[Mr. Wyndham]

Nice article on GM vs Toyota. Clearly indicates that Honda, and Toyota are scared.

Good.

Honda's bearishness on plug-ins doesn't cloud the potential of the technology. Honda, while leading all auto companies operating in the U.S. in fuel economy, has proved to be especially tone-deaf in understanding the U.S. market for its vehicles. It launched the Insight hybrid around the same time as Toyota's Prius, but its size and unappealing styling made it a dud. The Civic hybrid has been a steady seller, but it is dropping its Accord hybrid (BusinessWeek.com, 11/19/07), which didn't sell at all and offered little fuel economy benefit over the nonhybrid Accord. Toyota, whose executives say they don't believe GM can get a battery small enough to fit in a car and have a 40-mile range, meanwhile, is heavily invested in its hybrid system and has the advantage over its rivals in passenger car hybrids.


Indeed, some believe the "wow" factor of getting more than 100 mpg could help plug-ins eclipse the popularity of hybrids. GM says the Volt technology will allow consumers to go up to 40 miles on battery power, after which the gas engine kicks on to recharge the battery while the driver continues. If a driver makes several short trips on battery power, the battery can simply be plugged in overnight to recharge. Many drivers could go weeks without gassing up. And electricity at night is cheaper than daytime recharging. Dr. Gary Vas, director of the University of Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute and a nuclear energy professor who is leading a study of plug-in vehicles, says the early indication on a study he is leading on the marketability of plug-ins "shows that consumers are more than ready to embrace it."

Then, this made me chuckle:

Toyota executives have said they believe the right model for plug-ins will enable drivers to go perhaps as much as eight miles on a charge before the gasoline power kicks on

are they kidding?:eek:

[stovt001]

Well, if GM is going to be late to the game, they better have the mother of all entrances, and it looks like they will. Toyota has become smug and complacent. They never thought the sleeping giant that is GM would awaken, but it has, and it is coming. Oh how history repeats itself.

[DGthe3]

Wow, 8 whole miles for a Toyota plug in? Thats over 12 km! that will get you anywhere within a 15 minutes in the city, but not back. Way to set the bar high on that one company T. I think that GM is doing a better job with economy than Toyota or Honda. Sure they don't have the absolute most efficient vehicles, but next year the silverado hybrid will get the same milage as a camry. And all of their hybrids are different versions of regular models ie they are not dorky little econo boxes. GM doesn't get the recognition it deserves for its efforts in fuel econmy. Ford Motor Company in all its brands, has 6 vehicles making more than 30 mpg and that includes 3 from Mazda. Chevy has 7 by itself. Then Pontiac has 5, Saturn has 4. That's very good. They also have the most efficient large vehicles too. Making ultra efficient cars is nice, but making efficient cars that people will actually buy in large numbers is a bit more useful.

[The_Stache]

If the volt comes out as a hybrid I will be very disappointed(even 40 miles on a charge.. wtf..).. its already been proven that a fully electric vehicle can get over 200miles on a charge.. Mass produce a fully electric vehicle that can be plugged into your standard 210 outlet and you will own a gold mine.

Personally I hate hybrids, they are a ridiculous stopgap.

Oh and Toyota.. 8 miles.. don't make me laugh, the national average commute is about 20 miles, I drive 22 miles one way so at MINIMUM I need an electric that will give me about a 50-60 mile range.