SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the can-you-plug-me-in,-i'm-a-little-low dept.
Shad Balch, Manager of New Product and Public Policy Communications at GM, has told the nice folks at Autoblog that:
"It's very safe to assume that this car is going to be here sooner rather than later," Balch said. "We've also committed that it's going to be a 50-state vehicle at launch. That's to show our commitment to the technology. Our hope is that it becomes a high-volume-selling car, and that it's not just for the coasts, it's not just for a certain income level, but it is a long-range EV that anybody can get themselves into. ... [This is] a good alternative to the luxury long-range EVs that are available now. It's something that people can see themselves actually affording to get into. That's the message from this car."
If true, this is great. The Bolt is predicted to have about 200 miles of driving range and cost about $30,000 after incentives (so probably around $37,500 if we only take into account the federal tax credit, but maybe more if they're including some amount for the most common state incentives).
The Bolt is set to be released in 2017, but the article does not address how Chevy will get around the bottleneck in battery production other EV makers are facing.
(Score: 2) by bzipitidoo on Monday November 09 2015, @10:56PM
Ugly?!? Beauty is subjective. More, why does that matter in the slightest? On the scale of importance, cleaning up the environment and saving the world from Climate Change is by far the most important consideration. After that, surely an efficient ride that doesn't sacrifice comfort is more important. Safety and usability are pretty important too. I can't think of anything less important than mere cosmetics.
Only things I care about with the paint color are practical considerations. I prefer a white car in a hot climate, and a black car in a cold climate. I dislike red because I have heard it is a higher maintenance color, fades and degrades faster in sunlight. Also, insurance companies may charge higher premiums on red cars, in the belief that drivers who prefer bright red are more reckless and accident prone. If I'm shooting for the lowest possible premium, then I'd go for a boring brown color. Other than that, I wouldn't care if the only colors it came in were fire truck lime yellow and lavender, if I thought it was the best ride, I'd get one.
I know one crazy guy who complained that vortex generators were ugly. I pointed out that no one cares about the looks of a truck trailer. They're totally unremarkable rectangular gray boxes. How could anyone care whether vortex generators were slapped on them? He maintained that they were ugly, he didn't like them, and that was that.
(Score: 2) by Gravis on Tuesday November 10 2015, @12:20AM
Ugly?!? Beauty is subjective. More, why does that matter in the slightest?
because fewer people will buy it. yes, the environment is important but it wouldn't be a problem if everyone actually cared. idealism only goes so far in a materialistic society.