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Originally Posted by Number 3
The crowd that wants to go that same 40 miles and use ZERO gasoline...............and there is a crowd that is an important point
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Yes, there is a crowd for the Volt, but how big is that crowd? The technology of the Volt is amazing, but for GM to stay in business, it has to be profitable. So the multi-billion dollar question is, given that a conventional Cruze has similar performance, similar long range fuel economy, more cargo and people capacity, and will inevitably cost much less to maintain over 15 years/200K miles (a typical life-span for a car today), will there be enough people willing to pay more than double the price for the Volt to cover the costs of developing and producing the Volt? Ultimately, only time will tell, but the initial sales numbers are not looking good.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blownhotrodder
And your point is? I dont have a gas tank and pump assm at my house so why would I get a cng setup for my house? CNG is the best alternative we have right now and in the future. Its readily avail right here in the US, costs less than gasoline, and is very clean burning. Oh I guess you were referring to the part where you charge your vehicle at home on a home charger only because it takes so long to charge an electric vehicle. Well you wouldnt have to worry about that either with a CNG vehicle. You telling me a 40 mile range isnt pathetic? I guess you think electricity just comes out of the ground and isnt made? What about the nuclear powerplants and the coal it takes to turn the turbines that produce electricity? What about disposing and manufacturing the batteries? What about the costs to replace the electric motors and the huge batteries these vehicles use? All the sudden a couple hundred psi CNG tank in my car doesnt sound like too big a deal to me. CNG powered vehicles arent anything new, they are being used by the public as we speak and dont cost rediculous amounts like electric powered vehicles do.
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I like the idea of natural gas powered cars, but if you were to switch to natural gas today (assuming you could find a place to fill it up regularly, which most people can't), you are making a big gamble. Natural gas is abundant right now because of shale fracking, which is dead center in the cross-hairs of the EPA. Without fracking, natural gas prices could easily go up 4 to 6 fold (to where it was just 4-5 years ago before fracking began) practically overnight as it is even without the increased demand of a substantially increased fleet of CNG cars. Basically, a flavor of the day whim by the EPA could suddenly make $100 or even $200 a barrel oil look damn cheap in comparison, and I'm not about to place any large bets on this EPA doing anything out of good common sense.
The EPA has already screwed the pooch on the cost-effectiveness of diesel. There is no reason to believe they won't do it with natural gas as well.