GM Chevy Volt

[Rifleman]

This I like, but I would say it's more appropriate for the Model S, because then it's made with non-union labor.

Very true, but it is also made in California (and most of us republicans do not acknowledge that California is actually part of the United States), so they both break even on that regard.

The real reason that the Model S is the ultimate republican car is its 20kw charger. It can funnel profits into the pockets of the greedy electrical companies 6 times faster than the volt's 3.3 kw charger :biggrin:

Even though I am a proud conservative, I will be the fist to criticize the harsh treatment that the republican party has given electric cars. I understand that the number 1 priority needs to be removing Obama from the office, but the republican party should be showing how their way is better, not simply attacking him for anything they possibly can (not to mention that Obama has NOTHING to do with the volt) I cant figure out how so many of my fellow republicans will attack Obama for his efforts to prevent energy independence, and then attack his support of vehicles that might actually provide it to us. It's almost enough to make me stay home in November.

 

[Lloyd]

. It's almost enough to make me stay home in November.

Glad you said 'almost'!

 

[vfx]

Let's pray that this is the turning point in the Republican war on Electric cars (at least on the Volt)

http://video.foxnews.com/v/15298569...help-win-the-war-on-terror/?playlist_id=86912

 

[JRP3]

Even though I am a proud conservative, I will be the fist to criticize the harsh treatment that the republican party has given electric cars. I understand that the number 1 priority needs to be removing Obama from the office, but the republican party should be showing how their way is better, not simply attacking him for anything they possibly can (not to mention that Obama has NOTHING to do with the volt) I cant figure out how so many of my fellow republicans will attack Obama for his efforts to prevent energy independence, and then attack his support of vehicles that might actually provide it to us. It's almost enough to make me stay home in November.

Since Obama and the democrats are the ones pushing hardest for alternative energy strategies and EV's how does it make sense to want him out of office? It's probably the most critical issue of our time and clearly Obama is actually on the same side of the issue as you are, far more than any of the Republican candidates, yet you are still going to vote against him? I don't get it. I'm amazed at how often I hear similar things, people saying how we ought to do A,B, and C, all of which Obama is trying to do, but then they say he has to go anyway.

 

[Citizen-T]

Between the Bob Lutz editorial, this FOX video, and the above article from The Street, I am very pleased. This is what I have been telling my fellow conservaties for like 2 years now. We need more voices like these to rise to the top. I don't have a large enough audience to make much of a difference.

 

[Rifleman]

Since Obama and the democrats are the ones pushing hardest for alternative energy strategies and EV's how does it make sense to want him out of office? It's probably the most critical issue of our time and clearly Obama is actually on the same side of the issue as you are, far more than any of the Republican candidates, yet you are still going to vote against him? I don't get it. I'm amazed at how often I hear similar things, people saying how we ought to do A,B, and C, all of which Obama is trying to do, but then they say he has to go anyway.

I want Obama out of office for other reasons. The energy issue is an important one to me, and i think Obama is closer to the right answer to it than the republican candidates are, and I will be the first to give him credit for that, but there are many other issues. The most critical issue to me is getting federal spending under control. If we keep spending at the rate we currently are, it would not matter if we had cold fusion reactors in every town, and every car in the country was a model S, we will still suffer SEVERE economic problems. While I don't think any of the current republican candidates are great on the spending issue (except for Ron Paul), they are at least slightly better than the current administration. I also feel that the healthcare reform law needs to be either overturned, or drastically reworked, and I know that will not be possible if Obama is still in office. This is a now or never issue, if we have to wait 4 more years to address this, millions of people will be reliant on it (just like social security is now) and it will become impossible to reform it to make it financially sustainable. National defense is another important issue, and while I feel the republicans often go to far in favor of defense spending, I feel that the democats go to far in restricting defense spending. The best example of this is the F22 program. We spend billions of dollars developing the most advanced fighter in the world, and then we throw away the capability to produce them. The best military in the world is only as good as its ability to maintain the lead, and the Obama administration drastically cut our ability to continue to produce our most advanced weapon systems. The most important issue in the next election is the supreme court. The next 4 years will likely provide the president with 3 or more supreme court seats to fill. At the end of the day, I simply do not trust Obama not to appoint activist judges who will attempt to legislate their political will from the bench, instead of simply enforcing the constitution (for that matter, I think Rick Sanatorum would be even worse, and if he is the nominee, I might actually vote for Obama.)

At the end of the day, I am not a single issue voter, so even though I agree with President Obama on alternative energy, I agree with the republicans on more issues.

 

[EVNow]

The most critical issue to me is getting federal spending under control. If we keep spending at the rate we currently are, it would not matter if we had cold fusion reactors in every town, and every car in the country was a model S, we will still suffer SEVERE economic problems.

Austrian economics ? Not the only "truth" in town.

If that model was right Japan should have had hyper inflation a long time ago.

 

[Dave EV]

The most critical issue to me is getting federal spending under control.

Getting way OT here, but I don't see any of the Republican candidates doing much to address this when the elephant in the room is the DoD budget. Our current deficit is largely a result of 8 years of Republican spending while cutting revenues. If we had a Republican in the office right now we'd probably be at war with Iran - imagine what the cost of that would be along with what oil would cost and the impact on our economy.

