GM CEO Mary Barra has penned a written response to a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed that referred to the automaker as “Government Motors,” after it lobbied the government to create new tax breaks and subsidies to help promote the adoption of electric vehicles.
The op-ed, which was titled ‘GM is Government Motors Again’, said the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress were “riding to GM’s rescue,” with the implementation of the recent Inflation Reduction Act spending bill. The bill includes up to $10 billion in available tax credits for setting up new EV and battery plants and removes the 200,000-unit cap to receive the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, among more. The article also references the $2.5 billion loan that the U.S. Department of Energy awarded to GM’s battery manufacturing joint venture with LG, Ultium Cells LLC, which was announced just two days before Senators Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin confirmed they had reached a deal on the Inflation Reduction Act.
In her written response to the article, which was published as an op-ed on WSJ.com last week, GM CEO Mary Barra said that “policies supporting EVs are good for America,” due to their smaller carbon footprint. She also said that policies supporting EV adoption and manufacturing efforts here in the U.S. help ensure that U.S. companies will lead the transition from ICE vehicles to EVs without losing ground to competitors from China, Europe, South Korea and elsewhere.
Additionally, Barra said GM is prepared for rapid changes in the industry, as its “portfolio of internal-combustion and electric vehicles,” will allow for an “equitable transition,” from ICE to EV.
“We are prepared for any legislative environment but support provisions that will allow the transition to accelerate—so we can go bigger, move faster and be globally competitive,” she said.
Barra also said GM’s current strategy will remain in place long even if the Biden Administration does not remain in power in the years to come, and will ensure the U.S. auto industry remains competitive going forward.
“Our mission transcends generations and administrations,” she said. “New technologies take time to scale and reduce costs, and EVs are no different, but we are determined to ensure that the U.S. auto industry leads the way.”
Comments
I wonder how strong GM would be right now if the tax payers didn’t bail them out and they had to file bankruptcy. I bet they would have a competent CEO running the show right now.
The problem with your rhetoric is that you don’t realize that statement applies to every auto manufacturer.
Mr. Mike – GM has 3 class actions lawsuits against them right now. I don’t know of any other manufacturers that have that issue. GM is trying to screw people with the lifter issue and 8 speed tranny flawed design. That falls on the CEO in my opinion. If they declared bankruptcy and restructured their business, they may have done more R&D. Who knows?
The ev tax credits are pretty much the government paying for a percentage of the retail price of an electric vehicle, for the consumer buying it. Where does the government get the money to pay for this? The tax payers of course. So, even if you don’t want the technology, you are paying for someone else to have it, by paying taxes. You give the government money, they distribute it how they want. Your voting power doesn’t mean as much as it used to. A generation is coming that will say enough is enough of this bullsh!t. The best alternative and balance for emissions and freedom, is a hybrid vehicle, one that lets you the consumer decide on what kind of energy you want to use. Use electricity in the city and gasoline outside the city. Or do it how you want, but the key is options. Going to one type of energy will pull too much on any kind of grid. Gasoline has been around for years, and it is always in high demand. So give the consumer options, and let them use whatever type of energy they want. Going to straight electricity alone is about regime change to put politicians (engineers of society), in a greater sense of control over less than rich people. They feel we are too dumb to make smart decisions for the great or good of all of us as a whole, so they much take control and do it themselves. Your tax money is actively working to buy some rich snob an ev. Might as well buy yourself one while you’re at it, right? Lol
Youre right NM. The “take it or leave it, all or nothing” approach has not served Detroit automakers well especially gm. Hence the loss of two-thirds of their market share over the last 50 years. I agree that hybrids are the best alternative. We cannot be sure there will be a steady supply of oil, and that there will be a steady supply of electricity.
Thy had a very excellent proprietary hybrid technology named Voltec, then they ignominiously abandoned it like fools.
Early Volts lost 25/35k per unit, they are awesome cars but way overbuilt test mules.
I agree, we will see if her tune changes once the GOP takes over and removes Biden’s sanctions on the US energy industry. Gas and diesel prices will come down and Mary will be stuck with an all-EV lineup and a bunch of former customers who still want ICE vehicles. That’s called having all of your eggs in the same basket when you trip and fall.
Gas and diesel prices have very little to do with a sitting president and virtually everything to do with the world price of oil. Thanks for showing us how stupid you really are about these issues. You can easily track the world price of oil and if you go back to the low prices under Trump, you’ll find that the average price of oil in 2020 was about $40 per barrel vs. about $90 now. In fact, at one point in 2020, oil futures were trading near zero. The low prices were good for consumers but they had a negative impact on the US oil industry — from drilling to production.
There’s plenty of oil in the world and more than enough in this country to fill our needs if the government would get out of the way, that’s already proven. Anyone who didn’t see what Biden did on day one of his term isn’t looking or being honest. That’s the day domestic gas prices began spiraling up. Oil and gas prices are controlled by politicians, that’s abundantly obvious to those who care to listen and understand. We were in a much better place than we are now and your resorting to name calling is childish and further illustrates your partial understanding of the issues.
She is the worst CEO in my life time
Couldn’t have said it better. income redistribution at its finest !!!
Depending on who is counting – the US just gave $40,000,000,000.00 to $60,000,000,000.00 to the ‘Coup d’Etat’ new government (on Feb 2014 – which asst secretary of state Victoria Nuland has been recorded as saying “it only cost the US taxpayers $5 Billion to overthrow the former legitimate government”).
Seeing as, per CBS News – before they were ‘forced’ to retract the documentary – only 30% of that Largess gets to the front lines – and then the Russians blow up in one week what it takes the WEST one month to deliver – you might ask what happens to the other 70% of arms..
Easy – its sold on the black market – which such weapons will end up in all other parts of the world – and making Zelensky and all the other politicians rich..
CONSERVATIVE (haha, don’t make me PUKE) REPUBLICANS all voted for doing this with YOUR TAX DOLLARS.
Seems to me that $60 Billion would buy plenty of electric cars….. And it wouldn’t cost even that much to give them all away free of charge.
Seriously, thank you for not having your head up corporate media’s behind.
Are you not concerned with electrics dovetailing with a digital dystopia?
Anonymous Guest:
You mean as to a choice between plug-in electrics and fully 100% gasoline powered vehicles?
Not in the slightest..
Ford used 100% ICE vehicles in their Autonomous Vehicle tests… Keep in mind that if all those tests were totally successful, insurance companies would price cars that you can drive yourself totally out of existence, and you would be defacto forced into giving up your driver’s license.
If you are worried about a “MINORITY REPORT” type Dystopian Future – it won’t make any difference whether the cars are plug-in electrics or 100% gasoline powered… Since ALL GM vehicles (even the lowly $14,000 SPARK) have ONSTAR – this means that they always know where you are, and can remotely kill the ignition just like in the movie.
Cashless is where my thought is first, public charging . With payment companies having power to cancel someone based on social media politics, or gov lockdowns.
