GM considers renting batteries to Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid buyers

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.autoindustry.co.uk/news/13-08-07_4

...

General Motors may reportedly allow buyers of its Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid car to rent the vehicle’s expensive battery as a way of pricing the vehicle at a comparable level to a similar size vehicle with a conventional powertrain when it is launched in 2010. The lithium-ion nanophosphate battery system being developed by GM with A123Systems is planned to give a battery-only range of around 40 miles and last for at least 10 years. The gasoline saved by the vehicle would release funds for battery rental, giving a similar overall running cost.

...

Interesting.

[hatrack]

1. That way they can recall and crush the batteries before rolling out their new 18-wheel Hummer H4

:eyes:

[Kolesar]

2. I, for one, am hoping that GM is successful with this product

Droll comparisons to the EV-1 are fair, though.

[hatrack]

3. They'd best hurry

They're about ten years late, and the auto market is increasingly unforgiving for those who don't eat their veggies/do & apply their engineering.

[OKIsItJustMe]

5. They're not 10 years behind their competitors on this one

To my knowledge, no major manufacturer is shipping the equivalent to the Volt. (I assume it will be called the Volt when it's finally released. They'd be fools to throw away all of the name recognition.)

Today's Prius is good, but the E-Flex really is a different/better solution.
http://www.gm.com/company/gmability/adv_tech/100_news/2007_releases/volt-010707.html
http://www.greencarcongress.com/2007/01/gm_introduces_e.html

Toyota's working on a plug-in Prius, but today, it looks like GM may be first to market.

[hatrack]

6. I'll believe it when I see it - "trust" and "GM" are concepts which I don't lightly connect

From the destruction of light rail in the 1940s to the promises and pimping of the Cars Of Tomorrow, one thing never changes with these guys, and that's the heapage factor of the bullshit.

[tinrobot]

4. Exactly...

I said a while back that I'd only get a Volt if I could buy it. No leases, not even of the batteries.

Perhaps instead of a rental, they should have creative financing or some sort of guaranteed exchange program.

[hunter]

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