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As Chevrolet gets ready to begin mass production of the Chevy Volt, it’s going around the country and showing off the hotly anticipated plug-in electric vehicle. This time around, the Volt made a stop at the AT&T Park in San Francisco, where media members, former EV1 drivers, and electric vehicle advocates (including folks from Plug In America and the Sierra Club) had an opportunity to drive the car. Given that San Fran is often considered to be capital of opinion leaders and trend setters of America, what these people had to say about the Volt carries some importance. Check out the video to see what they thought of the Volt after the jump.
Comments
I can appreciate getting off foreign oil – but as a business crunch the numbers- what is the cost of building the volt without gov’t subsidies? How much do they sell for? You will not make it up in volume.
Mike, the answers to those questions are almost always negative (not in favor of the product or the company making it). But in the case of a revolutionary product such as the Volt, that should matter much initially. What should matter instead is:
1. A company is willing to step forth (and lose some money early on in the process)
2. Year-over-year sales increases
Also, there aren’t any government subsidies to “build” the Volt (there may have been initially to develop it); the subsidies are available only to buyers.
I think one could take a look at how long hybrids have been on the market. Toyota and others are still waiting for that “break even” car count. After a decade of relative success with its hybrid Prius, Toyota has sold over a million of the cars and is still widely believed by analysts to be losing money on each one sold.
I am not against alternative fuels or cleaner energy. But when something does not work -put it to bed. Most new technology will only survive a year or two in the open market if it does not work. Let the market create change not the gov’t. let the business take the risk of new technology. Thanks Alex for your initial response.
Mike — in theory, that point of view works. But it doesn’t do help in “furthering humanity”. Perhaps that’s a rather grandiose statement, so let me explain.
Sometimes, humans won’t do what’s best for their own long-term welfare, since the short-term focus is usually more powerful. So other entities (government for instance) step in and provide incentives to further the world in ways “good ol’ business” could never hope to do.
Applying that example to alternative fuels: without real incentives, providers and consumers will continue buying gas and gas-powered cars — until one day, we run out and everyone is screwed. A little incentive (a carrot, if you will) goes a long way in creating long-term business opportunities that may not be viable today, but will be in the long run. So while business may take some risks, it will rarely take as big a risk as a supported venture that won’t turn a profit initially. The long-run benefit of the supported venture has the potential to improve the lives of everyone into the future.
Looking forward to hearing back from you 🙂