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Ford's Little Engine That Could Challenge Hybrids
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/24/157252...s?sc=17&f=1006
A123 Has Four to Five Months of Cash Left
We’ve followed electric car battery maker A123 from near the beginning, and now it seems to be near its end. On Friday, the company told investors that it only has four to five months of cash left, provided it gets access to an expected $30 million.
A123 is looking for ways to cut costs and raise more money. While the company has promising battery technology and orders from major automakers, it has been plagued by high manufacturing costs (it lost 57 cents per dollar of revenue), cancelled orders, and recalls of faulty batteries.
http://www.technologyreview.com/view...-left/?ref=rss
Ford's Little Engine That Could Challenge Hybrids
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/24/157252...s?sc=17&f=1006
Ford's Little Engine That Could Challenge Hybrids
http://www.npr.org/2012/07/24/157252...s?sc=17&f=1006
I love this quote, especially when you see the name of the guy being quoted.
"There's a certain magic to the word 'hybrid' for some people. There are some people that just want to have the hybrid. They want to have a hybrid badge. They want to be seen as having purchased a hybrid," Bragman says.
Electric Car & Hybrid Car Sales up 164% in June
Highlights of the last year in electric and hybrid cars include a 164% increase in June 2012 sales, compared to June 2011. Folks at Kelley Blue Book expect hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) sales to slow a bit — but not nosedive — as gas prices decline.
Movers and shakers in the alternative-energy car category include Lexus and Chevrolet. The Blue Book Market Report highlights a 500% increase in sales of the Lexus CT200h year-over-year. The Chevy Volt had a 200% year-over-year increase in sales. The Volt may be more popular because of its longer driving range — 379 miles; however, the Volt is not entirely electric, a sticking point for some of the EV hardliners.
Toyota had a big year with its Prius, as well. Alec Gutierrez, senior market analyst of automotive insights for Kelley Blue Book, said Prius sales surged “more than 300 percent from June of last year. The Prius has been in high demand since the introduction of the subcompact Prius c and wagon-esque Prius v. Sales numbers for the Prius look especially strong due to the inventory shortages that plagued Toyota at this time last year.”
Not all EVs and hybrids had stellar years, though. The Blue Book reported the Honda CR-Z, Honda Insight, and Nissan Leaf had a bummer of a year, failing to reach the same figures from 2011.
http://cleantechnica.com/2012/07/23/...=Google+Reader
Winners and losers sorting out...
Geo Metro FTW.
What gets me is that some hybrids actually pollute more than conventional engines.
btw...I'm rebuilding a 1988 Subaru Justy.....1.0 liters of 3 cylinder fury!
thats not a buggy.
I'll stick with the 340 HP I have in my 346 CI LS1.
Chevy Volt wins drivers' hearts, gets top marks in satisfaction
Then again, having Chevy Volt owners evangelize about their cars in an ad designed to sell the plug-in hybrid is hardly a fair yardstick to gauge how Volt owners feel about their cars.
But a recent J.D. Power Survey has come to the same conclusion as GM’s own ad: drivers of the 2012 Chevrolet Volt are more satisfied with their new car than any other compact car buyer in the U.S. today.
RELATED: 10 coolest cars you've never heard of
In its recent 2012 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) study, which examines owner impressions of their new car 90 days after purchase, J.D. Power and Associates discovered that Volt attracted the highest level of satisfaction in its segment.
In its impartial study, J.D. Power noted that the 2012 Chevrolet Volt was awarded a maximum of five stars for its Overall Performance and Design, Features and Instrument Panel, Style, Performance and Comfort.
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In...=Google+Reader
Hate to let it go to waste. It was my oldest son's car. He warped the head on a trip and I had to tow home from St. Joseph MO. It's just sitting in my garage. Might on well fix the damn thing.
I have a Subaru, just not one that old. Mine feels like it's powered by a 1L.Hate to let it go to waste. It was my oldest son's car. He warped the head on a trip and I had to tow home from St. Joseph MO. It's just sitting in my garage. Might on well fix the damn thing.
Their 4-cyl boxer engines are pretty indestructible. Never seen a 3-cyl.
Nearly two years after the introduction of the path-breaking plug-in hybrid, GM is still losing as much as $49,000 on each Volt it builds, according to estimates provided to Reuters by industry analysts and manufacturing experts.GM's quandary is how to increase sales volume so that it can spread its estimated $1.2-billion investment in the Volt over more vehicles while reducing manufacturing and component costs - which will be difficult to bring down until sales increase.The weak sales are forcing GM to idle the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant that makes the Chevrolet Volt for four weeks from September 17, according to plant suppliers and union sources. It is the second time GM has had to call a Volt production halt this year.linkIt currently costs GM "at least" $75,000 to build the Volt, including development costs, Munro said. That's nearly twice the base price of the Volt before a $7,500 federal tax credit provided as part of President Barack Obama's green energy policy.
Other estimates range from $76,000 to $88,000, according to four industry consultants contacted by Reuters. The consultants' companies all have performed work for GM and are familiar with the Volt's development and production. They requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of their auto industry ties.
Why do you think Volt is sucking ass in sales?
It's just too ing expensive for a very small compact. That's keeping me out of one.
I think it gets even worse for Chevy with the $32,000 Ford C-Max Energi coming out.
The good news for GM is that they're still selling enough gas guzzlers to cover their losses on the Volt.
gasoline at $8/gal would fix everything.
It wouldn't fix Volt sales.
sure it would, and it would fix all electric/hybrid sales, with the gas tax and cancelled BigOilGas tax expenditures going to pay for more battery, etc research, to fix the broken national electrical grid, etc, etc.
lol. No.
yeah it would. cost benefit analysis for families: If I have a choice between a 350 dollar car payment with 800 a month for gas and a 600 dollar car payment with 0-100 dollars for gas then it becomes easy.
Aren't the majority of those being sold back to the federal government?
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