Comments on: The Tale of Three Detroit Electric Car Programs

By: tapra2

tapra2 — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 06:29:27 +0000

This announcement comes three months after Chrysler took $70 million in grants from the US Department of Energy to develop.Consulting Blog

By: Rich Eubanks

Rich Eubanks — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:34:14 +0000

We started to purchase a Prius in 2008 but I was concerned about the expensive battery and how long it'd last.

So, we bought a loaded 2008 Focus, and with the rebates, only paid $14,000 for it. That was over $10,000 less than the Prius.

I've gotten as much as 45 MPG's on a highway trip and we, consistantly, get well over 30 around town. Nice car and we've been very pleased with it.

I'd like to see Ford make this into a hybrid. The EV Focus would be fine around town but we want one vehicle to serve in-town and highway needs too.

When they do make something like our Focus that has an electric-only range over 50 miles, then hybrid where the electric charges on flat, level, roads and the electric kicks in passing, up hills, and accelerating from stops, we'll trade!

By: cindy hinendent

cindy hinendent — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:55:09 +0000

I think gm had moved back to a high tech company they once were.

They have learned and now seem to be the leader on the best technology.

Just a matter of time that GM will be the leader once again.

By: AP

AP — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:56:40 +0000

Samie, you need to compare a Toyota Camry with a Lexus ES 10 before you worry about the Converj being too similar to a Volt. Every multi-brand manufacturer has similarly-sized vehicles that share many components (the same "platform"). It would be foolish to have completely different parts and systems that do the same thing, but require more engineers to design them, more tooling to make them, and more part numbers to track.

What got GM in trouble with "platform sharing" was that in the 1980's, the entire body shape of their full-sized cars was almost identical, with the front and rear of the car about the only visual distinction. That era is over. That's why Pontiac and Saturn are gone.

The question is whether the "guts" of the car that are important, but invisible to the customer, need to be radically different, to differentiate a Converj from a Volt. As long as the platform can be outfitted and tuned completely differently, the answer is no.

Said another way, if someone who had no clue the Volt and Converj shared parts looks at and drives them both, would they think they were the "same car?" Again, the answer will be no, because there is no mistaking one for the other, and the Converj (being a luxury car) will have many features and treatments that the Volt will not.

By: Dom

Dom — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:38:14 +0000

I wonder if the Opel version of the Volt with have a diesel engine… that’d be cool.

As for Chrysler’s “bait-n-switch”, while that might not be a good thing in itself, it may be that it’s more financially feasible to focus on less expensive options like importing Fiat cars as opposed to pouring tons of money that they don’t have into EVs which may or may not have a market…

By: Max Reid

Max Reid — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 01:44:10 +0000

In alternative fuel vehicles, there are flex fuel vehicles which can run on Ethanol and then the CNG powered vehicles.

In Europe, Italy is the leader in CNG powered vehicles and they have more than 500,000. Italy can bring that technology.

Boone Pickens is investing big in Natgas as vehicle fuel. Hope Fiat will take Chrysler in that direction.

By: Samie

Samie — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:14:27 +0000

Collin Burnell I’m not sure I follow the multi brand same car idea. I think that is part of the reason why GM has gotten in trouble. It takes away from the Volt if you try to sell two EV cars at the same time you need to market each which costs more money. The Converj only is green washing because again while you can say it would scale up production for GM it takes away branding of a flagship EV for the company and possibly sells of a Volt (assuming competitive options are available by other companies). Why is the Volt a Chevy Volt? Because Chevy is the most recognizable brand GM has but does the Volt actually help market the brand Chevy or create distinctions from other GM brands, NO. Using GM’s theroy of car branding this car should be a Buick Volt or Cadillac Volt not a Chevy. This why the same car twenty different brands idea doesn’t work anymore and the fact there is a lot more competition. I’m not saying the Volt and the Converj are completely the same car but similarities do exist and will more then likely confuse consumers and cost allot more to market, with less likely hood that two cars at once/ or more will create consumer loyalty for short-term and long-term purposes.

By: Doug Korthof

Doug Korthof — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:04:04 +0000

As usual, GM is L Y I N G. Lutz is good at snowing the bejesus out of gullible reporters and ignorant bloggers; the fact is, GM has spent its career killing EVs and is still doing so today.

The VOLT-hoax is sabotaged by using the WRONG BATTERY. GM and Chevron worked together to kill the right battery, NiMH, and it's not in production today because of GM's bogus purchase of the patent rights in 1994 (tried to hide it then, but Toyota went into production).

And when GM needed to get tough with Toyota, they sold the patent rights to their corporate "parent", Chevron, on Oct. 10, 2000; it was Chevron that funded the lawsuit that stopped production, to this day, of the only successful EV to go more than 100,000 miles on the same battery pack.

By: Robert3e34

Robert3e34 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:39:45 +0000

Anyone know if Chrysler/Dodge are dipping their foot into the ‘green’ car market with a hybrid or alternative fuel vehicle?

By: Max Reid

Max Reid — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 18:05:00 +0000

The Escalade a big suv hybrid sold more units than Hummer-H2.
Now, Converj with a V6 Engine and some 50-60K price tag should sell much better.

I saw it in Chicago auto show and its beautiful vehicle.

Mr BMW Fan - Prius-I came 1st in 1997 and Insight-I came in 1999. Prius-II came in 2003 while Insight-II came in 2009, so you know who copied whom.