The slope is already slippery with insurance, also other modern indignities. I am against Onstar, the tracking aspect of scheduling routes and charging, citizen customers being made into a product.
“Well, they’re going to do it anyway”, words that never assuage.
General Motors did file bankruptcy. If you followed the stock market you would have seen their stock became worthless and was delisted.
As part of the bankruptcy they had to change their corporate logo. That is why GM is now in lower case letters. ( gm ).
The first thing a company does in bankruptcy is shed expenses — pensions, health care, etc. GM didn’t do this. Had they done so, then a large percentage of these people would have gone straight to government programs — Medicaid, welfare, etc. The reduced footprint would also have reduced the federal government tax revenues — companies, their employees, suppliers and their employees — pay a lot of taxes. In all liklihood, a lot of the production to replace lost GM production would have come from overseas, not US manufacturing. There’s no way that the other domestic manufacturers had the ability to meet that volume.
The logo change was done in the last 12 months….way after GM went into and emerged from bankruptcy with the same “Mark of Excellence” logo it has used in one form or another since 1964.
I’m sorry, your post is complete non-sense.
Your time lines are confused, gm logo change happened 12 years after the bankruptcy.
I wonder where the workers are economic areas surrounding factories/suppliers would be right now if not for the GM & Chrysler bailouts?
I wonder where the US industrial base would be, how it would be, had the bail out not happened? A strong industrial base must always bgg e on stand by should war break out and globalization collapse because you can’t impose defense production acts on S Korea or Mexico.
Any bankruptcy would have closed many factories in the US shifting production to Mexico. (Would have been identical to the bankruptcy of Interstate Bakeries, read up on it. Hostess is 10 times more profitable but most factories are gone as is Union wage). A mass union bust is the last thing America’s shrinking middle class needs
Barra is a very competent CEO.
In world war II Germany was defeated because we cut off their oil, after we won the war we asked generals what else we could have done to win the war.
Their answer was, if we also brought down their electrical power plants it would have been accelerated their defeat.
That’s what this green New deal is doing to America we getting our defenses and making us vulnerable to wear any enemies will only have to turn our lights off to defeat us.
And can you really stand and wait for your electric tank to recharge, or your electric airplane?
Hydrogen powered internal combustion engines are the future!!!!!
Please point us to a hydrogen mine.
Currently the industrial process to manufacture hydrogen is to crack natural gas and spew the carbon released in the process into the air as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.
To produce hydrogen in a “green” process involves electrolysis requiring all the energy you’ll get out of it and more. The best round trip efficiency is on the order of 50% to 60% using fuel cells. Burning it in a heat engine drops that to 15% to 20%.
This is much more environmentally intrusive than batteries.
The more houses that have solar/wind power the less strain on the grid and the more decentralized it becomes. These are pro-self defence measures.
Not a cost effective solution
Mary Barra stood in front of Biden and took his praise for being the US biggest EV producer.
She did not correct him by saying Tesla was the current biggest EV producer in the US.
That tells me a lot about a person and I have lost all respect for her.
This happened when Tesla wasn’t even invited with all other automakers in the US.
Now I don’t care for Tesla but truth and honesty really shows integrity.
And Barra has none.
I can’t believe the Ford CEO stood there while Barra was being Praised.
How strong would any automaker would be it’s home country would not foster its growth, because that’s common for all of them
I have to agree with the article about GM becoming a political pawn. At one time this company steered the direction of this country now it just bows to politics. This is why you see this huge push to EVs by the powers that be. Anyone with half a brain knows they are too expensive to buy,( new tax on everyone with the Government EV purchase rebates) the electric grid can’t handle additional strain on it and no one looks at where the electricity comes from. There are no new power plants being built to increase electricity production so you will see more rolling blackouts. But hey I am just your average working class person I should just do what I am told.
With all this money, we could driving Pacer EVs, Gremlin EVs and Javelin EVs. Kenosha, Wisconsin wouldn’t be known for Kyle Rittenhouse – they’d be known for that huge American Motors factory pumping out the latest and greatest electric vehicles the federal government can produce!!!
As they say, if the shoe fits, wear it! GM is indeed Government Motors.
They’ve embarked on a very risky all-EV strategy when, to date, they’ve never marketed a truly successful EV despite 26 years of trying. Further the US market for EVs is currently less than five percent. I’m sure that figure will grow and in time will become a significant portion of the overall share. However, transisitioning to an all-EV fleet at this point, and without the supportive infrastructure, is very much a risky endeavor.
GM has obviously used their enormous lobbying power to obtain a host of rebates, grants, kickbacks, etc. from the government to try and ensure the success of the risky endeavor they undertook. They’ve found a willing friend in the White House who will happily sign away taxpayer dollars to help them. GM should have to live or die by their decisions without government tipping the scales in their favor and trying to force the American public to go where GM hath decreed it must go. Everybody In!
Mary Barra can pen all the op-Ed’s she wants but the American public isn’t stupid. We still have $11.2 billion in public debt from the last handout (2009) to GM. Now they’re back at the public trough again and, as I said, with the enormous power of their lobbying team, they’ve secured another round of handouts. That means the Government Motors mantle is very much a descriptor that fits them.
When I was growing up, I truly loved GM. My walls were adorned not by pictures of “cars” but by GM cars specifically. I thought they built the best option in every category and I imagined when I was grown up I’d own many GM cars. Somehow, and especially in the last five years, they’ve totally lost me. I had so much residual affection for them that it is taking a long time to deplete it but today I seldom find anything positive about the company I once loved and dreamed I could some day work for. In my opinion Mary Barra is leading them off a cliff with market share at all-time lows and she is now getting the taxpayers to buy her parachutes.
I find it despicable that our government is giving her what she wants. For another influx of taxpayer cash, the least she could do is accept the moniker the public has given her company rather than deny its correctness. The shoe fits, Mary. You are Government Motors. I’m glad the Wall Street Journal told you so.
Ahh, we finally find out the truth behind your endless hate for GM. You wanted to work for them but they wouldn’t hire you.
Show me an auto manufacturing company that isn’t going all in on EV? Reality is, they’re all pushing full steam ahead. Many nations are requiring EV and the manufacturers are working to meet those requirements. Sadly you ridicule GM for trying to be at the forefront of that transition.
We still are waiting to understand the full breadth of the Ultium platform. Initial reviews are incredibly positive. Local, US battery production is coming online and GM appears to be farther along than most manufacturers in developing US sourced batteries. Despite this, you complain endlessly that GM is so lost. Take the blinders off and open your mind to the transition that’s occurring. Maybe you’ll realize they’re farther along than you give them credit for.
I agree, I too have been a GM car fan since the early 60’s when i was just 7 years old. Camaros , Chevelles , Novas, etc. were my favourites then.
