, most likely in under 100k miles, and then you have to buy a new car.

Also the 50 mpg mentioned is pathetic, since many many many diesel cars nowadays can get more than 60 mpg, and the VW Golf TSI (gas) can get even more than that when you're going at about 40mph. If you drive less than 40 miles every day, chances are you're not going anywhere fast. "Studies suggest that 78% of drivers drive less than 40 miles per day" isn't really a good argument, since lots of people drive zero miles one day and 80 miles the next.

This car pollutes about as much as other cars in it's class while using gas, and the more people use electric cars, the more electricity is consumed, and the more pollution is created to provide that electricity.

Even better, they have a few systems in Germany that add water to diesel, which makes it more powerful, gives better mpg, and reduces the particle output (the only thing that's worse in diesels compared to best gas engines) to non-existant levels. It works for the same reason slighty moist wood burns better than bone dry wood. The systems are already working and require minimal modifications to work in existing cars.

Of course gas and diesel are going to run out at some point, and we'll have to use electric or hydrogen cars. But at this moment, and even in the future, the Chevy Volt is just rubbish.

Now, if you fitted that with a better electric motor, proper batteries and changed the gas engine to a water+diesel engine, now that could be something. Also do something about the chassis, there's no point to an electric car that looks like that.

Have to admit, 40 miles is not that impressive.

It seems to me that having 5-7 engine variants of a car and allowing people the option to order an engine setup that fit them, like double the li-batteries in series for 70-80 miles, could lead to a new age in car design.

^ ^ ^ nothing like comparing a $100,000 car with a 250 mile range, to a <$30,000 car with a 640 mile range.
fine to call it ugly as you are entitled to your opinion. I find it beautifuly designed.

with 78% of the population driving under 40 miles a day, I'd say that is quite a large market for the car (in addition to it's 50mpg and 640 extended driving range)

you stated 50mpg is pathetic. while I don't even pretend to be the know all on cars, I can't think of one car here in the states that gets 50mpg. perhaps there are a few here in the states, but they are not the norm or widespread.

the car probably does pollute as much as others. I have not seen the data to support it either way. but i would speculate that it is about what other cars today put out (which in general is not good)

I have also not seen mention on the storage space, so I can't comment on that aspect. I would be interested to know where you got the information to come to that conclusion.

Overall, I'd say any car that tries to introduce more of electric aspect is welcome and will improve dramatically as the technology matures.

I'd gladly pay for a cheap electric-only car. Fewer moving parts, less to go wrong. Work is 10 miles away.

*wheels

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