Chevy Volt Halted. Who did not see this coming?

[MasseyWV]

Okay, yes, my Cousin was killed in his f150 truck after a collison with a car half his weight. With his seatbelts still locked around him.. So more of the same theorys??But is it hard to argue with mass on impact, the same reason Freighttrains and dumptrucks mostly win their battles?

The dynamics of any crash are largely unpredictable so it's entirely possible that one can be killed when driving a much larger vehicle, it's just less likely due to the difference in mass.

Newton's laws of motion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[westcliffe01]

But what if the car got 70-80mpg ?

They were selling these 10 years ago:

the 3L lupo (per 100km)
Volkswagen Lupo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Price was about $13k No electric motors and no batteries. If I could have bought one here I would, but no...

Smart Cdi with 0.8l turbodioesel 3.3l/100km (72mpg) They cost about $14k

Here is a list of a few cars we still can't get here:
1) smart ForTwo CDI - 3.3L/100km (72 mpg US)

2) Ford Fiesta ecoNetic - 3.7L/100km (64 mpg US)

3) MINI Cooper D - 3.9L/100km (60 mpg US)

They will all get many of us to work and back just fine and at 60mpg to 70mpg I'm pretty sure the math will work out favorably.

I personally owned a VW Lupo with the 1.4Tdi and without the aluminum body of the 3L lupo. It got close to 60mpg, could do 110mph easily, had a range of 600 miles on a 10gal tank, handled the curves and snow just fine. Was quiet, comfortable, had a great sound system in mine. I could not bring it due to insurance being impossible.

 

[Jim Shooz]

There are two more methods of producing power coming to market soon. You have already heard about CNG, that has been in the works for a while. We (America) have a lot of it and it is cheap and will divorces us from oil imports. It does have a lower BTU than LP or gas but can be used in hybrids as well as conventional. I am surprised this has taken so long to get to market since this is current technology (Generac) but I'm sure the surge in oil pushed the plans and our ability to except the technology.

.

CNG was tried here in the late seventies. The Government motor vehicle fleet was converted and refueling stations were built at their depots. The public didn't take to it (because of the power loss, cost of conversion and rate of return on investment) and not many service stations built refuel facilities. (most cars were 4 cylinder, Japanese) At the same time LPG was also on a rise and because it gave close to similar power output as Gas was more readily accepted and is still used. Mostly by taxis.

Wellington city had just ripped out their tram and had a very aged trolly bus fleet. After a lot of Greenie pressure they decided on a PYA policy (Protect Your A**s) and upgraded the electric overhead and bought a mixture of diesel and electric buses. They're still in use today

 

[MasseyWV]

Yes, were all back to driving hummers now cause we're scared of getting in a crash and we'd rather annihilate the "other" guy so we can be safe.

I don't drive a large truck so I can annihilate the other driver, I drive it so I can pull and haul heavy loads. The added "safety" factor gained from driving a larger vehicle is simply a bonus.

But what if the car got 70-80mpg ?

They were selling these 10 years ago:

the 3L lupo (per 100km)
Volkswagen Lupo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Price was about $13k No electric motors and no batteries. If I could have bought one here I would, but no...

Smart Cdi with 0.8l turbodioesel 3.3l/100km (72mpg) They cost about $14k

Here is a list of a few cars we still can't get here:
1) smart ForTwo CDI - 3.3L/100km (72 mpg US)

2) Ford Fiesta ecoNetic - 3.7L/100km (64 mpg US)

3) MINI Cooper D - 3.9L/100km (60 mpg US)

They will all get many of us to work and back just fine and at 60mpg to 70mpg I'm pretty sure the math will work out favorably.

I personally owned a VW Lupo with the 1.4Tdi and without the aluminum body of the 3L lupo. It got close to 60mpg, could do 110mph easily, had a range of 600 miles on a 10gal tank, handled the curves and snow just fine. Was quiet, comfortable, had a great sound system in mine. I could not bring it due to insurance being impossible.

That's fine if you like driving a shoebox, but what if you need something that can pull or haul a heavy load? I could see myself pulling a 10,000 pound trailer behind one of those. :laughing:

 

[westcliffe01]

I "also" own a 2008 F250 diesel, since I have to tow my bobcat which is 7700lb without the trailer. But it is not what I would choose to drive down my country road 10 miles 1 way to work, on a daily basis. The only time I do drive the F250 is when it snows a LOT (my wife is a nurse and she HAS to get to work) or when it has a job to do.

I don't think anyone reasonably expects to displace the pickups for the work they were really intended to do. They just make expensive commuter vehicles. It costs nearly $100 to fill the tank on mine...

 

[MasseyWV]

I "also" own a 2008 F250 diesel, since I have to tow my bobcat which is 7700lb without the trailer. But it is not what I would choose to drive down my country road 10 miles 1 way to work, on a daily basis. The only time I do drive the F250 is when it snows a LOT (my wife is a nurse and she HAS to get to work) or when it has a job to do.

I don't think anyone reasonably expects to displace the pickups for the work they were really intended to do. They just make expensive commuter vehicles. It costs nearly $100 to fill the tank on mine...

My F250 doesn't get driven much either, except in similar cases.

The problem is that electric vehicles and many other "green" solutions, seem to only be expensive toys that have no hope of ever becoming a true replacement vehicle in cases where real work needs to be accomplished, aside from simply getting one from point A to point B.

 

[Diamondpilot]

$28k for a Civic? Ha ha!
They start out at $15k and even a loaded EX-L with leather, 17" alloys, bluetooth, navigation, etc... it's only $23k. Even the 44mpg Civic Hybrid is $24k...
My aunt replaced her Prius with a new Honda Civic and her insurance went down slightly vs the Prius, the explanation given was the battery replacement cost in the event of an accident and pedestrian accidents when they don't hear a Prius running past a crosswalk in electric mode. I'm sure every company is different.

I agree. I just looked over the Civics at the dealer with a family member. I bet they had 40 of them and the top dollar unit was $23000 with most between $18000 & $20000.

All get 39 mpg or more.

Chris

 

[Diamondpilot]

The Prius has side and front air bag protection. Most passenger cars have them now. I don't know about the newer Pickups.

My 07 Titan has side curtain air bags. I think most new trucks do also.

Chris

 

[caps]

It is more than just the small size and economics of the vehicle. They were just downright dangerous. The batteries were water cooled with several hundred plumbing connections (400+ O-rings) and were located in the worst possible place in the vehicle (under the seats and down the middle of the car). A puncture or short to one of the cells could cause a catastrophic explosion and fire that would be almost impossible to put out (not to mention the poisonous fumes). I also read somewhere on the web that the batteries were not designed to be replaceable and had a lifespan of about 8 years max.
Seems like just a really really bad idea.

 

[Soundguy]

hey.. that lil .8l td is neat. if that was here.. I'd consider it for the wife.. .. though it is small.. we had a lil kio rio for a while.. a simple fender bender ( not our fault ) totaled it out.. yet only did 100$ damage to the vehicle in front of us.. and 400$ damage tot he one that hit us at the stoplight. yep.. that's right. mid size sedan hits compact cart which is pushed into suv at stoplight. 500$ damage to the other vehicles ( bumper pads.. thats it.. period ).. and 13500$ damage to the compact car

that's why I'm still driving a 99 ford dually and she is driving an 00 yukon...

soundguy