I went on to own over 40 brand new vehicles and all were GM’s . Sure they do not build some of the vehicles i would like , but they are designing some of the best new products on the road, Full size Trucks and SUV’s , the new 23 midsize trucks , Crossovers , and the new EV products will be class leading.
hey even Honda will use their EV technology and they will build a Honda EV alongside their own product !! There is another company that will use their EV technology to build and EV side by side
I currently own 4 GM vehicles are am anxiously waiting to order a new mid size truck.
And yes i will likely be the proud owner of an electric Equinox
GM is on a good track and those who hate the company will never be satisfied, For them there are Fords , who lead the industry with the most open/ active recalls, and who took millions from the US government in 2007-08 to develop alternative powerplants , but instead used the money to invest in ICE vehicles to avoid the issue affecting GM and Chrysler.in 2008-09.So really they took bail out money too , but everyone seems to forget this!!
1962 Corvair (used), 1965 Corvair (used), 1998 Blazer (new), 2006 HHR (new), 2014 Volt (new), 2018 Volt (new) and 2020 Bolt (new). Soon: 2023 Bolt (new), followed by 2024 Equinox EV (new). Most of my cars have been Chevys, especially since I started using the GM Mastercard with 5% rebate on new GMs (and the free $3,000 bonus rebate on the 2020 Bolt). Chrysler products as a whole are still the all-time majority, as the old man was forever Plymouth. How ironic that my first “Chrysler” was a Fiat 850 Spyder. What a piece of junk…and now, they own Chrysler.
Kirk and GMC Fan: I agree totally with you both. What I picked up on here is that there are many who will comment with a bias towards which party is in office. Those same people seem to be so anti-anything, no matter how good it is, when we have a Democrat in the big white home. Then those same people will seem to say that satan is wonderful if we have a Republican in that same house and they tell them satan is good. Bottom line is that we have good stuff come from both parties (or at least what used to be the GOP) and bad from both (especially the Trump-based GOP now). But for those who like to endlessly complain about GM taking the bailout while pointing the finger at Obama, they need to do some research. The bailouts were done and began under George W. and continued under Obama. They were needed and it was the right thing to do. This isn’t just something that the US does either. Toyota and Honda have both taken bailouts of sorts from Japan over the years.
Personally It’s getting old how some of these same people come on here and bi**h constantly about anything to do with Mary B. Get over it. This isn’t 1960 anymore and women have done a lot for this country and will only become more important at the higher levels as time goes on. I say way to go Mary for standing up to the naysayers.
Completely agree. GM’s EV strategy is well thought out and will produce some amazing vehicles.
I would only buy an EV that is designed to be an EV from the ground up, as GMs are. Unlike Ford’s rushed approach of building an EV on an ICE chassis.
However, doing it the right way takes time and lots of money. It is literally only now that GM has access to enough of its own batteries to start producing at scale.
GM is on the right track and it will be a very valuable company in a few years’ time.
I don’t hate the company, quite the opposite is true, I hate what Mary is doing to it!
GMC Fan,
I am not ridiculing GM for trying to be at the forefront of the EV movement. I have no problem with EVs in general and no problem with GM’s EV efforts broadly speaking. Tesla has been wildly successful and I’m happy about it. I do, however, have a few specific grievances with GM’s hypocrisy and significant concerns with the forced rapid transition they and our government are planning.
First of all, GM tries to portray their EVs as “Zero Emissions” and even rechristened Hamtramck as Factory ZERO. That’s a lie. EVs in the US are not zero emissions at all. In most places, they’re not even close. In fact, a GM EV operating in their hometown of Detroit off of DTE power runs primarily on coal as DTE derives 60 percent of the energy for its territory from coal-fired power plants. Is that a zero emissions vehicle? No, it’s not and a Honda Civic burning gasoline is likely cleaner.
Secondly, GM claims to be green and makes grandiose promises but they’re really addicted to building massive, inefficient gasoline vehicles. They’ve eliminated everything half-way efficient from their lineup (Volt, Spark, Sonic, Cruz, Trax, etc.) yet they keep churning out, and prioritizing for production big pickups and SUVs like Tahoe/Escalade/Yukon, and Suburban. That makes them incredibly hypocritical. They perfectly epitomize an organization that talks out of both sides of its mouth. They’re oh so worried about climate change and must act with urgency but in the meantime all we’ve got on our dealers’ lots today are 6.2 L V8 SUVs.
Thirdly, their much-ballyhooed Ultium vehicles are launching with a grossly inefficient 9,100 pound “green” Hummer. This behemoth off-road vehicle uses a 200 kVh battery that will draw massive amounts of power from the public tap. It’ll take something like a week to charge on a regular outlet at that cabin in the woods after it’s off-road adventure. And the Silverado EV is likely nearly as heavy and inefficient. GM is using the guise of EVs to maintain their addiction to massive vehicles to now include a gigantic Cadillac sedan. Why must they be so large? What’s most troubling is the fact that these vehicles will be a menace on the roads in the hands of inexperienced drivers not trained to safely operate something so heavy. They will disproportionately kill innocent people.
Fourth, GM and our government along with other automakers are plunging head-first into this endeavor and ignoring all the valid questions about how everything will work. Any question about where the power comes from and whether the primary or, importantly, secondary power distribution system can handle the load is dismissed. It isn’t answered and explained that I’ve seen; it’s just dismissed as utter silliness. I work in an industry closely affiliated with power distribution and I design systems reliant on secondary power distribution and I know there are legitimate questions about powering EVs that are not being answered.
Fifth, China overwhelmingly controls the world’s supply of rare earth materials vital for the production of electric vehicle batteries and will likely continue to do so for many years to come. As I understand it, the US is working to increase its supply including mining California’s Sultan Sea for lithium but we are at least 10 years away from this. By contrast the US has plentiful supplies of oil more than sufficient to meet our transportation needs for the foreseeable future. Why is GM driving an all-EV all-the-time future until we can produce EV batteries without relying on China. They are ceding our current ability to meet our transportation needs with domestic resources and making us reliant on an aggressive authoritarian nation half a world away. If the answer is that the planet can’t wait, China is currently ramping up coal power production so why must we become dependent on them to fix a global problem they’re exacerbating.
And lastly if EVs are so wonderful and, as I said, I have no issue with them in general, then why must the American taxpayer subsidize them. Why is everyone being asked to help some people purchase them or, as Barra would say, to drive adoption, of them. I believe the market should decide what’s best for each individual but EVs are being pushed on the public by our government and it’s largest automaker. As Newton’s Third Law states, for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. I think that’s what we’re seeing. EVs are being pushed on people and some people are pushing back. I believe if government would stay out of it, EVs wouldn’t have become so polarizing. They would gradually be adopted as they naturally become more affordable and domestic material supplies become available and as supportive infrastructure can be built. In that reality, party affiliation would have no role and individuals would decide free of government bribes.
