Volt "call back"

[CosmicCowboy]

AP Source: GM to call back 8,000 Chevy Volts
By TOM KRISHER | AP – 3 hrs ago

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors will strengthen the structure around the batteries in its Volt electric cars to keep them safe during crashes, a person briefed on the matter said Thursday.
GM will ask Volt owners to return the cars to dealers for structural modifications, said the person, who did not want to be identified because GM executives plan to announce the repairs later Thursday.
The fixes are similar to a recall and involve about 8,000 Volts sold in the U.S. in the past two years. GM is making the repairs after three Volt batteries caught fire following crash tests done by federal safety regulators. The fires occurred seven days to three weeks after tests and have been blamed on a coolant leak that caused an electrical short.
GM's move is considered a step below a recall, which would be issued by a car company and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
NHTSA and GM have said the electric cars are safe and that no fires have occurred after crashes on real-world roadways.
The Volt has a T-shaped, 400-pound (181-kilogram) battery pack that can power the car for about 35 miles (56 kilometers). After that, a small gasoline generator kicks in to run the electric motor.
NHTSA has been investigating the batteries after a Volt caught fire in June at a crash test facility in Wisconsin. The fire broke out three weeks after a side-impact crash test.
GM said the Volt's battery should have been drained after the crash, but it never told NHTSA to do that. Later, two GM executives said the company had no formal procedure to drain the batteries until after the June fire. GM has said that the liquid solution used to cool the Volt's battery leaked and crystallized, causing an electrical short that touched off the fire.
The company now sends out a team to drain the batteries after being notified of a crash by GM's OnStar safety system.
The company sold 7,671 Volts last year, falling short of its goal of 10,000. It was outsold last year by its main electric car competitor, the Nissan Leaf, at 9,674.

[Wild Cobra]

What does that bring the cost per car up to I wonder?

[boutons_deux]

Happy, are ya?

[CosmicCowboy]

So do I understand this correctly? If you get in a wreck in your Volt, Chevy automatically sends out a hit squad to kill your battery?

Do you have to buy a new battery before you can use it again?

[ChumpDumper]

Death squads!

[ElNono]

So do I understand this correctly? If you get in a wreck in your Volt, Chevy automatically sends out a hit squad to kill your battery?

Do you have to buy a new battery before you can use it again?

I would imagine this falls within the warranty service, seeing it comes from a NHTSA advisory.

[ElNono]

Interesting we don't hear about anything similar with the Leaf... probably a better design.

[George Gervin's Afro]

I can hear the detractors from those who lauighed at Ford when he introduced the Model T...

"It'll never work", "haha we told you it wouldn't work".." my horse and buggy are just fine, "this is a passing fad that will never amount to anything"..

[CosmicCowboy]

I would imagine this falls within the warranty service, seeing it comes from a NHTSA advisory.

Actually this is a voluntary move before a NHTSA recall.

[Trainwreck2100]

OMG sending out a squad of people to keep a fire from happening. Who does that anymore?

[CosmicCowboy]

I can hear the detractors from those who lauighed at Ford when he introduced the Model T...

"It'll never work", "haha we told you it wouldn't work".." my horse and buggy are just fine, "this is a passing fad that will never amount to anything"..

Electric vehicles certainly have their place. I love mine at the ranch.

Don't assume everyone that says the Volt sucks is a Luddite. Might just be why they only sold 7000 even with the huge tax credit...might be because they really DO suck.

[ElNono]

Actually this is a voluntary move before a NHTSA recall.

I still think this is a joint decision with the NHTSA and probably covered by the warranty service.

I mean, it's still cheaper than mandating a full recall. It's also quite possible it's not a recall because there's no actual solution at this point.

[ElNono]

Electric vehicles certainly have their place. I love mine at the ranch.

Don't assume everyone that says the Volt sucks is a Luddite. Might just be why they only sold 7000 even with the huge tax credit...might be because they really DO suck.

Maybe full electric do at this stage. Hybrids on the other hand have sold well. At least the Prius has.

[CosmicCowboy]

I still think this is a joint decision with the NHTSA and probably covered by the warranty service.

I mean, it's still cheaper than mandating a full recall. It's also quite possible it's not a recall because there's no actual solution at this point.

