With Ford's ready-made EV, why do we need the Volt?

[wtmusic]

"Ford is preparing to sell an electric car developed almost entirely by an outside supplier. While that may cut down on bragging rights - General Motors created the Chevy Volt in-house - Ford says it also cut down on costs and risk.

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The car drives just like a gasoline-powered Focus, said Bill Pochiluk, an industry analyst with Automotive Compass. The electric Focus's 100-mile range will do just fine most of the time.

"This vehicle makes you wonder: why do we need the Volt?" said Pochiluk."

http://money.cnn.com/2009/03/20/autos/ford_electric/index.htm

[itsrobert]

1. UMM, Competition?

Or is that not part of capitalism anymore?

[cliffordu]

2. How can an outfit that needs to be bailed out by the fedgov be competitive

with anyone?????

[Traveling_Home]

4. Yep - gotta let them sink I agree with you. nt

[wtmusic]

3. Pochiluk is arguing the Volt won't be competitive

The people who would be buying the Volt would more often than not find an electric Focus met their needs. Lighter, cheaper, enough range.

[marybourg]

5. But --

"Unlike the Volt, Ford's electric Focus will not be a "range extended car." In other words, it won't have an on-board gasoline-powered generator to pump out more electricity for longer drives.

The Focus will not burn gasoline and will go about 100 miles on a charge. Before hitting the road again, drivers will have to wait to recharge"

[pretzel4gore]

7. we can build highways for recharging

many years ago, the kids had a toy set that was cars on a racetrack...the cars could go so fast most of the winning involved slowing down and not flying off against the wall. There was so much power available, each little car could zip around that track almost as fast as eye could react, and rarely did a race take place w/out cars flying away ...question is, can 40 year old technology used for toys somehow be adapted for real cars, with electric power made available for recharging batteries using dropdown pos/neg flaps?
probably not.
after all, we never REALLY visited the moon- that was just the gov saying shit to cause mistaken beliefs in progress etc, as foxnews reported few years ago...
(iow, we coulda had electric vehicular fleet 30 years ago, but the pig needed to get fatter, and that's that)

[AndyTiedye]

11. Some Places Already Have Them

Perhaps they should offer a trolley pole option.

[madrchsod]

6. freedom from choice comrade

[CRF450]

14. delete,

[Brazenly Liberal]

8. Who wants a Volt? I do. And a lot of my neighbors will.

More Americans live in rural areas than many people realize. Still. In a rural county, an electric-only vehicle just doesn't do it.

We have a gas powered Focus and are very happy with it. But an electric only is out of the question for us. Around here, most of the places we might go flirt with the 100 mile mark for the round trip. Hell, with a car that was only electric, my husband couldn't even go to work and back. Add to that the fact that electricity is often unreliable out here - it goes out when there are storms, when there are high winds, when a sparrow hiccups.

The nearest emergency room is nearly 20 miles away. Not many people around here would take a chance on a car being charged up. I think there's a very real market for the Volt here and in other rural areas.

[MineralMan]

9. While a 100 mile range would eliminate the car for

some, it would have zero effect on others. Neither of the cars in my household get driven more than 100 miles on 99% of their use. I could use a car with a 100 mile range for that 99%, and have a gasoline-powered vehicle for the rare occasions when it was needed, and to tow my boat when I use it. My 1991 Volvo could fill that need, and get good mileage while doing it.

I'd say that the same limited usage range probably fits well over half the population of the US...with long-range commuters being the most frequent exceptions. And long-range commuting is a solvable problem, if people would consider living near their work as one of their options in housing.

Also, for those, like me, who rarely need a vehicle for a long distance trip, renting a car would be a viable option and even cheaper, perhaps, over time.

It's not the regular use that is an issue. For most people, a 100-mile range between charges would be just fine, since the car could be plugged in daily.

Instead of worrying about range, perhaps we should be thinking about how convenient an all-electric car could be. No gasoline engine to require maintenance. No trips to the gas station. Quiet operation. Small size making parking easy.

I can see few downsides...

[wtmusic]

10. There aren't many downsides.

Cheap, clean, reliable. Mine:

http://www.aspire-ev.com

[Massacure]

12. Isn't GM kind of banking of the volt being a comercial success for them?

This could be bad news for GM. The only thing GM has over Ford is the gas engine, but it would not be hard to add a gasoline generator to the car. It would probably only add 3-4 grand to the cost.

[TreasonousBastard]

13. We need the Volt to go more than 100 miles. n/t

[CRF450]

15. I'll take the Volt.

I do alot of driving that gets up to 100 miles or more since I live out in the sticks. Not really a Ford fan anyways.