Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG
On the other hand, I also wonder how many years GM & Nissan will be willing to keep working on an idea that clearly isn't paying off very quickly, the way Toyota did with the 1st generation Prius.
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Yes, that will be interesting to see. I've consulted for American manufacturers and Japanese, and admire the Japanese for their long range thinking.
I would have liked to see the Volt come out at $30,000 instead of $40,000. Given what it costs me to buy batteries in low volume, I am fairly certain that the Volt could be priced at $30,000 and be profitible in 3 years. The new Nissan pricing, at about 39k for the Leaf, seems
way the heck too high. It is a really simple car: a $16,000 Juke, minus $8000 of engine, trans, exhaust system fuel system,etc, plus $4000 motor and controls, and $9600 in batteries: $20,600.
The party line at the EV sites has been, for the most part, that supply cannot keep up with demand. I have not believed that, but for many people, this will be a sad wake up call. I find it discouraging -- I'd like to see the Volt do well.
But in any case, the existing sales have been impressive (tens of thousands of EVs in about a year) if not taken in the context of traditional car sales levels. The manufacturers have to figure out how to do that profitably.
One can see how conspiracy theories start: "See, it's Who Killed the Electric Car all over again. GM never wanted to make a go of it."