No domestic carmaker has more riding on the transisition to EVs than GM. They’re totally committed so let them win or lose based on that decision but to force taxpayers to pay for rebates or tax breaks to help ensure they made the right choice is wrong. Maybe GM misread the market or are all-in too early. Let them live with the consequences of that or, perhaps, fully enjoy the rewards of their foresight. That’s how true capitalism works. None of that is what happened. GM decided to hire the president’s neice and go begging to the government for more subsidies and now that they have them, they’re offended when a newspaper notices their tactics and resurrects the Government Motors moniker.
GM has been decimated under the present CEO’s guidance. Much bad investment and technology give away to Asian branches and massive failed overseas investments. The CEO is sinking GM
Same here, my dad and granddad both retired from GM along with various other family members. I still receive the employee discount on new vehicles from my father’s retirement. I hate that GM seems to now be under government control via Mary.
You probably think Elon Musk walks on water and is the greatest thing since sliced bread. He took amazing rusks and spend 2-1/2 years so deep in the red he was minutes from folding up shop. If GM had been as “daring” as he was then they would be gone, institutional investors would have crucified MB and GM stock would have been less than during 2008 crisis. That said he also had support, and the risks going forward for rest of industry are greatly mitigated thanks to his efforts and the efforts of the Leaf, Bolt, Volt, and the others. EV may not be the final solution but it is a step in a better direction.
Can’t blame the WSJ though…
It must be midterm season!
“Government Motors” was a Republican talking point and rallying cry when GM entered Chapter 11 during the Obama Administration even though it received part of the $17 Billion dollar bailout before Bush left office. It only became political when the opposing party took office.
It’s not a surprise that a Rupert Murdoch paper is trying to reignite it during an election cycle. I just find it hilarious that people think that foreign-sourced fuel is more “American” than electricity generated in your own town.
Ehdit0r: Amen.
You think these politicians give a damn about the environment? If so ask Kerry send Granholm to give up their private carbon-spewing jets.
Mary never explained how inner cities and dense urban areas can possibly move to EVs. Drivers park in different place every day if you can find a spot. Many buildings have only on street parking. Forget about winter parking on snow plowed roads. People mark their shoveled out spots with all kinds of things. There would need to be a charger for every vehicle. Forget it. Wasn’t a Biden relative just added to gm payroll recently?
No EV: with such limited thinking like that, you will be one of too many who will be left behind. Have you ever driven an EV? Do you understand the charging structure currently in place? The structure that is coming? Have you read up on where the automobile is going and how many of those same drivers will become riders, thus (eventually and hopefully) reducing the amount of vehicles being parked on those same streets you speak of?
It’s time to move on and adapt.
Sorry. I’m not going to “adapt” with technology I and many others have no interest in. I will drive myself around in my own car thank you.
Tigger: Read it more carefully. I was responding to the comment about the many people who they claim would not have access to charging. According to them, these same people park in 5 feet of snow and have to fight for a parking spot. (I’m being sarcastic). Just like you, I intend to drive myself around as long as I can. So we agree on that. However, there are many (MANY) people out there who could care less about driving and would rather have some other form of transportation rather than fight for parking, shovel snow, etc. That was my point.
BTW, we all have to adapt to tech even if we don’t like it and I am one that prefers less tech and a more simple vehicle. Personally I hate all these huge rims, large sunroof’s and over-the-top screens. But if I’m going to continue to buy new cars, then I will need to adapt to some or most of it. I may not like it and I may bi**h all the way there, but I will need to adapt. You will too unless you plan to buy older used cars for the rest of your driving life.
The charging issue- especially away from home- is one of the reasons I have no interest in EVs. I think it will take several decades to solve.
Do you know that most businesses now have them? Shopping malls and grocery stores? Charging stations all over? There’s even a lot of newer (or remodeled) apartment buildings putting some chargers in.
This will not take decades to solve what’s already well solved and/or improving each month.
I do see charging stations. The question is can I get a full charge just as fast as I can fill up a gas tank? Will there be just as many charging stations along the interstate as there are gas pumps? I agree there may be a day when all of this is solved and I will reconsider then, but todays not the day.
No, you can’t charge as quickly as you can fill a tank. But you can charge for a lot less money than you spend filling a tank. So the tradeoff is money versus time. Don’t want to charge your car overnight? Don’t want to spend 15-45 minutes at a DC Fast Charger? Pay a hundred bucks at the gas station. OR, in the olden days, fifty. Don’t want to pay exorbitant gas prices? Charge your car overnight while you sleep or get up to an 80% charge in15-45 minutes (depending on your vehicle’s system) at a DC Fast Charger. It’s really that simple.
As with most things in life, you have to make a choice. Ya can’t have everything both ways (in this case charging as quickly as a gas fill-up at the price of a full charge).
I can get a 100% full gas tank in 5 minutes -maybe 10 or 15 if there are cars in front of me like at Costco or Sam’s club. With evs, using your math, I could be waiting up to 45 minutes per car in front of me, and after my 45 minutes I will still have only an 80% charge. Not too efficient if i am on a trip.
i agree local Box-Mart had 600 parking spaces and 8-10 charging stations.US will need 2public charging stations per vehicle plus at least one home station to accommodate a full switch to EVs..works out to 150M conservative estimate.
Not true unless you are in CA
Tigger: Fine – since there are at least 10 times the gas vehicles as electrics, you can continue buying gas vehicles, although possibly they won’t be GM branded.
You’re in sympathy with Mark Twain, “I am all in favor of Progress….Its CHANGE that I don’t Like!”.
Enlighten us please!
Not me.
So now you expect Mary to resolve all issues associated with the production of electricity? That would suggest she really does have super powers and is by far the most extraordinary CEO in GMs history. Not sure she has any control over the incompetency that is Texas.
Look every mfg is being forced into BEV product and they all will take advantage of this rebate so this is not just a GM thing.
Mfgs are also looking at a shrinking auto market where the S&P has listed only GM with growth for the year moving back ahead of Toyota and the others as they all decline.
GM moving forward is only committing Cadillac and Buick to EV only products and will keep ICE at Chevy and GMC till they gain sustainable levels of EV sales. That is why you are seein dueling models.
Stories like this are hit pieces by people invested in other interest and trying to play games in the media.
The future for each automaker up is going to be a tough rocky regulated path and so fat GM is doing a good job not rushing the EV or cutting off ICE till it is able to fulfill it place in the market.
To get to the truth of all this one needs to dig deeper than editorials and marketing people.
Again many folks try to make this an emotional issue and you really can’t as it is more political and a matter of survival for all in the industry.
The fact Honda has had to go to GM for EV help screams how much of a challenge this is for everyone. There are no free passes on this deal.
I love the critics with their arm chair answers but in the end they are not dealing with all the factors the real people have to balance.
Even in the parts industry it is being turned on its head and all are scrambling to find their place in the future. This will help some companies and it will finish others. It comes down to how well they prepare and transition.
What I love is Ford rushed out two EV models that really contribute nothing to their future. Now they are working on a adaptable platform like GM is already selling. To fund it they laid off 8,000 workers.