IMO the plan should be:

1. Get out of Afghanistan.
2. Minimize our dependency on oil which relies on the stability of middle east oil exporting countries.

I think we can all agree that one approach to #2 is to get as many plug-ins on the road as possible.

 

[Rifleman]

Getting way OT here, but I don't see any of the Republican candidates doing much to address this when the elephant in the room is the DoD budget. Our current deficit is largely a result of 8 years of Republican spending while cutting revenues. If we had a Republican in the office right now we'd probably be at war with Iran - imagine what the cost of that would be along with what oil would cost and the impact on our economy.

IMO the plan should be:

1. Get out of Afghanistan.
2. Minimize our dependency on oil which relies on the stability of middle east oil exporting countries.

I think we can all agree that one approach to #2 is to get as many plug-ins on the road as possible.

Sounds like you are a Ron Paul supporter as well, his positions match up with this plan 100%. He is willing to drastically cut federal spending, pull out of Afghanistan and Iraq, and maximize domestic energy (of all sources, including Oil, Coal, Nuclear, Natural gas, and renewable) At the end of the day, I think most of us are on the same page, its just a shame that the one candidate who actually seems to agree with us does not have a chance of winning the primary.

Back to the real topic, I do think that we are starting the see the turning point for the volt. Gas prices are up and GM is finally starting to market it correctly. At this point, if I did not have my heart set on a model S, I would probably be driving a Volt, and I know that I am not the only conservative who would like to stick it to OPEC by making their precious oil unnecessary. If GM sticks it out, I think the Volt will pay off big in the long run.

 

[Dave EV]

Sounds like you are a Ron Paul supporter as well, his positions match up with this plan 100%.

Heh, no. I may agree with some of his positions but he's way too libertarian for my tastes.

 

[Rifleman]

Heh, no. I may agree with some of his positions but he's way too libertarian for my tastes.

And that statement completely explains my view on President Obama, I agree with him on some of his positions, but as a whole he is way to liberal for my tastes.

 

[dpeilow]

Sounds like the ideal compromise...


Now back on topic please.

 

[Paes]

Does anybody here actually own a Volt? I am curious to hear how owners feel about it.

 

[Rifleman]

Does anybody here actually own a Volt? I am curious to hear how owners feel about it.

I don't own one, but did take one home for an overnight test drive, and could not have been more impressed with it. I was able to get 42 miles on a full battery, the vehicle itself was very smooth, very quiet, and felt very well built (very much unlike my chevy trailblazer) The interior was very comfortable, even for a large man like myself. Overall, it is a little small for my needs, as I often need to be able to move myself, my wife, my dog, my daughter in her rear facing car seat, and her stroller, and I would prefer more all electric range (my daily commute is 65 miles, with an occasional 100 mile day), so I am holding out for a Model S, but Chevy really did make one heck of a car. If the model S was not on the horizon, I think you would see allot of Tesla customers taking a serious look at the volt.

 

[Paes]

I don't own one, but did take one home for an overnight test drive, and could not have been more impressed with it. I was able to get 42 miles on a full battery, the vehicle itself was very smooth, very quiet, and felt very well built (very much unlike my chevy trailblazer) The interior was very comfortable, even for a large man like myself. Overall, it is a little small for my needs, as I often need to be able to move myself, my wife, my dog, my daughter in her rear facing car seat, and her stroller, and I would prefer more all electric range (my daily commute is 65 miles, with an occasional 100 mile day), so I am holding out for a Model S, but Chevy really did make one heck of a car. If the model S was not on the horizon, I think you would see allot of Tesla customers taking a serious look at the volt.

I am a huge Tesla enthusiast but admittedly, I thought the Tesla projects were going to fail and bought a Volt. I am still planning on buying a Tesla, but I must say, the Volt has been nothing short of amazing so far. It has shattered my expectations. The only knocks I have against it are that the gas engine is a little noisy (although it seems a lot noisier since the car is otherwise extremely quiet) and that it takes a long time for the interior heating to kick in during the winter. Other than that, the vehicle is perfect to me in every way. Based on how awesome the Volt is, I would be that the Tesla Model S is going to be even more extraordinary, seeing as how Tesla has a reputation for raising the bar.

Are there any Roadster owners in Ontario? I would love to check one out.

 

[rabar10]

Welcome to the forums, Paes!

Does anybody here actually own a Volt? I am curious to hear how owners feel about it.

dpeilow is getting an Ampera in the UK (kissing cousin to the Volt)...

Are there any Roadster owners in Ontario? I would love to check one out.

The thread on the -Toronto EVfest- has posts from several Roadster owners in the area.

 

[Doug_G]

Are there any Roadster owners in Ontario? I would love to check one out.

Yes, quite a few. I'm a bit far from you. Maybe Jaff would be willing to show you his.

 

[dpeilow]

Not owns, will own.

 

[Dave EV]

I would prefer more all electric range (my daily commute is 65 miles, with an occasional 100 mile day)

Being able to charge at work would let you make 65 miles easily in EV mode. Shows how as charging infrastructure builds up it gets easier to get away with smaller battery packs...

 

[JRP3]

I did a little blog about how GM could have handled the Volt: http://ephase.blogspot.com/2012/03/where-gm-went-wrong-with-volt.html