2009 Detroit Auto Show: GM Electric Cars Press Conference

[Ou8y2k2]

The oil companies need to get weaker for the electric car to live. As the oil companies lobby more for oil as the supply decreases, and people continue to generate their own electricity, they will get weaker. Make no mistake, the Volt is a hybrid similar to the prius. The Leaf, i-MIEV, Tesla Roadster, Audi E-tron, Eliica, etc. are ELECTRIC vehicles. GM will sell all-electric cars, but it will take years for them to do so.

[hipofalcon]

@TheAutoChannel - that's where your lack of information really shows! Take a good look at how the Volt operates. I live in a northern climate. This car has a computer on-board that does things like automatically start the engine (even with a full pack) if the pack is cold. It also does it if the voltage "sag" becomes too great or the overall pack voltage too low. In some cases you can drive it full electric, but not in most. Ask anyone who is buying an electric car if they want to put petrol in.

[hipofalcon]

Gawd I wish the wankers at GM - and anyone else who agrees with them, would stop calling the Volt an "Electric Car" - it is NOT an electric car!! It is a SERIAL HYBRID with plug-in capability. Any vehicle that relies on more than one fuel source is a hybrid - period. If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck, then it's a duck - this is a hybrid people!

[TheAutoChannel]

@hipofalcon

You're not correct. The Volt only relies on electric for power. It merely has an on-board gasoline-powered generator to charge the batteries.

There may be many things to complain about regarding the Volt, but your point is not one.

[hipofalcon]

@TheAutoChannel - absolute rubbish! This is where companies like GM have misled the public about the electric vehicle. If you want to see an electric car, look at a Nissan Leaf or a Mitsubishi iMiEV - not a Volt hybrid. GM is again in bed with big oil. They are showing that you can twist the meaning of EV to bend people into buying yet another vehicle that depends on oil. Like the "diesel" locomotive, the final drive is electric, but you won't hear anyone calling them electric - wake up!

[TheAutoChannel]

@hipofalcon

Rubbish? The car runs on the batteries, not the gasoline motor that charges the batteries. A hybrid, by the industry's definition, is a vehicle that can be powered by multiple sources. The Volt is powered by just one source. It is irrelevant how the batteries get charged. If the railroad industry wants to have a different definition, that's up to them.

[hipofalcon]

@TheAutoChannel - “The Volt is a series hybrid EV that is propelled by a 120-kilowatt (160-horsepower) electric motor. Drawing on energy stored in its 16-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery, the Volt has an all-electric range of about 40 miles. If the battery is depleted, a 1.4-liter four-cylinder generator kicks in to supply electricity to the traction motor.” - this is a direct quote from Andrew Farah, the chief engineer on the Volt project - I guess you had better tell him he's wrong too.

[D6Film]

haha, Ironically funny - GM - the heroes of "Who killed electric car" (movie) - now speaking bull###t about electric cars. you've missed your chance. Better when other small companies will do it right, like Tesla Motors, or even Mitsubishi. EV rules! It was possible already 100 years ago! - but some suckers blocked & destroyed it for century, b.o. GM oil tie guys. Better would be if GM would go bankrupt - would be more place for people/firms who care. Don't play innovative now.People remember.

[PirateMcSandwich]

they need to change their name or something. "GM" just has a bad feel after all the bad press.

[eal1011]

Is time for America to go for Electric. OIL will run out and too much money. I drive less, Spend less because I cant afford gas anymore. I am making less money, with Electric car I can use solar power and get car charged for free and spend money on other stuff, Good for the economy. Oil companies are too greedy. that has to change.

[Trommylee]

GM should cease to exist altogether! it isn't a good company. it decided not to be a good company when they took back the EV1's, rushed them and shredded them. then, they lied about why. any company that does so much to disadvantage the country should cease to exist. they had the lead in EV technology and surrendered it. now they give us an 'eletric car press conference' without a single EV! can U say BANKRUPT!!??!

[discoverymoi]

i love volt..!

[Mitsy1212]

You can tell this was done month ago as they still have Saturns in their line-up. I didn't understand why they couldn't just slap on the Chevrolet label to some of the Saturn models and call it good. Saturn had not been a separate car company for a long time so why not do the obvious next best thing and incorporate the models in the GM line?