Oh, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Chevy pays whatever is necessary to keep this from turning into even a bigger PR nightmare.

[ChumpDumper]

GM stock must be in free fall after that news!

[boutons_deux]

Wash. Post Pulls Rug From Under New Electric Cars

Just as mainstream automakers are beginning to launch electric vehicle (EV) technology, The Washington Post is calling for an end to federal tax credits encouraging consumers to purchase electric cars. The Post's editorial coincides with a Republican proposal (not mentioned in the editorial) to repeal the tax credits, which date back to the latter years of the George W. Bush administration. Continuing what has become a pattern in the paper's energy coverage, the Post presents a selective and short-sighted version of the facts.

Take, for instance, the argument that "only upper-income consumers can afford to buy an electric vehicle." In a highly misleading move, the Post provides the price of only one EV option, the luxury $100,000 Fisker Karma. By contrast, the after-credit cost of a Nissan Leaf is $27,700. A CNNMoney guide to the "remarkable assortment" of plug-in cars coming online in 2012 quotes prices starting "from $22,000." Beyond the sticker price, EVs have lower operating costs and represent the only option most families have for really shielding their financial security from perennial spikes in the price of gasoline.

The Post goes on to argue that the electric car industry is "not ready for prime time," saying "sales of electric vehicles were disappointing in 2011." Chelsea Sexton, an electric car advocate who has advised GM, said via email that 2011 sales of electric cars have for the most part "been limited by production, not demand." "Even so, 2011 [EV] sales were nearly double first year (2000) hybrid sales," Sexton added.

The editorial makes no note of the economic factors suppressing consumer demand for many goods and services. Nor does it recognize that lawmakers supported electric cars because they are not already a well-established technology, not in spite of that fact.


http://mediamatters.org/blog/201201050017?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MediaMattersForAmerica-CountyFair+%28Media+Matters+for+America+-+County+Fair%29

[CosmicCowboy]

GM stock must be in free fall after that news!

GM stock is a joke. A really BAD joke that taxpayers paid for.

[Nbadan]

Yeah...another million people on unemployment would have been such a better investment

[Wild Cobra]

GM stock must be in free fall after that news!
Over so few cars?

I doubt it.

[Wild Cobra]

GM stock is a joke. A really BAD joke that taxpayers paid for.
I haven't looked at the trend, but does anyone even want to own part of Government Motors these days?

[Wild Cobra]

Yeah...another million people on unemployment would have been such a better investment
To reemploy Americans, we have to do something to bring factories back here. Not just factories like making Toyota in America, but actually making the parts here too. We have to find a way to compete. It can be one or more solutions, but will likely mean lowering the productivity tax and reinstating tariffs.

[ChumpDumper]

GM stock is a joke. A really BAD joke that taxpayers paid for.


I haven't looked at the trend, but does anyone even want to own part of Government Motors these days?So of course it's gone way down after yesterday's announcement, right?

Right?

[CosmicCowboy]

So of course it's gone way down after yesterday's announcement, right?

Right?

GM stock has been dropping steadily since going public again (down from 40 to 22) and is a currently a couple of points off it's 52 week low.

[ChumpDumper]

GM stock has been dropping steadily since going public again (down from 40 to 22) and is a currently a couple of points off it's 52 week low.


So of course it's gone way down after yesterday's announcement, right?

Right?

[CosmicCowboy]

Whats your point, Chump? If you think it's a great investment feel free to buy yourself some GM stock.

[ChumpDumper]

Whats your point, Chump? If you think it's a great investment feel free to buy yourself some GM stock.It would have been a great idea the past two days.

lol PR disaster

[CosmicCowboy]

It would have been a great idea the past two days.

lol PR disaster

If gas hits $5 as some are projecting GM is gonna take it right in the ass. They are only making money on trucks and SUV's.

[boutons_deux]

"To reemploy Americans, we have to do something to bring factories back here"

the free market globalization has already solved that problem of expensive US workers with their salaries+benefits, worker safety, environmental protections. UCA finds all that is non-existent/cheaper overseas, and the jobs won't be coming back, ever.

