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December 21st, 2006

Business

MARK PHELAN: Electric car killer?

Take a look at FYI for an article by Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press automotive critic, on GM and the EV1, and introduction by GM’s Brian Akre.

-Alicia Dorset

12 Comments

  • December 21st, 2006 at 11:27 am

    Craig

    Let’s not give up hope - things have moved on a ways since the days of the EV1. Check out the latest.

  • December 21st, 2006 at 11:35 am

    Gereon Langlitz (Germany)

    Wow, great story. Finally the truth seems to come up to the surface.

    This electric car issue is just one example. Media over here also are inclined to pointing only on GM for certain reasons. Examples: In Germany they criticize GM for producing big trucks and SUVs, but on the other hand they don’t mention the ridiculously gas-guzzling 6 mpg of the Porsche Cayenne at high speed. They blame GM for being late in offering Hybrids. So, where are the German Hybrids???

    Sometimes this kind of coverage reminds me of the news on TV in former communist Eastern Germany, as they reported about western countries or politicians. That’s sick.

  • December 21st, 2006 at 3:25 pm

    Buick Diesel

    As always, Gereon Langlitz hit the nail right on the head.

    The media reminds me of my third grade teacher. Certain students who got good grades, could do no wrong. Other students were always wrong.

  • December 21st, 2006 at 3:28 pm

    Chris Hayne

    Finally some relief from the “kick them when they’re down” media. So much for unbiased journalism - but thankfully the truth shows itself.

    Very interesting story about “golden boy” Toyota.

    German hybrids - can’t think of any - good point above.

    Cheers,
    Chris

  • December 21st, 2006 at 6:31 pm

    Edward Hayes

    This movie is just a side show to the real story this year and the newly energy independent Brazil. It has diverted its $30 billion import energy bill to its sugar farmers and it is making their “sugar-barons” filthy rich. See the article at macon.com Dec. 19, 2006 article titled “Brazil’s investment in ethanol has made sugar growers very rich”.

    General Motors and its flex fuel vehicles made it all possible. Don’t think even for a second without Ford and GM that we could ever be energy independent. After 9/11 we said good-bye to cheap oil forever-PERIOD, but we would be thrust into a serious debate about energy independence and the reemergence of ethanol as a credible alternative. It would need three things.

    1. Stable oil prices. After 9/11 they got it.

    2. Technology. And the ability for the consumer to easily switch from regular gasoline to E85 thanks to GM and Ford technology. E85 only vehicles were a non-starter.

    3. Land. The U.S. Dept of Agriculture’s Conservation Resources Program (CRP) has 37 million acres of farmland sitting idle in its attempt to stabilize farm prices according to a DesMoinesRegister.com Dec. 9,2006 article. That’s nearly half of the 79 million acres of farmland dedicated to corn production.

    If we want to see the future of ethanol in America and where it’s going in America look no further than Brazil. It’s coming.

    Thank you GM.

  • December 21st, 2006 at 9:00 pm

    motorman

    if everyone buys a electric plug in what about the polution caused by the power generating station needed to charge the batteries. late model internal combustion engines are more enviromentally friendly than power plants.

  • December 22nd, 2006 at 12:26 am

    Allen Guthier

    Listen up, GM, Ford, or any other automotive industry folks: Give us a flex-fuel (3 or more types, i.e. gasoline, ethanol, hydrogen), plug-in hybrid for less than $25,000 and you will own the market. Period. Do it by 2010 and for the equivalent of 150+ mpg for massive kudos. Ready, go!

  • December 22nd, 2006 at 7:19 am

    Gereon Langlitz (Germany)

    Hello “Buick Diesel” and Chris,

    first of all, thank you for the compliments. Today I was reading certain comments at the FYI-Blog. To all those people, who are so exited about pure electric vehicles: Well, there’s available a great variety of fuel-efficient vehicles all over here, regardless which company is producing them. But nevertheless in certain European countries you have to pay up to 7$ per Gallon. Despite of that and a strong environmental consciousness of many Europeans, an EV never was a big issue over here and I can’t see any evidence, that it will become an issue, soon. Did you ever ask yourself “why”?

