Since you mention "wicked cool" in 2 posts, seem over sold on the "greenhouse effect" blather, and are oblivious to the fact that it'e going to take fuel reaching $4 per gallon just to sell the Volt outside of Northern California and the richer sections of Los Angeles, and have no idea that GM (like Toyota) is likely to lose money on each one they sell (making these things are more expensive than conventional cars), I'd say you're still in high school, or exceedingly idealistic.

I live in California, and I care about the enviroment as much as anyone else (except the granola-eating, anti-meat, anti-fur, anti-everything treehuggers). I'm urked when people remove pollution equptment from their cars just to get 5 more horsepower. To this day I don't understand why people buy a Tahoe or Suburban and burn up gallons of gas when they probally need nothing more than an Equinox or a Magnum, or why the Navigator was a better seller than the more efficient and just as luxurious Aviator.

But at the same time, I understand that cars today put out only 2% of the pollution they put out just 30 years ago. The Hemlock Society removed sucking car fumes as a way to commit suicide (you'll get grossly sick well before you die). Chevrolet's old LS1 engine qualified as a Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV), meaning it produced far less emissions than government standard. That very same engine in the Camaro ran 28 mpg in a Corvette. More than most Japanese V6s. Ford is selling a version of the Escort.....right NOW.... that puts out just as little emissions as the Prius. Ford, again right NOW, is selling TWO hybrids (Escape & Mariner) with a hybrid sedan around the corner.

Prius is simpley a public relations car. It doesn't get the best fuel economy. It doesn't put out the least pollution (both titles belong to Ford!). But, Prius is getting all the press while Ford's better and more useful hybrids gather dust on lots, meanwhiole the company has to deal with a reputation as being one of those out of touch American companies, while Toyota gets to sell V6 vehicles that get worse fuel economy and pollute more than the V8s we buy here.

I like the Volt, and while I don't think it's "wicked cool", I think it's an idea that should reach showrooms. But I'm also aware that these will be essentially specialty cars that are on the market for PR purposes, since electric cars are far more expensive than conventional ones.

 

Then again, I believe Ford is using Toyota hybrid technology in their offerings, are they not?

Volt is a cool concept, make no mistake. Being able to make a 40 mile round trip to work without using a drop of gas could even revolutionize transportation. But the effects of a car like the Camaro on the environment are virtually non-existant anyway.

 

al gores house uses more electricity in a month then the average us home uses over a years time.

 

Do you have a PDF of his electric bill or something? Post it if you do, I'd love to see it.

What Does he have to do with the Camaro or Volt?

 

times 2

 

As far as the global warming thing is concerned, yes, the temp is rising. The earth does goes through cycles of varying temps. No one knows w/ 100% certainty what is causing global warming. Is it solely man? Is it solely the earth's own doing? A combination of both? Tree-huggers like Gore want you to believe that it's corp America & the general population only. The poor fragile earth can't cope w/ the humans. Can we do something? Yes, & we should. But I hate it when people make broad declarative statements forcing their opinion as fact.

That being said, I can't wait for the new Camaro to come out. I don't care what the MPG is

 

OMG...stop drinking the Kool Aid.

 

Actually this is quite true, it was all over the news. It is a matter of public record since the electric company here is a public utility.

And also it has zero to do with the Volt.

 

I don't know about a year's worth, but it's only common sense. Unless Mr. Gore has some magically efficient furnace or A/C system that the rest of the world isn't privvy to.

Nothing. But the original poster brought him up.

 

When I was in grammer school and high school, everyone was concerned about "global cooling". Afterall, we had afew decades where the temp had on average, gone down couple of degrees. It could ONLY mean that the next ice age was just around the corner.

Luckily, it wasn't twisted into a political issue by manipulative politicians, greedy hucksters and dimwitted Hollywood actors - the way "global warming" is now.

 

I can't wait for the car either, I also don't care about MPG, but I do car about $PM

The way I see it even if in 30 years we find that we over reacted to this global warming threat, all the things we did to fight global warming will have other very positive outcomes

#1) Less pollution , I don't think anyone can be against that.

#2) Energy independence , less fluctuation in energy prices and no more middle east wars (for us) or middle eastern terrorism on us (assuming we pull our military out).

#3) Ethanol , Think of all the gasoline that gets spilled or doesn't 100% burn off in Boat, Jetskis, and lawn equipment. You could pour 1000 gallons on Ethanol into a lake and since it is water soluble the worst thing that would happen is a few fish get drunk.

#4) Wind and Solar power - You can charge your Chevy Volt at home for almost free. No pollution, No surcharge, No tax, Every one can make power, No Billion dollar plant needed.

#5) Better batteries - The possibilities are endless, laptops that last months on a charge, electric muscle cars, portable everything!!!!

Maybe his electric supplier is 100% wind based. I pay 1.5¢ a kWh extra for 60/40% Wind/Hydro electric over the standard supplier. Maybe he is making Hydrogen at home, who knows.

 

Who isn't for less pollution and greater energy independence?

But I don't need all of this bullsh!t smoke and mirrors, which in the end, will only divert billions (maybe trillions over time) of dollars to entities which have nothing to do with those causes.

 

algore....

http://www.businessweek.com/innovate...carbon_fo.html


Bob

 

Funny. I vaguely remember something like that being taught in the 1970s. Had to do with pullution blocking out the sun and making the earth cooler. Seemed just as logical as global warming today.

Enviromentalist today need something to justify their existence since large cars today get better mileage than a mid 70s 4 banger and toxic fumes from tailpipes has essentially been eliminated.


I'm all for better fuel economy and bring our oil consumption more in line with what we and a few allies produce (....The United States is the THIRD largest oil producing nation!..... bet no one knew that!)

I also think that we've become lazy in that since we no longer worry about fuel economy or emissions, all our resources are going into a horsepower race that honestly is bordering on the ridiculous. Instead of stationary or slowly rising horsepower with nice gains in fuel economy, we're seeing stagnate fuel economy with hugh gains in horsepower. That was fine when we were still recovering from the 70s, but once 0-60 times got into the mid 5 second range and quarters got over 100 outside of 2 passenger sports or specialty cars, we were starting to go overboard and lose all sense of reality. Someone actually wasn't impressed by a 13 second quarter in a showroom car!


GM has a 4.8 V8 that's more powerful than my 5.6 second 0-60 LT1 was (and is on par with Ford's Mustang 4.6 powerplant) was and would probally get over 30mpg in a car like the Camaro with the same technology built in as the 425 horse 6.2 it's likely to get (which will probally only match the economy of the LT1). IMO, the 6.2 should be a special Camaro with the 4.8 or no more than the 5.3 being the regular performance Camaro, and have the big fuel economy gains (at the risk of being tarred and feathered).

Sorry this post came out longer than I planned, but being in San Francisco, I get into these types of discussions often.... usually with people who simply take a position because it's a fad, not because they actually know anything about it.

 

You're absolutely right - but it's such a damn good public relations car that GM should not hesitate to build it. An over the top, brimming with technology car that just so happens to look cool (and it does, if you haven't seen it in person), would be a terrific halo vehicle. And let's face it, GM is desperate for perception improvements. I'm sure GM would be willing to invest a lot of money if they thought it would stop the media from using the term "over dependence on large, gas guzzling SUV's" every time they mention GM.

Also, the Volt would not stop GM from making sure the next Cobalt carries some European engines that make great fuel economy.

GM needs a car that appeals to idealistic high schoolers, because as it stands right now, those people are all planning to buy Toyota's and Honda's in the future.