BEGTWO

Champion Author
Maryland
Posts:2,077 Points:751,315 Joined:Sep 2010
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Message Posted: Dec 6, 2012 9:08:55 AM
OH..NO
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ClarkSC

Champion Author
South Carolina
Posts:3,219 Points:1,039,105 Joined:May 2010
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Message Posted: Dec 6, 2012 7:18:23 AM
I could have predicted that.
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iFueler

Champion Author
Durham
Posts:65,033 Points:206,750 Joined:Nov 2012
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Message Posted: Dec 6, 2012 1:57:04 AM
not too surprising given other Volt news
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rahcat

Champion Author
Grand Rapids
Posts:2,700 Points:690,875 Joined:Jan 2010
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Message Posted: Dec 6, 2012 12:10:37 AM
Would not buy a Volt.
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Wanda127

Champion Author
Florida
Posts:2,570 Points:941,325 Joined:May 2010
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 10:52:30 PM
Their sells are down because most Americans don't want these autos. As for the Leaf I would not buy one of them either.
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SolarReplaceGas

Champion Author
Cincinnati
Posts:1,040 Points:216,445 Joined:Aug 2012
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 10:17:18 PM
listerone: You have already proven that you can make clever quips. Surely you must want to comment substantively on the posted topic sometimes?
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rcornel

All-Star Author
San Diego
Posts:804 Points:251,095 Joined:Jun 2012
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 10:08:11 PM
Ok
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listerone

Champion Author
Boston
Posts:3,493 Points:904,575 Joined:Aug 2008
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 9:01:08 PM
"Only fools buy electric cars."
Well,fools and "progressives".Same thing,actually.
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listerone

Champion Author
Boston
Posts:3,493 Points:904,575 Joined:Aug 2008
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 8:58:08 PM
Ambassador Stevens is dead and the Chevy Volt is alive.
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SolarReplaceGas

Champion Author
Cincinnati
Posts:1,040 Points:216,445 Joined:Aug 2012
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 7:03:13 PM
I leased a Volt, and I love it. I commute about 40 mi roundtrip each day, and only use gas for the last 5 mi. I charge overnight in my garage, and even then, since I installed solar panels on my home 2 yrs ago, I am generating 70% of the charge.
While note the best car for long range driving, I think this combo of EV/gas is excellent for the 50 mi or less commuter, since it allows the driver about 40 miles of electric travel each day without recharging stations, and if you need to take a longer trip, you can switch to gas. Although I am not able to eliminate my use of gasoline, I am able to reduce it significantly.
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Zeke33

Champion Author
New Hampshire
Posts:5,662 Points:1,636,055 Joined:Sep 2005
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 4:33:19 PM
Government Motors
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crep1291

Champion Author
Ottawa
Posts:2,637 Points:486,190 Joined:Dec 2010
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 2:13:58 PM
Sales will continue to rise.
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RochBear

Champion Author
Minnesota
Posts:10,555 Points:1,759,235 Joined:May 2006
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 1:18:17 PM
The volt was a good idea, done horribly wrong.
An EV with backup generator is a great idea. GM building an all new gasoline engine and Generator, and then running the car off the generator, and not using an off the shelf generator to charge the battery is a horrible design (and very expensive too)
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CVA19

Champion Author
Salem
Posts:2,393 Points:632,975 Joined:Aug 2011
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 12:56:52 PM
Say it isn't so! You mean the Federal government and GE didn't buy enough Volts last month?
This is an outrage! The UAW should be out picketing them! I'm sure their thug leadership is in the oval office pounding on Obama's desk.
[Edited by: GT3186 at 12/5/2012 12:59:17 PM EST]
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hrjjml

All-Star Author
Florida
Posts:590 Points:404,025 Joined:Feb 2012
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 12:36:36 PM
Volt sales go up only because govt purchase
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peakkeller

Champion Author
Colorado Springs
Posts:1,760 Points:791,625 Joined:Dec 2009
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 11:18:52 AM
Thanks, orphancarguyPE, great post!
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orphancarguyPE

Champion Author
PEI
Posts:3,910 Points:759,175 Joined:Jan 2011
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 10:51:53 AM
Electrics are fine, once people get used to plugging it in every time they stop somewhere. You don't have to run one 'dry' then fill it up for ten hours slowly--just a half hour here, an hour there while you are doing other things, and you can keep it topped up. (Besides, fast charges at 240V or above are a fraction of the 10 hours.) No more difficult or time consuming than putting change in a parking meter. So, a 70 mile range electric can easily go well over 100 miles in a day once you get your pattern down. As they say, there is an app for that. Wireless induction (proximity) charging will make the process even more painless. Once you have the range sorted, electrics make fantastic sense--the distance you can travel on $5 of gasoline, or $3.50 of diesel, will be less than $1 for electricity, and that ratio holds for about anywhere in North America, more or less. So, if you use a vehicle/or one vehicle for all sorts of daily errands in cities or suburban/ex-urban driving, an electric makes perfect sense, and pays for itself also in lower insurance, and virtually zero maintenance costs. Long before it gives up the ghost, you'll be making money on the deal. It makes more financial sense if you keep it for say 8 years rather than 3 or 4 like a fuel powered car. After 4 years, there is little that could go wrong with an electric, while a fuel car might be getting into expensive overtime.
One problem with electrics is extreme heat and cold--Prudhoe Bay and Death Valley conditions shorten battery life. Those Leafs in Arizona could have used additional battery cooling in their design--but Leafs don't seem to have those sorts of problems in Tennessee and Ontario where it isn't 120+ for months at a time.
A plug-in hybrid gives you unlimited range if and when you need it, but if you use a Volt, Prius plug-in, or Ford C-Max Energi in the right way, you may never buy gasoline at all. THAT is how one Volt driver is reporting 1400 miles per gallon--because he plugs it in at every opportunity and at every stop, so only every month or so the engine has start to charge the battery. That is smart. The only drawback is if you do a lot of driving at one go, on a regular basis. Because of tradeoffs with weight and expense, plug-ins tend not to be as good as dedicated true hybrids if you goes 300 miles in a go. Excellent engine-only mileage, but still not as good for that 300 miles as a true hybrid.
I tend to drive a long distance at a time. 90, 160, 200, 250 and 380 miles (and a fairly regular 800 miles one way as well) one-day round trips are some of my 'regular' trips, and most of my mileage is outside of cities on 2 lanes or 4 lanes, so diesels work best for me. Although a plug-in would work for me because we have the free plug-in stations all over here, my next car in a few months time is a Prius C hybrid, just because of the excellent mileage (best of all cars except some plug-in hybrids), and low cost. Not getting rid of the diesels, just fine-tuning my vehicle use to type of driving required.
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ss70

