Green | November 18, 2008 | 10 comments

Will GM Kill the Electric Car Again?

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081118/ts_nm/us_autos_green

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shroomfairy
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Call it an economic and environmental murder mystery in the making: Will a cash-strapped Detroit kill the electric car -- again?

Stung by an association with gas-guzzling SUVs and pushed to the brink of failure by plunging sales, U.S. automakers have been touting efforts to roll out more fuel-efficient small cars, gas-saving technology and gas-free electric vehicles.

The star of that marketing show has been the Chevy Volt, a rechargeable car that General Motors Corp is designing to run 40 miles on battery power, meaning some commuters would never need to fill up with gas.

But with its cash dwindling and U.S. auto sales crashing to 25-year lows, GM has joined Ford Motor Co and Chrysler LLC in seeking $25 billion in federal handouts, which are under consideration this week by the U.S. Congress.

That has critics concerned that a meltdown for Detroit could delay the rollout of green cars like the Volt. Others see a chance to prod GM and rivals to move faster as a condition of providing funding the industry says it needs to survive.

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10 comments // Will GM Kill the Electric Car Again?

  • sickinjersey
  • RCS
    • 0
      RCS  

    • Mark701 is right. If they're going to be given any money, they need to be required to produce fuel-efficient vehicles and to stop working to destroy public transportation and sensible energy policies in this country. If the car companies aren't willing to commit to clean up their act as part of any bail-out deal, they shouldn't get a dime from the American taxpayer.

    • 3 years ago
  • taintedview
    • 0
      taintedview  

    • Bankruptcy does not mean going out of business. If GM did file for bankruptcy, the electric car, or at least more fuel efficient models, is probably one of its best bets for getting out of the bankruptcy.

    • 3 years ago
  • Mark701
    • 0
      Mark701  

    • The meltdown is Detroit is due to the fact that Detroit NEVER rolled out fuel efficient, hybrid or electric vehicles. Handing them billions without demanding they start producing fuel efficient cars would be throwing good money after bad.

    • 3 years ago
  • HolyCity2012
  • Scottishman
    • 0
      Scottishman  
    • HolyCity2012:

      I watched this video in my Intro to Business class. Its quite an ineresting documentary. I was suprised as hell to see that it got that far, just to be "crushed into a million pieces." That was a very stupid getting rid of those cars. I tell people that we need electric cars now days and most of their responses are problems that they are too lazy to figure out. Its seems there are too many people who just dont feel like finding a solution to reducing fossil fuel consumption. They just find their own dead ends that make it "impossible". Thanks for posting that vid!

    • 3 years ago
  • Ragan
  • onechance
  • onechance
    • 0
      onechance  

    • PROBABLY. And the Government will give them billions more. They are in bed with big oil. Big surprise eh?

      PAID OFF. Until our officials are no longer buyable, we will all suffer and Earth with suffer most.

    • 3 years ago
  • shroomfairy
    • 0
      shroomfairy  

    • I hope they aren't this dumb to do this again. Don't they realize that they'd be the leaders in the industry id the EV1 was still here?

    • 3 years ago
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