Yet Ford still has energy loans still not paid back to the energy departments and they still have plants leverage with bank loans. But where is Wall Street on these. The F150 profits are down due to high material costs. The Maverick and Bronco deliveries are not keeping pace due to quality issues.
If Ford was not 51% owned they would be in major problems for a take over.
Problem with the government is that they are incompetent and do not understand the basic economic principle that you cannot force people to buy something they dont want.
Problem with gm and Ford these days is that they are hitching their wagon to one of the the worst-if not the worst presidential administration in history. Blind leading the blind.
I personally think the EV movement is a bubble. Manufacturers are building plants right and left to satisfy perceived demand, but all they are doing is creating a glut of capacity. At this point in time EVs have too many disadvantages to be priced 50 percent above a comparable ICE vehicle.
The problem is they do understand but they are elected to follow the parties wishes from lobbyist.
That is why Trump is hated as he was not part of the system and delayed their agenda and promises that were made.
If you have to essentially beg the government to pass tax credits in order to sell EV’s, then that should tell you that the world is not ready for full EV adoption yet.
Everyone against EV cars are the ones that have never done any research on them, same as Trump supporters, not one of them ever spent one minute researching him before he ran for president, he’s a con man , doesn’t care one bit about anyone but himself , he preys on the stupid
Speaking of conmen how about those claims made that cancer is going to be cured, Covid 19 will be ended, taxes will not go up on people making under 400K, Inflation is transitory, inflation was at 0 percent during July or my favorite the vaccine or the endless boosters are going to prevent the spread! Now if that isn’t a conman I don’t know what is. LOL
Wow Joe Y, now that’s really taking the cake of Fox news talking points.
1. Don’t recall anyone saying cancer will be cured.
2. Covid 19 was said to “end” by Easter by the brain dead Trump. He’s the only one that said it would be gone.
3. Taxes? Care to explain that one? Have you already paid your 2021 taxes?
4. Inflation goes up and down under both parties. Care to brag some about the inflation under Obama? Didn’t think so.
5. Thanks to vaccines and boosters, we now have Covid under control for the most part. Remember all those trailer’s where the dead from Covid were being placed because people were dying so fast? Yup, under Trump. Biden’s admin has done an outstanding job of helping get this country back on it’s feet.
So interesting how the lover’s of Trump are the last to see the facts rather than their own set of alternate facts.
So Joe shopped a vax he inherited? Yep that is some big boy leader ship there. A call to FedEx
More people died of covid under Biden then trump that’s a 100% fact.
Biden made several claims that he would “end Cancer” in his first term….you easily find clips of that anywhere.
Its all bull because he is the most dishonest and phony person I’ve ever heard speak, but yeah, you can look it up.
Ha the joke is on you Dan. I don’t watch news very often and the two quotes of Biden saying he’s going to cure cancer and end Covid 19 came right from Biden himself during his own campaigns. Just look them up on Youtube as there are plenty of videos of him stating this. Taxes were in reference to the current regimes insistence that tax rates are not going up on those making under 400K. Well who do you thing all the corporations are going to pass this increase down to- yup the middle class hence why everyday items seem to go up on a monthly basis and will continue to go up with the inflation increasing act that was just passed!
It’s also a fact that more people have died of Covid 19 under Biden than Trump and for something that as you say is under control still seems to flare up on a regular basis in various parts of the world so as i stated the vaccine is not preventing the spread it mainly lessons the risk of dying. I Don’t need to watch any news to see what is in front of our eyes!
I’ve seen reports of research suggesting the vaccines have increased the risk of health damage or death.
Anonymous Guest:
Which explains why Life Insurance companies are suing Pfizer. They won’t win – only because the drug companies have better paid lawyers.
Of course, your statement is rather like “The Pope might be Catholic” (!!!)
Sure, more Americans died after January 6. In 8 months Trump’s policies and memes killed 406,000 and when pushed out of office in our first ever non-peaceful transfer of power, we were dying at a rate of 4,000+ per day. In the 20 months since, an additional 640,000 Americans have died. We are now dying at a rate of 300/day. We only have to look in the mirror to see why this is so.
Lincoln Garfield McKinley Kennedy
I believe the facts you stayed won’t make any difference to the Left. They will be ignored.
“equitable transition,”
Whenever your hear this phrase kids, just imagine a long unbroken turd coiling up in the bottom of the toilet……
Plus bribes or contributions go both ways.
C8.R
That’s correct. It just seems to be more and bigger under the big “R” and exceedingly so under the Maga-R’s.
In my 55 years, I’ve never seen such a corrupt group.
You were a cop so don’t talk to us about corrupt.
Cut the cop crap most are fine and are willing to pull you out of a burning car. They are even less of an issue than DC issues.
@C8.R
You sir are not the website dictator so you don’t get to decide what people can say or not.
Dan it was much under Trump because he was outside the system.
That is why they are after him so much
You say he is corrupt but yet these folks have said they have evidence but yet have been unable to prove anything because there was never a crime.
I had a FBI friend that left the Putin investigation when it saw it was a political hit deal.
Dan Trump may be rude and crude but he is not part of the pay system of DC and that is why both sides are after him as he could easily expose them.
You never find a Don Jr pay off any place on a lap top. Or any erased computers like Hilary.
I feel even The Bush family, and the house minority leader are all a part of this so the door swings both ways.
You want Corrupt just look at the deal in Florida now. They will make a big fuss and in the end they will not release anything and they will not charge Trump as all they want to do is tie him up legally to prevent him from running again. If he gets back in I expect many people will get exposed.
The fear is so deep we had a Ex CIA leaser talk exaction for things that never happened like the Nuke codes. They were changed when he left office.
My friend we have some great issues in DC but the least of which is Trump. The ones pointing fingers are often the ones with the most to lose.
Truth is the money is seed money to speed up purchases that will increase investment in more vehicles and infrastructure.
It is kind of like the space program. Going to the moon was the goal but the results was a tech boom due to all that was needed to get there. It brought us cheaper and smaller and more capable electronics and computers.
This conversation would not be taking place if not for the moon program.
Well, it wouldn’t be happening in this manner–so easily and with so many participants. Which, I guess, is the very definition of “double-edged sword”….
As much as I love my ICE car and don’t want to switch to BEV, we can’t just put all of this on GM or Barra. This is happening to every automotive company. As of 2030/35 we probably will not be able to buy another ICE vehicle anymore, not only from GM but from almost every company. I think GM is in a good position. As a fan and consumer, I am happy with the direction GM has gone since 2010.
The article is not critical enough. The truth should come out how GM is not taking care of their Bolt customers fast enough
If WSJ wants to call GM Government Motors. Then the Government must be called General motors. Because companies has ran this country for years and it will not stop anytime soon. People always complaining “Not with my tax dollars” as taxation itself is theft. Any major company going to take advantage of any incentives that will better help their company I cannot blame them. People get upset at the wrong people. It is not GM you are mad at, it is our government.
