Chevy Volt

[genlock]

Anybody know what the output voltage of the battery is on the VOLT?
Or on the Prius for that matter.

Cameron could measure the volts on Rocky's car for us.

Do the radios and accys operate at regular 12 levels or at the higher voltage?

[Jet Black]

Uh, Coolbreeze, Chevrolet is a Swiss name. Louis Chevrolet was ex-Swiss.

No, Chevrolet is a French name. He could have been born in Borneo, but he and all of his family were of French descent. Louis Chevrolet was born on Christmas day 1878 in La Chaux de Fonds, Switzerland, in the middle of the French-speaking Jura region. He and his younger brother even started Frontenac Motor Corporation. The company was named Frontenac after the 17th century governor of France's North American colonies.

That's a helluva specious argument for claiming a man born in Switzerland is not Swiss. Are Cajun people here not Americans?

[genlock]

What about a man born in, say, KENYA?

[CoolBreeze]

Hahaha... well, the argument is that if Chevrolet was REALLY Swiss, or had accepted his birthplace as his national identity, his cars wouldn't have the names of Frenchmen on them. We'd all be driving "Emmo's" instead of Chevys. My God, when you name one of your products after a French governor, doesn't that tell you something? (He should have named it after a Swiss governor right?)

The French speaking Canadians to me are French also, not Canadians.

[genlock]

The cars do run like a fine French watch.

[AmpedNow]

For another $3k you can get power retractable Fred Flintstone Green Power Assistance ports in the floor.

We can argue all day about the methods being used by the greenies like cap and trade to shake us all down... But to put down alternate energy methods as though they will never evolve into legitimate energy sources is kinda like the same people who laughed at JFK for daring to go to the moon -- which happened only a few years after he made that declaration.

The one positive to all of this madness is there is serious R & D being put into making it happen. The only way anyone could be dead set against it if they have vested interests in Big Oil as it is. The more 5 MPG Hummers for runs to Starbucks, the better.

Toyota and Honda seen the writing on the wall many years ago.

[Jet Black]

I disagree. I'm not going to get into a big discussion, but if you think that alternative fuels will implemented by the government choosing before the fact, based on political factors, what kind of fuel we should exchange for gasoline... We, let's say, give me a call when that comes to pass.

[cgarison]

...what kind of fuel we should exchange for gasoline... We, let's say, give me a call when that comes to pass.

The head of the EPA has already been quoted as saying that he does not support the conversion of the nation to a country that has cars predominantly powered by anything other than fossil fuels or electric (primarily generated from fossil fuel combustion.) So, we will not have a an energy plan to reduce our dependence on foreign oil until Barry O'Bama is out of office.

Now that is "change" we can believe in.

[Bob Campbell]

It doesn't matter what the government may or may not want. In the long run (latter half of this century) fossil fuel vehicles are dead men walking. Alternative fuel vehicles will be much cheaper than anything running on oil products. They're just not making any more oil. It's not going to get cheaper and the air is still getting dirtier. Same thing for coal.
From the earliest iterations of "horseless carriages" to the complete dominance of the fossil fuel vehicle was around half a century. People still ride horses. People will still drive fossil fuel vehicles. But they won't be the dominant form of transportation. The biggest factor slowing down this latest paradigm change is the current industries are much more powerful than were the equine industries (I don't think the buggywhip lobby had nearly as much influence as oil and coal).

[jag]

The French speaking Canadians to me are French also, not Canadians.

Uh, I never claimed to be Stephen Hawking, but what am I missing here?

[Jet Black]

It doesn't matter what the government may or may not want. In the long run (latter half of this century) fossil fuel vehicles are dead men walking. Alternative fuel vehicles will be much cheaper than anything running on oil products. They're just not making any more oil. It's not going to get cheaper and the air is still getting dirtier. Same thing for coal.
From the earliest iterations of "horseless carriages" to the complete dominance of the fossil fuel vehicle was around half a century. People still ride horses. People will still drive fossil fuel vehicles. But they won't be the dominant form of transportation. The biggest factor slowing down this latest paradigm change is the current industries are much more powerful than were the equine industries (I don't think the buggywhip lobby had nearly as much influence as oil and coal).

