Rush doesn’t like GM, whom he calls Obama Motors. GM is unionized, from a state with two Democratic Senators, and bailed out by the Obama Administration. So when GM came out with the Volt and Motor Trend magazine named it their 2011 car of the year, Rush was incredulous. How dare Motor Trend not share his bias against GM!
Rush questioned the integrity of Motor Trend and one of the magazine’s editors, Todd Lassa, responded:
Assuming you’ve been anywhere near the biggest automotive technological breakthrough since … I don’t know, maybe the self-starter, could you even find your way to the front seat? Or are you happy attacking a car that you’ve never even seen in person?
and then:
Just remember: driving and Oxycontin don’t mix.
Ouch! That’s going to leave a mark.
But Rush is a bully, and a bully is not going to take this lying down. I wish Todd Lassa good luck, he’s going to need it.
H/T: Motor Trend .
-David Drumm (Nal)
http://money.cnn.com/2010/12/02/autos/electric_car_fuel_economy/index.htm
I’ll take the report from CNN over pajamasmedia when it comes to fact based reporting. Even when the Volt runs entirely on gas, it gets 37 MPG.
Well i suppose it could be a big conspiracy between the auto companies, EPA, DOT, electric utilities, the main stream media, and mickey mouse; but i doubt it.
You may have heard the mileage rating for the Nissan Leaf is 99 MPG (miles per gallon equivalent). Here’s what the sticker looks like (I highlighted the relevant portions that I will expand upon):
The real efficiency of the Leaf is dependent on the efficiency of the coal power plant: the Leaf gets 25 MPG, not 99. The Chevy Volt gets 23 MPG, not 93.
The EPA is purposely comparing apples to oranges, conveniently hiding the fact that you are simply displacing gasoline usage with coal. The fact that you don’t have to directly throw coal into your car doesn’t mean you aren’t using any. Indeed, the overall efficiency of electric vehicles charged on coal is no better than a car with a spark ignition engine.
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/epa-fraud-chevy-volt-nissan-leaf-actually-get-only-23-25-mpg/?singlepage=true
Matthew N.
I realize that I live in a liberal mecca and there aren’t things like this everywhere, but here in Boulder, Colorado we have plugs for electric cars in parking lots.
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A friend with a daughter in the Air Force stationed in Alaska once told me they all plug their cars in at night otherwise they wouldn’t start in the morning.
Which will give Ms. Palin a headache deciding whether to be for or against a bailed-out company’s solution that copies those intrepid Alaskans.
Wayne,
‘As I understand it, the Tesla is designed for a 5 minute battery swap. Problem. Solved.’
That’s great, assuming there are places around the country that will store and maintain batteries in the hopes of someome showing up in a $50,000 Tesla Model S sedan. Of course someone could buy a $33,000 Nissan Leaf, but those batteries can’t be swapped out and need a recharging station.
Yes, I look forward to the day I can park my car and recharge my battery at multiple sites but the infrastructure will not be built until there are sufficient electic cars available to support the investment. The number of sales projected by electic car makers will not support a big biuld out and it will most likely be confined to small pockets of the country for the foreseeable future. It’s a lot easier to say problem solved, then to actually solve the problem.
Again the Volt appears to be a very good intermediate step between a fully gas powered car and a fully electric powered car. So, What’s your beef with GM?
AA,
Nah, first and foremost Rush is a businessman of the same type as a Mr. Barnum (although less honest about it). He knows there’s money to be made from those who believe the spectacle, even if most people know that it’s faked.
Usually a bully will back off if you let them know that you aren’t afraid to confront them, so I am guessing, about 50/50, that Rush dummies up on GM. Whatever the outcome, well done to Todd Lassa. You share American’s sentiments, except for a few of the Rush gang.
Wayne,
But one of the reasons I think Tesla has a better mouse trap, but not everyone is designing to a swapout model. We’ll need some form of charging stations for those that don’t until battery technology improves.
I realize that I live in a liberal mecca and there aren’t things like this everywhere, but here in Boulder, Colorado we have plugs for electric cars in parking lots. There are only a few and I’m not sure how they work, but they do exist and I imagine it wouldn’t be that hard to put in more were the demand to rise.
“there is no infrastucture in place to recharge the batteries if you need to travel more than 100 miles (on a good day).”
As I understand it, the Tesla is designed for a 5 minute battery swap. Problem. Solved.
You pull into a battery station, swap out your battery, go to the bathroom, get a cup of coffee, etc. and drive off.
This is such a simple solution, but Detroit has a real hard time even fantasizing about a world without the ICE.
The Volt is just the beginning … hang onto your hats boys … there’s a whole lot more in the pipeline (which means it’s already moving, not just being talked about) ….