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Originally Posted by midnighter
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Someone plugged it into a 99 cent K-mart adapter? Seriously? Some people really do get what they deserve.
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Originally Posted by DGthe3
If nobody wants them, why did GM release a few thousand demo models for sale? Or ... why did they even designate thousands of cars to be reserved as demonstration models in the first place? If people aren't buying them, there's no reason to force dealers to keep 1 on the lot, since it would just stay there on its own anyways.
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GM over-estimated the initial demand for the car. They wanted the demos because they figured that their first year or production would all be sold before it was even produced, but they were wrong, which is why they have released the dealers to sell the demos earlier than originally planned.
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Originally Posted by CC Performance
Electric cars are a viable option so much so that in the early 90's GM and the oil companies got together and killed them.. GM had a good viable option way back then and it was squashed by the oil companies.. and GM...
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I'll avoid getting as political as you did,
, and limit me response to saying there was no conspiracy theory. The EV1 was was killed because it was a billion dollar disaster for GM (a billion they could have used making the rest of their lineup better). The marketplace ultimately killed it because it was very expensive, impractical, and the very expensive lead-acid batteries lasted maybe 40,000 miles under the best of circumstances. It's only reason for existing as a production car to begin with was because CARB mandated it.
The Volt is better in every way. It is practical (a two-seater, has no range anxiety, and can go more than 80 mph flat out), and at least a little more durable in that the batteries should last about 8 years (much longer than the EV1, but still only about half the life expectancy of a normal car).
However, even with all the improvements, the Volt's sticking point is still cost. If they can get production high enough and costs low enough, it may well be a very successful niche car. I hope that can happen, because another EV1 disaster will not be good for any potential GM car buyer. But if you envision a world 10-15 years from now in which all cars will be electrics or plug-in hybrids, you are mistaken, as there is nowhere near enough raw material in the world to produce that volume of batteries.