    I think Plug-in-Hybrids might be a good idea and I also have some confidence, that the High-Low-Hybrids, jointly developed by GM, BMW and DCX will bring advantages. But pure EV’s, like mentioned by somebody at the FYI, only would lead to a shift of emissions from the cars to the power-plants, what’s even more significant, since German government decided to exit the use of nuclear power within upcoming years.

    Merry Christmas.

  • December 23rd, 2006 at 3:01 pm

    Beaugrand

    Be sure to read the comments following the Mark Phelan FYI blog. (It helps if you’ve actually seen the movie.) Cutting the Toyota footage helped GM as much as it hurt. The Rav4EVs were offered for lease as well as for sale, while the GM EV1s were offered for lease only, never for sale at any price to anyone, in spite of the fact the EV1 was clearly the superior vehicle.
    Some of the objections to the actual, unsubsidized retail price of the EV1 could have been solved, such as the expensive charging station, had it ever been GM’s intent to actually market them. The entire program was obviously an expensive political manuver to defeat the CARB “zero-emission” mandate, and it worked brilliantly.

  • December 24th, 2006 at 1:52 am

    Andy

    Gas/electric hybrid vehicles have succeeded in the market because you operate them as you would a traditional gasoline vehicle. The 2005 Prius has done well because it is affordable, quick, quiet, comfortable, has a lot of cargo room, and makes a real-world miles-per-gallon average in the mid-forties. The EV1 was an alternative-powered vehicle that had a limited range (not a problem with the Prius), low top speed, bizarre appearance, and required long charging times–again not a problem with the current generation of hybrid cars. The EV1, aesthetics aside, was expensive to produce, did not have a wide distribution of energy stations, and was only available for lease. The documentary was a cheap shot at GM. I understand EV1 supporters’ disappointment, but the EV1 was not the vehicle to bring the electric car to acceptance in our day & age.

    The truth is that you need a vehicle can work with energy providers. Does anyone really think the US can support fifty million EVs? I would LOVE to see my electric bill if that ever happened. The answer, of course, is no. Hydrogen power, and even ethanol, are realistic alternatives because they are renewable (an obvious incentive for energy companies) and can be domestically produced. It is true hydrogen has a long way to go before it can be produced cheaply and cleanly, but it is a reasonable direction for automakers and energy distributors to aim for in the future. I wish I could a better effort in making and spreading E85 (and B20/B100) in the United States. California, a so-called “green state,” has only one station with E85.

    Hydrogen and ethanol can succeed only if we make it succeed. The real solution is diversity in energy sources for automobiles: electricity, petrol, diesel, hydrogen, etc. No one source will be 100% in control.

  • January 2nd, 2007 at 10:12 am

    Icelander

    The answer, of course, is no. Hydrogen power, and even ethanol, are realistic alternatives because they are renewable (an obvious incentive for energy companies) and can be domestically produced. - Andy

    One more time: Hydrogen is not a power source. Hydrogen is an energy storage medium. Hydrogen is currently produced using natural gas, and will be produced in the future by using electricity.

    If we’re going to use electricity to make hydrogen, why not skip the middle man and just use the electricity directly?

    And a recent study came out that said we could recharge 180 million cars using the excess off-peak energy. Yeah, your electric bill would be higher, but you wouldn’t be spending any money on gasoline. And if you produce your own electricity, the cost is essentially zero.

  • July 3rd, 2007 at 12:27 pm

    Roger Sebring

    Have you seen the movie? Have you talked to anyone who worked on the project? Did you drive the EV1? Bottom line: The EV1 was a brilliantly engineered, top notch, world class vehicle. It was not some dream of a designer or a show car that just sat around and looked good. IT WAS REAL and IT WORKED!! Shame on the short sighted management team that only saw a mandate as an enemy and not a challenge to be met. If you don’t understand how this happened it was simple. The bigger club wins! Remember the Tucker motorcar company? Same thing! GM does it again.

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