Champion Author
Detroit
Posts:9,944 Points:1,897,200 Joined:Sep 2005
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 10:38:55 AM
GM is still not learned from its mistakes
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werich44

Champion Author
California
Posts:1,999 Points:496,505 Joined:Jun 2011
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 10:25:52 AM
Cost needs to drop and range needs to improve before the "green" cars start to sale in volume.
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MrDeath666

Champion Author
Houston
Posts:1,765 Points:271,890 Joined:Sep 2012
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 9:49:54 AM
Only fools buy electric cars.
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BurntOrange

Champion Author
Austin
Posts:8,882 Points:1,610,715 Joined:Nov 2007
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 9:33:19 AM
"With just a month left in the year, up to 50,000 electric cars are likely to find buyers during 2012--almost triple the 2011 total of about 17,500.
This year's sales leader, the Chevy Volt range-extended electric car, logged 1,519 sales. "
And Honda sold 30,000 Civics last month.
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Mark8601

All-Star Author
Bakersfield
Posts:929 Points:397,785 Joined:Dec 2011
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 9:27:14 AM
Fun stuff to read still.
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Seamus4513

Champion Author
Orange County
Posts:2,725 Points:414,280 Joined:Mar 2012
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 9:26:12 AM
Nothing to do with Obama
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Evilmaddog

Champion Author
British Columbia
Posts:3,466 Points:985,250 Joined:Aug 2010
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 9:23:16 AM
buy a Prius C.....and use 16,000 saved for insurance, maintenance, for gas...20,800 for C 36,000 for volt
[Edited by: Evilmaddog at 12/5/2012 9:24:43 AM EST]
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roadrunnerMO

Champion Author
Kansas
Posts:8,547 Points:1,727,940 Joined:Jul 2008
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 8:54:51 AM
Guess obummer will have to raise the rebates from federal government to get sales up and going. More taxpayer monies out the window and into the fire.
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rbrk02

Champion Author
Rhode Island
Posts:5,917 Points:844,930 Joined:Jan 2011
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 8:48:54 AM
Nothing really surprising here. Niche vehicles for niche markets only.
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amoshins

Champion Author
Trenton
Posts:2,306 Points:667,995 Joined:Apr 2011
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 8:38:41 AM
Interesting that Christian Science Monitor would publish this information
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Hawg1408

Veteran Author
Alberta
Posts:462 Points:665,490 Joined:May 2010
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 8:17:19 AM
Electricity prices increase in the winter so what would you expect
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drpepperTX

Champion Author
Texas
Posts:9,165 Points:779,850 Joined:Apr 2011
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 8:07:54 AM
Government Volt purchases are down.
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ktyson13

Champion Author
Maryland
Posts:1,556 Points:403,650 Joined:Aug 2010
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 8:00:34 AM
Leaf is dead. Volt at least as more potential without any restrictions on mileage.
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Buck_on_Bass

Champion Author
Tennessee
Posts:7,710 Points:1,481,960 Joined:Jul 2007
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 7:58:48 AM
It would be interesting to know how many Volts and Leafs were purchased by the federal government, state governments, fleet operators and corporations, lease companies for leasing to as a block of like vehicles, and private individuals. I expect that 1/3 to 1/2 of the Volt production have gone to GE and the federal government.
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Joeski1

Champion Author
New Jersey
Posts:10,217 Points:1,770,510 Joined:Dec 2004
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 7:55:58 AM
althugh I found it gets around pretty spritely, the car is just too small for lard ass americans...
I bet they can sell it to the china folks and the japs...
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Yooperheart

Champion Author
Michigan
Posts:3,565 Points:554,725 Joined:Feb 2010
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 7:49:53 AM
G'ment has their quota for the year.
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ClarkSC

Champion Author
South Carolina
Posts:3,219 Points:1,039,105 Joined:May 2010
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 7:43:11 AM
Yes,no one wants to power their house with a Chevy Volt.
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EvergreenON

Champion Author
Ontario
Posts:1,078 Points:511,085 Joined:Apr 2011
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 7:42:50 AM
still much improvement to do.
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humblepie

Champion Author
Toledo
Posts:35,351 Points:2,399,070 Joined:Mar 2006
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 7:39:01 AM
volts are for dolts
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molebaby96

Champion Author
Tallahassee
Posts:2,173 Points:529,005 Joined:Nov 2011
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 7:34:13 AM
Electric car not for me just yet
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doeslayersr

Champion Author
Illinois
Posts:9,303 Points:899,705 Joined:Dec 2010
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Message Posted: Dec 5, 2012 7:31:42 AM
Ok, but not interested in either vehicle.
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