[obed1g]

MY ass GM! they are so behind on electic cars. theres cars in europe that are all electic..

[indiasrainbow]

cut , cut , cut , cut .. ..form a sentence from lots of sentences ! honesty is fundamental, no illusions !

[nelsonmars]

Heck, they are way behind Tesla. The model S, completely electric, has a 300 mile range. Where the heck is GM? They betrayed people with bloat and cheapness for too long.

Sad.

[7926645]

30MPG? That is such BS, Good fuel economy my ass. "Electric Cars Press Conference"?????? What a load of crap.

[7926645]

It's about displacing the most gasoline for the cheapest price, and including

a 10 warrent on the battery. 40 miles (60km) is plenty.

[Jogeta5]

GM are bunch of backwards fools. 40 miles per charge for the volt. Their EV-1 from 1996 had 60 Miles per charge, and that's not with the better 300 mile range batteries and those were affordable.

And then they spout this crap about people haviing a misconception about their vehicles please.

GM need a COMPLETE overhaul from top down.

[nelsonmars]

Affirmative.

[StupidShouldHurtBad]

Sorry, couldn't watch this past 3 minutes... the non-stop GM circle jerk was really irritating me.

[bobilator1]

By the way u can buy electric cars atm. Yes they not from gm some small company have grow up and start to build realy damn good electric cars . All this small company going beter and beter , when gm keep buiding muscle cars and scv.

[aviatorman78]

This is funny 40 miles per charge GM need to call

Tesla motors. The electric cars revolution is over.

If I could afford a Tesla thats the only american car ill get. 40 MILES go to hell GM!!!!!!!

[niupaidanui]

Cars are fun.

[chamndu]

clap clap clap clap clap clap

[bobilator1]

Why everyone here accept the fack that this guys lie to everyone about electric cars ? Here in Quebec we test electric battery buss who can work for 5 h, back to the garage for 15 minute to change the pack of batery and going back on the road. GM is fucking liar i will never buy there car again. How can they lie to all a nation and the world about electric cars and all this fucking stupid people clap at him ? Hydrogene cost 1.25 buck to produce. U can go for like 300 kilometre with 3buck of elec

[chamndu]

what does that have to do with clapping?

[andgate2000]

They had an electric car .the EV1

[thadzima]

If GM doesnt adapt they will soon be extinct. They are now totally behind in terms of efficiency and technology thanks to their support for the oil companies over the consumers real needs- like efficient fuel cars. "Who killed the electric car?" is a must see movie.

[bobilator1]

U so right the documantary (who killed the electric car) show u how GM dont care about electric car cause they dont control the electricite . Hydrogen is control by the petrol company and atm is cost 1.25 buck to produce 1 litrle of hydrogen . Electriciti will cost u 3 buck to do 300 kilometre. So yes they dont like electric cars .

GM deservre what happen but the worker dont deserve it .

[dinodude64]

screw any non American freak who doesn't buy an American car. In times like these such fake sell out Americans should be ashamed of themselves not to support their own companies and their own people. I drive a Dodge Durango and not ONCE have I had to bring it to service. I used to drive a Trans Am. It had service here and there but I got free rental cars and my friends driving Mercedes, etc. have gone into the shop so much I can't believe it. and foriegn sports cars? crap compaired to usa

[EnriqueRealtor]

Dino, I don't know how old you are but I came of driving age in '80 when we were told we were running out of oil. Japan ate our lunch as the US makers continued to make inefficient muscle cars. If you watch "Who killed the electric car?" you'll see what everyone else sees - we didn't learn our lessons of the 80's. I've owned 8 cars - 3 Japanese and 5 German. The only US car I'd own today is the Tesla.

[RODikUlus]

Good video. I like knowing what's coming from GM. I'm convinced that my next car will be a GM product...the white CTC-V.

[devin6687]

GM is doomed. They've already lost these customers. They should have went bankrupt and been forced to reorganize.

[Leopoldo888]

All this sounds so false....

[kilimats02]

A lot of BS in this video, typical American way to promote things, SAD

I hope the Volt live up to the hype

[Leopoldo888]

When I was a young man, (and as a way of paying my studies) I became an english courses (in cassettes) seller (I´m Peruvian). Of course the course was a piece of sh**.... but my "speech" was way more smart than this..... Do they think people believe them?

[meldon100]

nice step up GM...