Both
The reality is this: both China and the EU have banned the sale of ICE vehicles as from 2025-2035 (depending, country per country). Most countries in the world import cars from China and the EU (and Japan), so the EV transition will happen on a worldwide scale. This means ICE developments will be increasingly written off on a limited sales footprint, thereby increasing the cost/vehicle and therefore the consumer price. That will put the price of an ICE car on par with an EV.
Most European manufacturers don’t invest in ICE engines any more. BMW and Mercedes have sold their 2022 EV lot in less than 3 months, meaning demand is 4 times higher than what they can currently manufacture. European car companies are in direct competition to GM in China. China today is the world’s biggest car market.
Now, given this situation, why would GM stick to ICE, knowing it would block their access to most European and Asian markets? It just doesn’t make sense… GM does this because they know it’s their chance to stay meaningful as a “global” car manufacturer. (and yes I know they sold their assets in Europe, but they are still present in Asia and South-America, thus also shifting to EV).
For the US customers, they will continue making the big ICE SUV & trucks, until demand fades away.
In 2025-2028 the solid state batteries will appear, allowing for much more energy density and faster charging (5 minutes for 250 miles or so). That will solve today’s grievances.
So the world is changing and those who don’t realize it, will get behind. I don’t like this evolution either, but it’s happening and we’d better realize it.
EV cars might cost more at purchase, but are cheaper in maintenance (at least before batteries give up), and as stated above ICE cars will get more expensive as well because of the reduced sales footprint.
I don’t see any reason to link all this to US political parties or US “government” involvement. It’s just simple market dynamics, driven by the rest of the world. Those who swear by ICE and want to ban US car makers from investing in EV just ensure that US manufacturers won’t be able to sell cars anywhere but in the US.
In the early 20th century electric cars were all the hype… they were easy to start and drive, didn’t stink, and even women could drive them (no hand-cranking). However, technology and market dynamics pushed gasoline cars forward, especially after Cadillac invented the electric starter and gas stations became available everywhere. Gas cars became faster and had more autonomy than electric cars. Now, today we see a same push towards EV, to the detriment of ICE cars; albeit through other market dynamics. Just like then, one can oppose it, but one cannot stop it.
BTW gas in Europe is above 8 USD/gallon… just to put the 5 USD/gallon in perspective… One of the reasons why an electric car suddenly makes sense…
PS I still drive a gas car.
Now this is an excellent comment, and why even though I am not fully on board with EVs, still look forward to owning one some time in the future.
Good one Mike!
Don’t forget the biggest reason gas displaced electricity as the main automotive power source: John Rockefeller. He bankrolled Standard Oil’s construction of gas stations across the country so he could sell his Standard Oil products, thus securing the dominance of gas-powered cars.
“BMW and Mercedes have sold their 2022 EV lot in less than 3 months.” I’m sure those on a fixed income are lined up to buy an EV. Excellent point Mike.
Depends on the amount of income that’s fixed. People the low end of the fixed-income scale are going to have the same problems buying any kind of car as anyone on the lower end of the income scale has always had when buying a car. But no need to get yer undies in a bunch: In ten years, the used car market will likely have the same percentage of affordable used EVs available as there are used ICEs today. Excellent point, Eric.
One difference is that you won’t have to buy a $15 000 replacement battery with the ICE vehicle.
US has 125M registered cars, total sales are about 15M so with no attrition it will take 12 years to replace every car.realistically 20. Look back 20 years..5.3 Silverado 14mpg(today22+), no airbags, no back up cameras, Apple Iphone was 5 years away. So the next 20 should be exciting and we will be arguing the demise of the BEV.
I’m sure the shareholders are elated to have a Kamikaze pilot for a CEO.
SonicFan,
Actually, no, you’re wrong. Congress, also known as the Legislative Branch, is comprised of two chambers known as the House of Representatives and the Senate. For a bill to become law, it must be adopted by both the House and the Senate and then signed by the President (the Executive Branch). It does not, however require support from both parties or “Democrat and Republican signatories” as you state. A bill can pass in the House and the Senate with ONLY the support of ONE PARTY.
In fact, in the case of the recent legislation that provides for tax breaks, subsidies, grants, etc. of taxpayer funds to be given to automakers producing EVs and the subsequent buyers of those EVs, there was no bipartisan support. The legislation passed in both chambers with only support from one party; the Democrat party.
So let’s now revisit the original comment: GM hires Missy Owens, niece of the President in February of 2022 to head up “environment, sustainability and governance policy” for the company. Here’s how The Detroit News described the role for Ms. Owens upon her hiring:
“General Motors Co. has hired Missy Owens, a former official in the Obama administration and niece of President Joe Biden, to head environment, sustainability and governance policy on its “growing team” in Washington…The Detroit automaker has been beefing up its policy team in Washington as it pushes forward on the electric vehicle promises it has made. In order to achieve those promises, GM and other automakers are pushing for government assistance, including tax incentives, to get consumers to transition to electric vehicles.”
So GM hires the president’s neice with, according to the above cited quote, the goal of getting government assistance for its EVs and, viola, that same president and his party, with zero support from the opposing party (the Republicans) deliver to GM six months later a massive subsidy program that will greatly benefit GM’s roll-of-the-dice all-EV future plans.
They call this arrangement crony capitalism and if you think it isn’t real then well, those words you lobbied at me (You’re f**king ridiculously stupid) might be better appropriated back to you.
Corruption, pure and simple.
What happens when the GOP takes over Congress in January?
The problem is that many CEOs are myopic. gm has apparently forgotten the days of the mid-1980s E/K/C body cars that went from V-8s to V-6s and a midsize body. Ford has a field day with that at the time. Or the GM 10 disaster which I feel was the spark that led them to bankruptcy. The cars were overpriced, overweight, and sales fell through the floor. Or how about gm’s “all diesel future” of the early 1980s. Where did that go?
I feel that there are underlying issues with EVs- aside from charging and price concerns- that these execs do not see, A vehicle of 9,000 pounds that can go 0-60 in 3 seconds is a disaster waiting to happen, and insurance companies and safety advocates are licking their chops. I can see the government limiting weight the way they limit milage these days, and requiring governors on EVs that will limit 0-60 times.
Yes Tigger, this is what I keep saying.
GM went all-in on smaller, transverse-engine FWD cars in the 80’s and it nearly killed them. The market soundly rejected the E/K replacements in ‘86 and sales fell 60 percent on what were GM’s most expensive and most profitable vehicles.
GM-10 was nearly as bad. The Oldsmobile Cutlass was the perfect not too big, not too small, not too cheap, not too expensive, not too plain, not too pretentious car for everyone. They sold half a million every year for many years. It was what the Honda Accord later became after the GM-10 conversion destroyed it’s widespread appeal.
