The Right Flames the Volt

[ScienceRocks]

The Right Flames the Volt
By JOE NOCERA
Published: April 6, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/07/o...mes-the-volt.html?_r=3&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss



It was Thursday morning and several dozen owners of the new Chevrolet Volt had gathered at a restaurant overlooking the East River. Across town, the New York International Auto Show was in full swing. The Volt, of course, is the innovative electric car from General Motors, and G.M. was using the occasion of the auto show to meet with Volt owners.

Between bites of eggs and bacon, the Volt owners gushed about how well the car drove — and how much gasoline they were saving. They were early adopters, of course, willing to pay a high price ($40,000 before a $7,500 tax credit) to get their hands on a new technology. Many of them had become nearly obsessed with avoiding the gas station; for those with short commutes, it could be months between fill-ups.

What is the connection between President Obama and the Volt? There is none. The car was the brainchild of Bob Lutz, a legendary auto executive who is about as liberal as the Koch brothers. The tax credit — which is part of the reason conservatives hate the car — became law during the Bush administration.

“It’s nuts,” said Lutz, when I spoke to him earlier in the week. “This is a significant achievement in the auto industry. There are so many legitimate things to criticize Obama about. It is inexplicable that the right would feel the need to tell lies about the Volt to attack the president.”

 

[Sallow]

I read that. Good OpEd.

So much for the right's claim to be "pro-business".

 

[chikenwing]

I read that. Good OpEd.

So much for the right's claim to be "pro-business".

So they don't stop at the gas station,but instead need to visit the coal mine. Be honest about energy,requirements,they don't run on pennies a day.

 

[Two Thumbs]

The Right Flames the Volt
By JOE NOCERA
Published: April 6, 2012
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/07/o...mes-the-volt.html?_r=3&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss



It was Thursday morning and several dozen owners of the new Chevrolet Volt had gathered at a restaurant overlooking the East River. Across town, the New York International Auto Show was in full swing. The Volt, of course, is the innovative electric car from General Motors, and G.M. was using the occasion of the auto show to meet with Volt owners.

Between bites of eggs and bacon, the Volt owners gushed about how well the car drove — and how much gasoline they were saving. They were early adopters, of course, willing to pay a high price ($40,000 before a $7,500 tax credit) to get their hands on a new technology. Many of them had become nearly obsessed with avoiding the gas station; for those with short commutes, it could be months between fill-ups.

What is the connection between President Obama and the Volt? There is none. The car was the brainchild of Bob Lutz, a legendary auto executive who is about as liberal as the Koch brothers. The tax credit — which is part of the reason conservatives hate the car — became law during the Bush administration.

“It’s nuts,” said Lutz, when I spoke to him earlier in the week. “This is a significant achievement in the auto industry. There are so many legitimate things to criticize Obama about. It is inexplicable that the right would feel the need to tell lies about the Volt to attack the president.”

so obama is as bad as bush when it comes to wasting money.

this is no different than re-signing the Patriot Act. He owns it now.

and fyi, big 0 is prancing around like it was his idea..

 

[Katzndogz]

Don't pay any attention to those people whose homes burned down because they were stupid enough to put a volt in an attached garage.

 

[ScienceRocks]

I read that. Good OpEd.

So much for the right's claim to be "pro-business".

So they don't stop at the gas station,but instead need to visit the coal mine. Be honest about energy,requirements,they don't run on pennies a day.

Well coal is from our own ground! Natural gas, wind, solar right here in the United states . No more middle east!

Coal power in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Two Thumbs]

Don't pay any attention to those people whose homes burned down because they were stupid enough to put a volt in an attached garage.

got a link for that?

 

[PredFan]

I believe that the Vold is perfectly capable of flaming itself thank you.

 

[Skull Pilot]

If the Chevy Dolt was so good then people wouldn't need to be bribed with tax credits to buy it.

And those of you who support the government bribing people to buy a product at the expense of others are the ones who don't really support businesses and competition but would rather have the government choose who wins and who loses.

 

[Katzndogz]

Don't pay any attention to those people whose homes burned down because they were stupid enough to put a volt in an attached garage.

got a link for that?

Do you really mean to say you did not hear of the fires caused by the Volt? There are several threads on the topic. Do a search.

