GM will step up production of the global warming-causing Chevy Volt to meet “tremendous consumer demand.” So just what is that demand?
So far this year it’s been all of 1,700 vehicles, including 493 last month, according to the Detroit News.
But just two days ago, the Detroit News reported that,
Motorists aren’t pushing the panic button, and neither are automakers [in response to high gas prices]. Owners of gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs, who rushed to unload them three years ago, are taking a wait-and-see attitude. Shoppers in the market for a new car or truck aren’t delaying purchases, but shifting to smaller or more fuel-efficient vehicles — many of them from domestic brands. And consumer credit, which virtually dried up three years ago, is available to car buyers again.
As a result, demand is holding up — 20 percent stronger this year, compared to last — as the industry’s fragile recovery continues. U.S. car and truck sales are expected to reach 13 million vehicles this year, comparable to 2008 but well above 2009’s 10.4 million tally.]
Increasing Volt production from 15,000 to 16,000 cars amid a total market of 13 million new car buys is hardly worth the mention, much less a connection to gas prices.
Even if we had the electrical generating capacity to replace even 10% of current passenger vehicles with full-electric cars, the current distribution system could not handle the increased load. It would cost billions of dollars to upgrade our electrical grid, and how many people will welcome a new power line going through their back yard or across their favorite vista? The alternative is keeping our gasoline powered cars or face rolling blackouts. Pick your poison people, but you can’t have something for nothing.
according to a newspaper article(sorry no original source) GM will be selling 50,000 of the first 100,000 Volts to GE as company vehicles, including the US Gummint rebate we will be paying ~$250,000,000 for this farce.
I just don’t get the stupidity of the herd. Lets say you buy an electric car/truck. Obumbles and the Congress are doing everything they can to strangle energy production in America. The cost per watt-hour of electricity will soar, thus the cost per mile of your electro-dud will soar – probably past the cost of gasoline per mile. So the advantage of the electro-dud is….???
I guess I missed the issue of Popular Mechanics where you build your home dark-energy to electricity converter using dilithium crystals. Anyone got a back issue you could lend me?