4 Myths From the Detroit Auto Show

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Thethydet of AL @ Mar 10, 2009 01:42:36 AM

EV1

It figures that you can't have an article mentioning electric cars without some idiot ranting about the dumb movie about the EV-1

GM Killed it becasue it did not work. Period. End of sentence, it did not work.

Every battery pack had to be replaced, at a cost of tens of thousands of dollars, avery 30k miles or so.

If GM sold then, the owners would be in court within a year wanting warranty work done, and guess what, the commie california courts would have given it too them, no matter what kind of release they signed. the story would not be who killed the car, but who ripped off all those poor people.

lastely, they OWNED the cars. They belonged to GM, and in this country if you own something you can do with it what you want, even if other people don't like it.

Get over it moron.

bob of MI @ Feb 03, 2009 13:26:11 PM

automakers self destruct formula.

Greed plus decieving policies at the retail level destroyed American car companies.All the public demands is a vehicle that lasts and is dependable. which seems to be a difficult act for our Americqn car companies.Therefore this is the final result, (self destruct.)The general public cannot afford a new car every three years like they assume,so that they can endlessly gererate income to satisfy their greedy appetites.( When o when )are they going to get the message. To get some of these foreign cars off the road,they better study why these forein car manufacturers are so succesful. I can give You three guesses. Reliability, an auto that lasts, and great customer relations after purchasing a car. This is what is missing in our domestic car purhases.

Salvatore LoSchiavo of NY @ Jan 21, 2009 11:17:16 AM

Hybrid sales depend on gas prices

It is amazing how other countries have got way ahead of us in utilizing alternate non polluting fuels.

I used to wonder how the government seems to kowtow to our oil industry and the mid eastern price manipulators.

Recently I heard an idea that claims it is, in fact, US who encourage oil price manipulation (by the oil companies and 'our friends' the Saudis), waging an economic war on Russia and China.

THis would explain our inactivity and foot dragging in the light of our own population's suffering.

With a lower oil price some countries will no longer be able to subsidize their populations, perhaps giving their people the need for struggling to keep body and soul together as do the rest of us. Perhaps, with lower prices, less money would be filtered to terrorists.

Lower prices hurt Russia, who depends on profit from such sales, but higher prices hurt China, who I hear is suffering greatly from cancelled orders for its goods, forcing it to close down many new factories and lay off populations. China, with all the US debt it owned, will be paid back in grossly devalued dollars as we are trying to finance an economic upturn by printing more bills.

Is someone making decisions in our government, balancing off decreased terrorist episodes and a declining economy in Russia, and a booming Chinese economy(each a result of low oil prices); against just the opposite effects in these countries which would result from high oil prices???

I have heard that the boom that has taken place in Dubai (their dream of building a tourist Mecca to bring money into the Arab world when oil is no longer required in the world) has gone bust with the world economy. They have ceased all building, many workers have returned to their home countries, many contracts have been broken or not signed regarding the purchase of all those hotel rooms and homes in those man made islands.

If the price of oil is not market driven, but manipulated in a large part at the whim of others, it might be foolish to try to anticipate the direction of the future, but for the looming disaster caused by global warming.

All we can say is that the purchase of a more efficient hybrid will most certainly provide some sort of alleviation from worry for the average person if he can afford one.

of NY @ Jan 15, 2009 20:51:54 PM

Not just cars

In Europe, they have good public transportation systems that put the U.S. to shame. It is because gas has always been at least twice as expensive there as in the U.S. And trains and trams (that is trolleys to most Americans) can be run on electricity, which can be generated without imported fuel. The cost, though not cheap, is a lot less than $3T invading the wrong country or the ongoing costs of maintaining a large string of military bases, ports and a fleet in the Middle East. And even that does not fully include the cost of the subsequent financial meltdown due to borrowing to pay for the foregoing, which is wiping out savings and retirement plans.

Until Americans wake up to the true cost of our exorbitant lifestyles, any changes in car models will address only a part of what needs to be done.

James Fox of PA @ Jan 14, 2009 21:27:51 PM

Yes, they are just around the corner

Take for example, Ford is planning to mass produce an all electric car by 2011 that gets 100 miles per charge:

http://gm-volt.com/2009/01/14/gm-voltcom-ford-focus-bev-test-drive/

A more accurate statement would be:

An all electric car that costs under $30K and gets 300 miles per charge is NOT just around the corner. To achieve this goal, we'll need a technological break through that triples the energy density of lithium-ion batteries but cuts the current price by 1/3. One possible solution may be the rumored EEStor capacitors, but as of yet this technology hasn't been demonstrated publicly. Maybe with a little luck and good timing, 2009 will be the year this device is made available for public verification of its manufacturer's claims.

Jay of GA @ Jan 14, 2009 21:07:21 PM

Electric/hybrid cars.

I am all for the latest state of the art for the automobile.

Most batteries used in the hybrids are either nickel metal Hydride, or lithium Ion. Even though we design several batteries in the USA, most bateries for the electric and or hybrids are made by foreigeners. We must invest in USA manufacturing

In any new electromechanical device, there is a wear in, a wear, and a wear out. What ever the decision is made as to the type car chosen, the governemnt, and private industry should subsidize the environmental use of those cars in all types of weather for X number of months to determine their reliability.

John W. Epperson of CO @ Jan 14, 2009 17:43:27 PM

GM kills EV1 Testing

The documentary "Who killed the Electric Car" illustrates how greed has led the 3 big US auto makers to the place they are now. GM with oil barons stopped California's quest in the 1990's to mandate that the automakers make e-cars. Once the automakers succeeded in stopping the legislation they destroyed the 100 prototyped EV1 that were being tested instead of selling them to the owners. Now the industry wants sympathy. The auto industry needs to stop crying wolf. It placed itself in the predicament it is in because it was willing to pocket the profits instead of reinvesting in developing better products like oversees auto makers.

In addition, do you notice how oil prices are slowly going back up. It is a game and the consumers as the pawns.

Tired of the Game of IA @ Jan 14, 2009 17:35:12 PM