The EPA is going to shut the coal mines and close most of the power plants, so much for charging cars with electricity. 79 coal mines to be closed. Isn't that a comfy thought if you own an electric car. Don't count on wind, solar or nuclear either. It's not going to happen.



Hazard Herald (KY) - Coal supporters react to EPA permit decision

 

[Stephanie]

good grief, this is what the NYslimes thinks is important to publish..

how friggen stupid

 

[Old Rocks]

So here we have an "Made in USA" technology, and the 'Conservatives' can do nothing but flame it. What a bunch of sour grape peddlers. Makes you truly wonder what kind of idiotocracy they would install if they gained power.

 

[Skull Pilot]

So here we have an "Made in USA" technology, and the 'Conservatives' can do nothing but flame it. What a bunch of sour grape peddlers. Makes you truly wonder what kind of idiotocracy they would install if they gained power.

As I asked before if it's so great then why have the taxpayers subsidize the purchase?

If you want the government to pick which products will receive special treatment, then it is you who are anti business.

Let the Dolt compete without government intervention and we'll see how good it really is.

 

[martinjlm]

I read that. Good OpEd.

So much for the right's claim to be "pro-business".

So they don't stop at the gas station,but instead need to visit the coal mine. Be honest about energy,requirements,they don't run on pennies a day.

Stats from a real Volt owner (me......well actually, my wife):

Rec'd: March 7, 2012
Miles: just under 1,600 this morning, with 38 miles range showing, so let's say 1,600 showing on April 23rd

Gas used: 2.7 gallons to date
Cost of Elec.: $40/ month or $1.33/ day (and I'm fairly certain the electric company is not signing up to take a loss). So in 47 days it has cost us (47*1.33) + (2.7*4) = $73.47 plus our vehicle lease price to drive the Volt. I can live with that.

 

[martinjlm]

Don't pay any attention to those people whose homes burned down because they were stupid enough to put a volt in an attached garage.

got a link for that?

Do you really mean to say you did not hear of the fires caused by the Volt? There are several threads on the topic. Do a search........

Anyone who does a search will find the following.....

• There were two (2) fires
• The first was the result of a NHTSA test designed SPECIFICALLY to pierce the battery. Keep in mind that the battery sits between the passengers, so a collision that pierces the battery would likely kill the passengers before it pierced the battery,but I digress....
• The car was then rotated about its axis, similar to the way you would eat an ear of corn, in order to see if the battery material leaked out. It didn't.
• Then the car was stored in an observation lot. After sitting in the lot for a couple months, it caught fire.
• The second one that caught fire was one of several that was run through the same test to try to determine the root cause of the first fire.

So at the end of the day, these test show that IF your Volt is t-boned so badly that the center of the car is crushed and your battery is pierced, and IF you survive the collision that caused this, you should probably not rotate your vehicle around its axis and then sit in it for two months.....if you do, it MIGHT catch fire.

 

[Old Rocks]

Ah, but the posted truth will not keep the 'Conservatives' from posting their lies. They do so knowingly.

 

[whitehall]

It should be noted that like almost every other piece of propaganda drivel these days the story is based on opinion rather than news and the author is as biased as any of the fools in the almost bankrupt NY Times. The claim that Fox News was "asking nasty questions" says it all. The story would be humorous if it didn't pretend to be true. Imagine rich leftie greenies choking on their scrambled eggs because "Fox was asking nasty questions" about the cars they drive. You would brush off stupid drivel like this but the leftie establishment actually swallows the story hook line and sinker without thinking.

 

[Stephanie]

Now they are trying to pit citizens against each other over a damn car..

What a shit article coming out of the WashingtonCompost...

 

[KissMy]

China's dream of electric car leadership elusive

China's leaders are finding it's a lot tougher to create a world-beating electric car industry than they hoped.

In 2009, they announced bold plans to cash in on demand for clean vehicles by making China a global power in electric car manufacturing. They pledged billions of dollars for research and called for annual sales of 500,000 cars by 2015.

Beijing is scaling back its ambitions, chastened by technological hurdles and lack of buyer interest. Developers have yet to achieve breakthroughs and will be lucky to sell 2,000 cars this year

 

[Dot Com]

One would think that Fox has a 1/2 show to run down the Volt daily the way cons knee-jerk attacks are generated here. What say you?