[boutons_deux]

btw, even US workers, eg at Ford, are being hired as 1/2 the salaries of current/older Ford workers, further reducing/impoverishing the middle class

[Wild Cobra]

GM stock has been dropping steadily since going public again (down from 40 to 22) and is a currently a couple of points off it's 52 week low.
Ouch.

But what does anyone really expect? They continue to use the same failed business model. Bailouts do not work. They needed bankruptcy restructuring.

[ChumpDumper]

If gas hits $5 as some are projecting GM is gonna take it right in the ass. They are only making money on trucks and SUV's.Keep biasing that bias.

[boutons_deux]

GM/GMAC got restructured pretty damn deep, eg, dumping pension obligations on taxpayers, which was like $1500/car.

[ChumpDumper]

Srsly, you would have made out pretty well the past couple of days had you bought GM stock after they announced their PR NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!11!!!!!1!!!!!

[Wild Cobra]

GM/GMAC got restructured pretty damn deep, eg, dumping pension obligations on taxpayers, which was like $1500/car.
That should have never happened.

[CosmicCowboy]

Srsly, you would have made out pretty well the past couple of days had you bought GM stock after they announced their PR NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!11!!!!!1!!!!!

Chump, you are such an ignorant ass at times. If you think you can time the market on two day jumps and bumps then put you money where your mouth is...

[ChumpDumper]

Chump, you are such an ignorant ass at times. If you think you can time the market on two day jumps and bumps then put you money where your mouth is...I never said I could, although in hindsight there is a logic to it.

I just enjoy watching you try to put a negative spin on the stock price increase of the past two days after what you called a PR NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!111!!!1!!!!!

[CosmicCowboy]

I never said I could.

I just enjoy watching you try to put a negative spin on the stock price increase of the past two days after what you called a PR NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!111!!!1!!!!!

What do you call it when their premier new technology pimped as the second coming of Jesus catches on fire and they STILL don't know why? Recalling every one they ever made just to add more steel around the batteries because they don't know what else to do isn't exactly a GOOD thing...

Calling it a PR Nightmare for GM is totally accurate.

[ChumpDumper]

What do you call it when their premier new technology pimped as the second coming of Jesus catches on fire and they STILL don't know why? Recalling every one they ever made just to add more steel around the batteries because they don't know what else to do isn't exactly a GOOD thing...

Calling it a PR Nightmare for GM is totally accurate.Nah, no one who actually owns the car had this happen. That would have been worse, but not even in that case would it have been an outright disaster.

And what else would need to be done? All they need to do is keep coolant from coming into prolonged contact with the battery circuits.

[CosmicCowboy]

Nah, no one who actually owns the car had this happen. That would have been worse, but not even in that case would it have been an outright disaster.

And what else would need to be done? All they need to do is keep coolant from coming into prolonged contact with the battery circuits.

don't forget the death squads to go kill the battery every time one gets in a wreck...:lol

[CosmicCowboy]

LOL @ Chump pimping for the Chevy Volt.

[ChumpDumper]

don't forget the death squads to go kill the battery every time one gets in a wreck...:lolThat's my term.


LOL @ Chump pimping for the Chevy Volt.lol @ CC trying to spin it as negatively as possible in multiple threads.

[vy65]

Why is CC so butthurt over GM?

[CosmicCowboy]

Sorry Chump but the truth apparently hurts. A so called electric car that goes 35 miles on a charge and costs $41,000 is not exactly something to be proud of and that was BEFORE the fires. Apparently there are only 8000 people in the entire US that disagree with me and put their money where their mouth is.

So Chump, are you gonna buy a Volt?

[CosmicCowboy]

Why is CC so butthurt over GM?

LOL I currently drive a Chevy truck. I'm just confident that giving GM to the UAW will be the death of GM.

My next truck will be a Ford.

[ChumpDumper]

Sorry Chump but the truth apparently hurts. A so called electric car that goes 35 miles on a charge and costs $41,000 is not exactly something to be proud of and that was BEFORE the fires. Apparently there are only 8000 people in the entire US that disagree with me and put their money where their mouth is.

So Chump, are you gonna buy a Volt?I'll wait for the government to give me a stimulus car like you got.

[ChumpDumper]

LOL I currently drive a Chevy truck. I'm just confident that giving GM to the UAW will be the death of GM.