In the 80’s GM, spurred by government EPA and CAFE regulations, redesigned their entire fleet seeking to lead the way to smaller cars and too often the public rejected them. I see parallels with the wholesale conversion to EVs today. GM would be wise to build some EVs and let the market dictate. Roger B. Smith’s GM of the 80’s survived this massive blunder but the diminished GM of today likely can’t, even with government tax credits. GM should have learned the public has to want what you’re selling. BMW and Mercedes are what they are today in America because Smith stubbornly proceeded with diminutive luxury cars and gave that market to the Germans and Honda recreated that magic perfect car for everyone formula after GM squandered it.
Though the E/K Eldorado-Seville-Toronado were not popular, the C/H cars were very popular in their downsized 1985-1986 version, increasing sales over the RWD predecessors by 20-30% and remaining the best selling luxury cars in the US into the late 1990’s.
There never was a year the Town Car outsold the FWD DeVille and neither outsold the Buick Park Avenue which was the best selling luxury car in the US year over year though 1997.
The W-cars for all the grief they get was the most produced and sold non-truck platform in the US for more than a decade, only being outsold and out produced in total numbers by the GM C/K and Ford F-series.
Not saying that every move was correct, but sometimes you need to get the history straight.
MrR,
I didn’t say anything at all about the C/H cars. I am very aware of the success of the ‘85 redesign of the Buick Park Avenue and Oldsmobile Ninety Eight. My point was GM went to nearly 100 percent transverse-engine FWD cars with shrunken dimensions in the 80s and for some of those products like the Cadillacs, and particularly the E/K-Body’s it was a disaster.
Fast-forward to today and GM is planning 100 percent EVs and using the same strategy as in the 80s; to go all in, and go early. They plan to overwhelm the competition. It didn’t work last time. We’ll see how it goes this time.
Strong comment overall, but making the Accord out to be the Cutlass’ equal? F— No
Anonymous,
In its heyday, the Cutlass was the perfect car for almost everyone. It was, as I said, not too big but not too small. It was not too cheap but then not too expensive either. It was not too plain or too pretentious. In every aspect it straddled the middle ground. It was, as Goldilocks might say, just right. As such, it was a perennial best-seller in the 1970s and 1980s. If you were alive back then, chances are, you knew somebody who drove a Cutlass.
GM pretty much ceded that perfect car for everyone persona with the FWD W-Body 1988 Cutlass Supreme redesign which sought to be more modern and more European. It offered the International Series as the new top trim level featuring an array of flags from lands across the globe on its fender. It was not your father’s Oldsmobile they claimed.
Into that vacuum, Honda pushed their Accord which wasn’t trying to be sporty or German. Instead, it had those same qualities of being in the middle in terms of every vehicle attribute and was thus ‘just right’ for most consumers. In the 1990s and 2000s, it was the Accord that became a best-seller.
To be sure, the Cutlass was a V8, RWD car with performance 442 variants prior to its reign as best seller and all generations of the Cutlass are collected today whereas the Accords were pretty much used up and discarded. Obviously, in that way they are different but cruising through any suburban neighborhood in 1978 would’ve revealed an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme in lots and lots of driveways. Making that same pass through suburbia in 1998, you’d find Honda Accords in the same spots.
The 80’s fwd market shift destroyed the idea of a perfect car for everyone. Accord filled no vacuum except those that gave up on liking their car, very principally an appliance. Now, EV’s are more divisive.
Cutlass’ were held in very good regard. The hotrod 60’s versions gave the nameplate its momentum. The later gens needed to add back the right taste of sportiness, and not be mass-market. There’s no reason a Cutlass could not have been strong, up to the present day. The W-bodies weren’t capable. It didn’t even execute a good interior trim. Cost-saving was felt and noticeable.
Wow! So many naysayers against electric transportation here! But first, all manufacturers worldwide are going electric now, and in less that thirty years there will be no more new gasoline vehicles. Second, all governments give incentives to their national brands to generate local jobs and block importation of foreign brands. Finally, we have to protect our own brands even if they cost more, due to higher worker salaries here. Many of us, including the naysayers, buy foreign brands because they are cheaper but never think of the other fellows who work on our brands that can lose their jobs because we don’t buy what that fellow makes for us.
So in the end, everyone who does not support our local car brands or does not want our government to support the local brands are traitors to our own nation. If we don’t buy our local electrics, the imports will win andall our local cars brands will disappear, just like local radio, TV, and computer brands did (since most are manufacturing out of the U.S. to lower costs).
Just give me a choice, don’t ram it down my throat. That’s the part that’s so maddening. Mary should stand with her customers instead of the government. I will reject the switch as long as possible. I will purchase new ICE as long as possible and drive them as long as possible.
OH C’mon Carl !
There are more than 10 times as many gasoline powered vehicles as Electric ones.. GM and FORD may swear off ICE vehicles (I doubt that FORD is going to stick to that policy) – but if GM sticks to their ‘100% electric’ Vision, then people will simply buy from other manufacturers.
Its not a RAMMING DOWN YOUR THROAT…
I know what Barra is thinking: – obviously with her ever increasing paycheck she is doing something right…
First is to get a 100 kilowatt hour battery to be $10,000 – which I believe the Ultium battery achieves, or is close to achieving. Add a smallish home charger, and inverter for the drive motor.
The rest of the car costs little to make – a single simple AC motor and a 2 stage helical gearing similar to the extremely simple set up in the BOLTS – at least that is the story with my upcoming 2WD LYRIQ.
A car that is trivially cheap to manufacture will assure GM’s profitability in the coming years…That is the tradeoff of sacrificing the ICE business to other manufacturers… A smallish GM (note the logo change to lower case) will, by her choice, no longer be all things to all people.
As far as ultimate reliability goes, you can’t beat a well designed electric….. The batteries last longer and longer since the bigger the battery – the more miles it will travel with each charge/discharge cycle. I’m estimating an easy 200,000 miles in my new LYRIQ before ANYTHING at all is required.
Compare that reliability. to the Transmission Repair place near me that has the parking lot JAM PACKED with cars such that several cars must be moved to get to any particular car.
I love GM’s but as you suggest I will likely be buying something else in the future along with millions of other former customers.
Not sure why you think the EV’s are cheaper than ICE, haven’t seen any proof of that. The battery and motor(s) cost as much or more than an ICE drive train and the rest of the car is basically the same? Where’s the huge savings?
Carl:
For one thing – the refueling cost is around (at 14 cents / kwh – what I paid last month for electricity) is about ONE FOURTH TO ONE FIFTH of the current cost of Gasoline.
Most states have time-of-day metering – so if you charge overnight you can get electricity for 4 – 7 cents / kwh from 11pm – 7 am. If you can reliably do that, then your ‘refueling cost at home – which is done by 80% of all ev drivers – becomes one eighth to one tenth the current cost of gasoline.
Friction Brakes generally last the life of the car since they are seldom used.
My new Large LYRIQ, which I have been told by the dealership to expect in the next 2 – 3 weeks would, if gasoline powered be very expensive to refuel, but as I mentioned since it is electric it is downright cheap.
