All of the auto makers have been producing cars that run on an internal combustion engine drivetrain since their inception. (Notable exceptions include Stanley, but they're not around anymore.) These companies have been making ICE drivetrains and cars for up to and over 100 years, yet they still make "prototypes" (preproduction test models) and have issues with them. That's just how it goes when you're packaging something up in a new way. Even though the theory is still the same, as ICE's all basically work the same way, when you make a different size engine, it still needs to be thoroughly tested and it's only expected that they will have problems at first. Again, this happens to foreign and domestic makes.

 

Isn't Europe a little farther that DC- at least, physically, if not politically?

To the guy with the U-boat technology anology: Not only a difference in scale, but the technology has changed quite a bit, too- maybe not so much the DC motors, but batteries, controllers, metalurgy/composites,- if this was half as easy as you are trying to make it sound, people would be cranking these out in their garages- Not seeing too many working versions on the streets near my house- Yes, the theory is sound, and been around a long time- there were electric cars in the 1900's- but to build a practical durable car that consumers will actually buy, at an affordable cost- anybody care to look up what the value of the GM EV-1 car that GM leased a decade ago?-

Okay, we all drive electric cars- where is the power to recharge them going to come from? Coal? Nukes? Hydro? No, wait- solar! Yeah, like that would work- what's going to happen to the nation's electrical grid when 100 million people come home from work and plug their cars in overnight to recharge?

 

Are you against unemployment payments. How about welfare or medicaid?

I think they are all unsustainable. Money is not infinate on the government side either.

 

But is it thoughtful?

GM is driving an prototype - an electric prototype at that. They haven't been building these for 100+ years, there's a reason it's a prototype.

And yes, it's doubtful that Wagoner would be driving solo the entire trip in Volt.

 

Let me take a guess... Since the ***** invented it during the third Reich?

 

it didn't bother me at all !


Dumb media coverage of it made it seem far more important. Just because they are asking for a loan doesn't mean they have to show up to congress on a bike wearing jeans and a t shirt.


Especially when speaking to congress. F congress, they have no moral or ethical ground to criticize these guys for flying in a private jet.

The public on the other hand can cry over the symbolism but whether they fly, walk, run or arrive in some PR stunt it doesn't change the situation. We the public should be more concerned on the outcomes that will come from the decisions being made.

 

Yes I'm against unemployment payments. Unemployment levels would be A LOT lower if we didn't pay people that aren't retired NOT to work.

Yes I'm against welfare payments. See above.

With that being said, there are people who would work if they were able to. I believe we should take care of those people. However, 99.9% of the time, that isn't the case. Almost everyone can do SOMETHING.

I have a 34 year-old cousin with Down's Syndrome and she has a full time job.

 

I"m not sure why, after this issue has been beaten to death in other threads, the question is being asked again?

I doubt very many people here were "angered" by their flying in on private jets.

The problem is the "picture" it creates for the public (who's money they are begging to receive).

It's not unlike the stupidity of certain former political figures/celebrities who fly around the world in private jets which use somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-4,000 of pounds of fuel per hour to move one human body; all so that they can tell me that I'm being a bad steward of the environment because I drive an SUV (that actually gets better MPG than most cars did 30 years ago).

First class tickets on a private carrier should be good enough for any executive and especially so when the executive in question is presiding over a company that is quickly going down the drain.

 

It's funny you mention the EV1:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1

According to GM Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner, his worst decision of his tenure at GM was "axing the EV1 electric-car program and not putting the right resources into hybrids. It didn’t affect profitability, but it did affect image."[17] According to the March 13, 2007, issue of Newsweek, "GM R&D chief Larry Burns . . . now wishes GM hadn't killed the plug-in hybrid EV1 prototype his engineers had on the road a decade ago: 'If we could turn back the hands of time,' says Burns, 'we could have had the Chevy Volt 10 years earlier.'

You hit the nail on the head. The fact remained that, even when gas was over $4/gallon, the plug-in hybrid still wasn't/isn't yet economically viable. However, when they start making them in VOLUME, the production costs WILL go DOWN. The point is that GM could've really beaten EVERYONE to market with this and actually been a pioneer to the automotive industry instead of a follower.
To you remark about the electrical grid. What do you think happens when 100 million people turn on their big screen LCD/Plasma TVs? Those things eat A LOT more power than you think, and charging the battery of a car doesn't eat as much power as you'd think either.

 

I don't know if they could. There might be some unhappy people at the SEC if they were all on one jet.

 

FYI...both GM and Ford closed down their corporate flight departments earlier this week. Pilots and mechanics alike are being let go and the aircraft are being sold. There's no doubt GM and Ford are worried about public perception. The funny thing that people won't realize is, their executives will still be flying on bussiness class jets however, they will be chartered.

Also, both of those companies had corporate shuttle flights that transported thousands of regular employees annually to specific locations around the country. Do you think the need for those people to travel will stop? I think not! Now, they will have to fly the airlines which not only takes longer but, actually will cost the companies much more money than operating their own shuttle aircraft.

 

Well I hope the Senate Committee is proud of themselves. They took a small side show and blew it so far out of proportion as almost seen as a hazing exorcise. Then they in turn completely undermine who reason for asking for the loan. Save American jobs and prevent a depression!
Once again Congress we can always count on you to play God and cut the middle class one more time.

 

Agree!!

 

I would of asked "What kind of car did you drive to this hearing senator?" 100k MB? "Why didn't you take public transport to work today?"

 

I am not sure, but I think you re wrong about the power grid and plug-in electrics. The typical house has just 100 amp service, older houses may have as little as 60 amps. A heavy duty circuit is 30 amps, about what you would need for an overnight charge. So, every 2-4 Volts is like adding a house to the grid. I doubt the grid in many places has this kind of capacity, especially in the inner ring suburbs and urban areas of large cities where the Volt is likely to sell. Anyway, I hope it is success.

Rich