Chevy Volt could earn 100 mpg EPA rating

And it'll only cost $40 grand. only. I wouldn't even waste my time looking at one in a showroom. And precious few people with the sense God gave geese will buy one.

GM is banking on the Gov to rebate customers 10,000.00$ !! It aint gonna happen with these bailouts.

No way. No How. No rebates. GM is having daydreams. If they were to put out an electric or hybrid for the same money as Civic or Prius hybrids, they might be in the ballpark, but at 40 big ones? uh uh.

..besides...it's GM. A new owner will be lucky if it doesn't fall apart a day after it's warranty ends.

It seems like an expensive way to adjust driving habits. We all could save a lot of gas with some computer controlled equipment on board. Acceleration rates, top speed, smart climate control. How about car to car real time information. Yield signs instead of stop signs. Intelligent stoplights with real time information exchange with vehicles, intelligent speed control that would automatically set the speed limit of a car by sending signals to the car's brain and automatically space the vehicles apart? A lot could be done to level out the peak demands of power and wasteful braking.

Interesting approach to improving EPA fuel economy ratings - don't count fuel economy when the ICE is running.

Sorta the way Washington oversight works in banking, pharma, telecoms, you name it.

[...]

But that would require actual productivity out of The Government. "Totally New Concept", says Gallagher.

Classic Government believes it can solve all problems with additional taxes, loose spending without expecting much in return, and additional regulations. Is totally beyond modern government to innovate and create a smart road with networked traffic lights. Way too much to expect government to link automobiles into this network to display hints as to how to make the next light without stopping.

No way it will happen. The bulk of those who seek employment with the government (including the NHTSA) hate all forms of personal transportation.

Well, I'm government (local) and cannot stand public transit. I would take it if I could, but there's just too many negatives.

I did take a bus once, when in university. I tried it out, thinking I could study on the ride, save gas (at then $1.05/gal) and not pay the stupid university parking pass fees.

One way, for a twenty mile ride to university, took almost two hours.

I gave up immediately.

I did take the train into work on occasion when working in downtown LA as a contractor. That ride was a little better, but there were still issues - if I wanted to leave early/late, I was stuck. If the train broke down (which it did), I was stuck. If I was too late getting to the station, I wasn't able to find parking and would have to drive.

It was a little easier taking the bus/train while studying in Germany in '89/90, but even there I had issues. I almost more often preferred to hitchike for any trip longer than twenty minutes. Also the busride down the hill from my dorm to the campus would take half an hour. (I could drive it in five minutes.)

For my current twenty-mile commute to work, I make sure I have an audiobook in the truck, ready to go. I expect that the half-hour ride is going to be productive. Since I have no time to read outside of work, I utilize the time I have in the truck.

Since I have a DVD player, I load one DVD with several dozen audio books (in mp3 format burned using K3B) and not even have to change the disc for a few months.

Great. Now all they have to do is get through bankruptcy. News tech, especially GM always has teething pains and GM has never been thorough with their R&D. Recall the Vega.