My point about the transmission shops (and all those CAR SHIELD commercials where you pay $150 a month ($1800 per year) to save on big repair bills – and then they don’t cover anything when things actually break) shows that as gasoline cars age they need a LOT of expensive servicing. Whereas there REALLY IS very very low maintenance with GM electrics since there is so little to go wrong.. As I repeat myself, I expect ZERO battery trouble for the first 200,000 miles. I’ve had 5 GM plug-ins so far – and they are better than expected reliability….
People who should be mad are those who have bought GM ICE vehicles lately and have had multiple problems.
There are no deals on overnight power here it’s the same price around the clock and going up because our crazy gov is forcing coal plants out of business. Gas and diesel prices are dropping and will drop more once we get GOP back in power. I’m staying with ICE. I have no problems with my GM ICE vehicles.
“A car that is trivially cheap to manufacture will assure GM’s profitability in the coming years…”
I’m assuming all “trivial cheapness” will be passed on to the ever burdened consumer right?
Right?
Hello?
Is this thing on?
I’m a true fan, I reject foreign vehicles and by the way I don’t believe that they are cheaper.
Mary Barra is the best CEO GM has had in the last 40+ years, period. Most important she attracts the best and brightest to work for her which is obvious when one looks at the revitalization of GM’s outstanding engineering and design teams.
LOL, GM has some great ICE vehicles on the road today, but now they have committed to screw that up again. Why do they continue killing their winning vehicles with changes most don’t want???
Think about this ,if EV’s are so great ,why do you need an incentive to get one ?
I agree with WSJ, it makes me mad that Mary doesn’t stand up for her customers! Plus she has doubled down and vowed to be all EV with no choices. That really pisses me off.
In stead of knocking the auto industry maybe WSJ should print the truth about EVs and how our government is pushing them on us with all the false claims of saving the environment.
I feel the same about EVs as I do about the ‘rona vax. Get one if you choose. I drove in a Ford Lightning and that was the fastest vehicle I’ve ever been in. Unreal. Problem is just like with some of the vax crowd they get very sensitive and very angry if you disagree. Have your own opinion. To them I say FO.
Since the bankruptcy GM has taken the bailout money and tax credits and basically pocketed them.
No doubt these EVs will increase by $7,500. In effect taxpayers will put that money in GM coffers.
GM has been making EVs for years and almost no one wants them. The whole EV push is still premature and in no way is American reasy for them.
Funny how GM loves socialism when they receive ‘free’ handouts but switches to capitalism when any profits come in.
Sorry to say it, as always: GM had it. The Chevrolet Volt NG was outstanding. No range anxiety and it was perfect for commuting wit EV mode and then if you had to travel long distances there wasn’t any problem. And the worst thing is that the vehicle was engineered, tooled, validated (lots of $) and it lasted only 3 years, same as the 2nd Gen Chevy Cruze (based in the same architecture though), and even worse was the case of the Cadillac ELR (although 1st gen Volt sister).
In my opinion, the Volt 2 could have had battery range improvements over the years and the EPA 106 MPG range could have been much better.
In essence it was the ONLY car in the world that was a PZEV since always was moved by the electric motor and the ICE engine was a mere on board generator.
Sad….
Sonic :
Both Generation ONE and TWO volt-type products had the ICE engine directly driving the front wheels at times… The engine was much much more than a ‘mere on board generator’.
In the 2016-2019 VOLTS (I own a 2019), the engine is CONSTANTLY directly geared to the front wheels 100% of the time – even in ALL ELECTRIC mode. Differential gearing and a bicycle style coaster brake prevents the engine from spinning backwards when it is not running. But then that is why the car gets such great gas mileage and only requires 2 clutches (only engaged or disengaged under NO LOAD conditions – which means they will NEVER wear out) and 2 quite small electric motors – the entire drive train fits in the space of the old Generation ONE main motor). No starter motor nor solenoid. The engine is effectively ‘push started’ even if standing still.
Listed at 53 mile all electric range – the car can during the spring and fall go from 60 – 70 miles prior to running the engine at all. Obviously with most of the miles tacked on electrically – the car will go well over 100,000 miles prior to an engine overhaul. And ZERO transmission wear since the differential gearbox changes ratios intrinsically by varying the 2 electric motor speeds. Engine start-up – as mentioned – is accomplished by overspeeding one of the 2 motors. Also, during ICE operation, the car varies modes using partial engine and motor operation to get the best fuel economy – much better than the initial generation ONE vehicles.
I’m likewise disappointed gm dropped the ball on this EXCELLENT voltec technology – but you’ll get essentially the same thing with the TOYOTA products…. Like the Prius Prime and the Rav4 Prime.
HAHA ! I guess the negative votes means that a few at least read the first sentence… Not much point in giving out accurate technical information here, unfortunately.
Ci2Eye,
I have read two of your posts on this thread and find them thoughtful and well written. I advise others to go back and read them again. Well done!
Thank you! I know I can get carried away and write too much. I figure most don’t have the time to read it but I appreciate that you did and the kind words.
While I applaud the industry’s move and the government’s support, I believe any subsidies provided to spur EV adoption or the build out of plants and infrastructure should be recovered from the profits of the OEMs. As we have seen with the recent spike in gasoline prices, oil company profits did not suffer but instead expanded and hit record results. Why should an OEM enjoy enhanced profits based upon tax payer subsidies. The entire model needs to be reevaluated just as the bail out of the industry in ’08 – ’09, wasn’t a hand out but loans that required repayment. Once there is significant market penetration, what ever that percentage maybe, the government and tax payers should be entitled to recover this investment.
Maybe we can just nationalize the car companies…..
I’m sure you donate all your extra income right?
The way General Motors is going, I’ll be driving my 23 Camaro SS and my 2019 RAV4 for a very long time. Only 27 years old so I have many years to go, lol.
They are not classified as “durable goods” for no reason!
You right, lol. That’s why I have my RAV4, better than any SUV GM builds. I love GM for their performance lineup but over the past 10 years, man, they have been dropping the ball on every “normal” car.
In reading all the threads about zero emission cars. I think most rational people would acknowledge climate change is real, but what no one has published, that I have scene or aware of, is the environmental impact of mining the precious metals needed for batteries, carbon footprint for transporting them, and ultimately the disposal or repurposing of these same batteries, not to mention the carbon emissions for producing the energy needed to recharge these batteries. We need a holistic approach to global warming not piecemeal approaches that don’t consider all the consequences.
The sane could be asked about Ford,they gotta bail out WAAAYYYY Before gm and Mopar got theirs..
How they can brag about no bail out, is genuinely humorous. Allan Mullally was suckin bush’s d for it,previously. Don’t believe me… look it up… $5.9 billion..
What’s good for gm is good for Americans
Uh oh, you’re sounding a bit like Milo Minerbinder!
Mary, Mary, Mary! You would be flipping burgers at the golden arches, if it weren’t for the American Tax payers. So cut the BS and just thank us, not old joe, it’s not his money. His funding comes from china!