GM Criticized Over Chevy Volt's Hybrid Similarities 657
Attila Dimedici writes "This article says the Chevy Volt is not what GM claimed it was: an Extended Range Electric Vehicle. The Volt is simply a plug-in hybrid. Instead of a vehicle that is only driven with the electric drive train that uses a gasoline engine to charge the batteries, the Volt actually uses the gasoline engine to drive the front wheels at speeds above 70 miles per hour or when the batteries run down. Additionally, the Volt gets nowhere near the 230 mpg that GM was claiming for it. If this is all true, why did GM misrepresent the car? The facts as stated in the article make the Volt a pretty decent competitor to the Prius and other hybrids already on the market."
A post at the Car Connection blog takes the opposing view, saying that accusations of GM "lying" are overhyped, since the capability to power the wheels with gasoline is reserved for situations where electricity isn't a viable option. The author says GM didn't mention this ability before now due to concerns over patents and competition from other companies.
Re:Decent competitor? (Score:4, Funny)
Look, the government actually owns GM - Government Motors. The same guys that buy $400 hammers. The fact that the government can produce ANY motor vehicle for under $100,000 is a fucking miracle.
Re:Attempt to delaying uptake of competing product (Score:5, Funny)
Sho nuff, bring back horses. Fodder can be grown locally, no oil derivatives used to provide locomotion, and if worse comes to worse, you can eat them. Hides make good shoes and sports equipment. Best part: idle youth can be put to work shoveling horse shit instead of posting it on slashdot.
Re:Attempt to delaying uptake of competing product (Score:3, Funny)
Aw, horseshit!
Re:maybe I'm missing something (Score:1, Funny)
Stop it with the rational thinking and reading comprehension shit. Fucking killjoy.
Re:Decent competitor? (Score:3, Funny)
Even more fun was the time that the Navy stirred up a bunch of crap with our shipping guys because they sent a single 1149 for a shipment of a couple thousand CDs which spanned a number of boxes instead of one invoice form for each box. For the next delivery, the guys made sure there was an 1149 for each of the 600 CDs in that shipment.
Re:Decent competitor? (Score:3, Funny)
This place used to be fun, back when the internet was hard to use.
It's the 6252nd of September -- one would've thought you'd get used to it by now...
Re:Attempt to delaying uptake of competing product (Score:2, Funny)
Alternatively, you should never be driving the car at more than 70 mph as it is illegal to do so.
Oh yeah? Here in Arizona the interstates are 75mph. In parts of Texas it's 80mph.
I can understand the confusion... let me explain. Texas is a red state... and seeing how this is a product of Obama motors I doubt it will even function in texas nevermind be allowed to exceed the pre determined max speed. You may note that Texas was recently denied disaster funds for the areas affected by the hurricane... same reason. Maybe next time those texans will vote the right way.
Re:Gasp! Not additional features! (Score:4, Funny)
I drive a 2006 Hyundai Sonata, bought used. I doubt there is a bigger "family-of-four-bland-box" car out there. You might as well paint it white and put a big black label on it reading "CAR". It replaced a 14-year-old Accord that I would have happily kept for another 14 years if I hadn't been a dumbass and rear-ended a guy hard enough to set off the air bags. ($4k to fix a car worth $1k?) I'll drive the Sonata into the ground as well.
Why? Call it "cheapass chic". It's bland, it's boring, but it gets me from A to B, it fits 4 (and cargo), it starts every morning and it's farking paid for. I don't need anything else- I bought a guitar for *my* midlife crisis.
Re:Huh. (Score:2, Funny)