My next truck will be a Ford.You want it to fail.

[vy65]

LOL I currently drive a Chevy truck. I'm just confident that giving GM to the UAW will be the death of GM.

My next truck will be a Ford.

So why do you care so much about the volt?

[ChumpDumper]

So why do you care so much about the volt?Politics.

[vy65]

Politics.

That's a pretty shitty reason to hate on a car tbh.

I'd go with death squads. But that's just me.

[CosmicCowboy]

Making a current event post in a political forum and discussing it doesn't mean i'm losing any sleep over it. Why do YOU care?

[vy65]

Making a current event post in a political forum and discussing it doesn't mean i'm losing any sleep over it. Why do YOU care?

I don't really, and I own GM stock (lol). I was just wondering where your infatuation came from.

[ChumpDumper]

Making a current event post in a political forum and discussing it doesn't mean i'm losing any sleep over it. Why do YOU care?I came into the thread mostly to make fun of you and your continued obsession over this car.

http://kevinjshutt.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/mission-accomplished-banner.jpg

[vy65]

:lol

[CosmicCowboy]

You actually bought GM stock?

:lol

Hopefully not at 40. It's probably due for a short run up to the high 20's before gas prices spike. Then they are fucked.

[Stringer_Bell]

We've still got lots of money to make off of oil fueled cars, not sure why everyone is in a rush to lower profits for oil companies.

[boutons_deux]

Why So Many Critics After 17,000 Electric Vehicle Sales in First Year?


17,000 might seem like a decent start for EVs.

Instead, they are under fire—even as gas prices jumped because of Iran’s threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint in global oil trade.

The Washington Post [last] Sunday called for elimination of the $7,500 tax credit for EV purchases,

the nation’s media are adopting a flawed narrative about EVs. It is becoming pro forma that news stories about EVs say that Volt and Leaf sales disappointed this year and that the Volt is under investigation for battery fires. (General Motors on Thursday announced a fix to strengthen the Volt battery case, a day after niche EV maker Fisker, which has had no fires, recalled 239 cars to study similar issues.) Most EV media pieces—the Post editorial being no exception—lack context about early hybrid sales and the fact that two Volt fires started under extreme conditions in a laboratory, unlike the tens of thousands of real-life fires each year in gas-powered vehicles.

The Post editorial (which incorrectly said the Volt fires occurred in “road tests,”) took this tilted narrative to a new level, saying, “The Obama administration says that the credit helps build a market for EVs, which helps create jobs. Given the price of eligible models, like the $100,000 Fisker Karma, that rationale sounds an awful lot like trickle-down economics. …” The piece cherry-picked the Fisker’s price tag as an example of overpriced EVs, but made no mention of the best-selling EV, the Leaf, which lists for about $32,000 before the tax credit.

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/01/07/399032/17000-electrive-vehicle-sales-in-first-year/

[CosmicCowboy]

Why So Many Critics After 17,000 Electric Vehicle Sales in First Year?


17,000 might seem like a decent start for EVs.

Instead, they are under fire—even as gas prices jumped because of Iran’s threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint in global oil trade.

The Washington Post [last] Sunday called for elimination of the $7,500 tax credit for EV purchases,

the nation’s media are adopting a flawed narrative about EVs. It is becoming pro forma that news stories about EVs say that Volt and Leaf sales disappointed this year and that the Volt is under investigation for battery fires. (General Motors on Thursday announced a fix to strengthen the Volt battery case, a day after niche EV maker Fisker, which has had no fires, recalled 239 cars to study similar issues.) Most EV media pieces—the Post editorial being no exception—lack context about early hybrid sales and the fact that two Volt fires started under extreme conditions in a laboratory, unlike the tens of thousands of real-life fires each year in gas-powered vehicles.

The Post editorial (which incorrectly said the Volt fires occurred in “road tests,”) took this tilted narrative to a new level, saying, “The Obama administration says that the credit helps build a market for EVs, which helps create jobs. Given the price of eligible models, like the $100,000 Fisker Karma, that rationale sounds an awful lot like trickle-down economics. …” The piece cherry-picked the Fisker’s price tag as an example of overpriced EVs, but made no mention of the best-selling EV, the Leaf, which lists for about $32,000 before the tax credit.

http://thinkprogress.org/romm/2012/01/07/399032/17000-electrive-vehicle-sales-in-first-year/

I'll see that and raise you one...:lol

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2829163/posts

Chevy Volt Fleet Sales Rise, Government GM Purchases Increase
National Legal & Policy Center ^ | January 5, 2012 | Mark Modica
Posted on Thu Jan 05 2012 16:10:55 GMT-0600 (CST) by jazusamo

General Motors reported Chevy Volt sales of 1,529 for the month of December. The still unimpressive number is an improvement over previous months, but the gains were mostly driven by fleet sales. According to GM, 992 of the Volts sold were to retail customers while 537 went to fleet purchasers.

GM says the fleet sales were to corporate buyers and not to rental companies. The number of Volts sold to townships receiving federal grants remains unknown. The corporate sales claim makes sense as crony company, General Electric, starts to make good on its promise to buy thousands of Volts. Of course, GE benefits by selling charging stations for the vehicles.

Another interesting statistic on Volt sales can be derived from the inventory figures and number of Chevy dealerships with available Volts. GM now claims that 2,600 dealerships across the nation have Volts for sale. Given the 992 figure for Volts sold to retail customers, we come up with an average of approximately one third of a vehicle sold by each dealership per month. It is ludicrous for GM to continue to tout Volt sales figures as a success given the fact that about two thirds of dealerships offering Volts were unable to sell even one during the month! With supply now well over 4,000 units, lack of inventory can no longer be blamed for the dismal sales figures.

It remains to be seen what type of tricks the Obama Administration and GM might have up their sleeves when it comes to fluffing Chevy Volt sales figures. Both the Administration and GM have staked a lot of credibility on the vehicle claiming that it was to be a game changer for GM as well as a "moon shot." Considering that taxpayers are subsidizing vehicles like the Volt to the tune of billions of dollars, it is understandable that critics of the vehicle want to know the truth about the projected high demand for the car that has yet to materialize. GM is sticking to its guns claiming that 60,000 Volts will be sold in 2012 after having missed 2011 sales goals by a wide margin. They have not, however, said who will be buying them.

Anyone who has observed the hype revolving around the Chevy Volt since the time preceeding its rollout to now should question the credibility of sources that proclaim the vehicle a success despite evidence that indicates otherwise. A further instance of suspicious support for the Volt was evidenced when Consumer Reports (CR) recommended the vehicle, which is based on the Chevy Cruze platform, only to report that the Cruze expected reliability is well below average. In fact, the Cruze was rated the worst value for small cars by CR . And while the recommended rating for the Volt had been highly publicized, there are few internet articles referencing the worst rating for the Cruze.

How can CR recommend the Volt based on reliability expectations when such a limited number of Volts have been sold and they have such a negative opinion on a vehicle with the same platform? And why has CR changed their opinion since the time they originally proclaimed that the Volt "didn't seem to make a lot of sense?" In addition, CR has displayed a double standard regarding how it responded to battery safety issues for the Volt (CR stated the public had to adapt to a new technology) compared to how it responded to Toyota's unintended acceleration investigation when it pulled the recommended rating from Toyotas.

Speaking of suspicious activity, an interesting statistic was revealed on GM's sales conference call. Government purchases of GM vehicles rose 32% from last year. This represents yet another conflict as the Obama Administration has a vested interest in GM's success as it spends more taxpayer dollars to help support the company as 2012 elections near.

For those Volt apologists who want to celebrate the insignificant sales growth of the car, have at it. The wealthy retail purchasers of the Volt can afford the high price tag of the vehicle. The country, however, no longer can. The $7,500 tax subsidy that goes to wealthy buyers should be ended. If this car and others like the Fisker and Tesla offerings which cost close to $100,000 each are as popular as advocates say they are, taxpayers should not have to give buyers $7,500 to drive sales. And if they are not popular, then all the more reason to stop bilking taxpayers out of billions of dollars to enrich crony corporations under the guise of green initiatives.

[ChumpDumper]

lol crony company

[ElNono]

I know there's a "fire sale" joke there somewhere...