Press Release, U.S. Department of Energy, 1978.

[ashton]

The French speaking Canadians to me are French also, not Canadians.

Uh, I never claimed to be Stephen Hawking, but what am I missing here?

This is so much funnier when I turn on the voice-over feature on my computer.

[AmpedNow]

It doesn't matter what the government may or may not want. In the long run (latter half of this century) fossil fuel vehicles are dead men walking. Alternative fuel vehicles will be much cheaper than anything running on oil products. They're just not making any more oil. It's not going to get cheaper and the air is still getting dirtier. Same thing for coal.

It's hard to run out of solar, wind, and hydro resources. The problem is we are still in the stone age when it comes to efficiently harnessing this energy.

The technology is not quite there yet. It is totally unrealistic to think that even a small town can be powered by wind or solar farms alone...much less major metro areas.

But that doesn't mean that all alternate energy is not worth developing. Considering that coal and oil are finite resources, common sense says that alternate energy will have to be developed eventually.

Sure, the Volt-type vehicles look ridiculous compared to virtually any fossil fuel based vehicle, but so does the Model T compared to the Fusion or Taurus. These kind of vehicles are still in their infancy.

From the earliest iterations of "horseless carriages" to the complete dominance of the fossil fuel vehicle was around half a century. People still ride horses. People will still drive fossil fuel vehicles. But they won't be the dominant form of transportation. The biggest factor slowing down this latest paradigm change is the current industries are much more powerful than were the equine industries (I don't think the buggywhip lobby had nearly as much influence as oil and coal).

I agree, but the Greenie movement wants too much, too soon, and don't care how badly people are affected. Cap and Trade in its current form is their first attempt to take the American lifestyle out by the kneecaps as soon as possible. This is why, ironically, they need to be marginalized in any serious discussion about alternate energy and the environment, and C&T proposals need to die. Energy-producing states like WV would be economically devastated and taxed into oblivion -- as if things are not already bad enough here...

It makes more sense in the short-term to develop alternate energy to where we can use it as leverage against OPEC and the like, and let it come into its own over time.

[cgarison]

I agree, but the Greenie movement wants too much, too soon, and don't care how badly people are affected. Cap and Trade in its current form is their first attempt to take the American lifestyle out by the kneecaps as soon as possible. This is why, ironically, they need to be marginalized in any serious discussion about alternate energy and the environment, and C&T proposals need to die. Energy-producing states like WV would be economically devastated and taxed into oblivion -- as if things are not already bad enough here...

Did our nation say "The atom bomb is too much technology too soon" when faced with Hitler and the ultimate destruction of Europe? Did we say that when we wanted to go to the Moon?

HELL NO!

We have turned into a bunch of lazy, whiny people and Barrack Obama is failing us by not calling for a new Manhattan Project to develop alternative fuels to free our nation of its reliance on foreign energy.

[CoolBreeze]

These hybrid electric cars pose some new problems for mechanics (and do-it-yourselfers too) I just found this interesting: It's from a professional mechanic website....

Special precautions are necessary even during routine oil changes. "The engine will start or stop automatically whenever the ignition key is on and the vehicle is in ready mode," Halsey says. "In ready mode, the engine starts whenever the high-voltage battery requires charging. During service, it is important to shut off the key and remove it from the ignition." In that scenario, Halsey says if a technician has drained most of the oil out and the vehicle starts, he may not be able to reach the car in time before engine damage occurs.

"So it's vital that he always remembers to take the keys with him," Halsey said.


Replacing the large battery pack poses a challenge as well. Castiaux advises service professionals to seek training, practice safety and use the proper equipment and tools in replacing the battery packs. He warns service professionals to follow those guidelines and nothing else. "You are dealing with a chemical storage device that has the potential to do you serious harm - either with electrical shock or chemical burn," he said. "In the past, a technician dealt with what we all call a dead battery, although the battery quite often still could have 11 volts available. On the hybrids, a dead battery could have around 300 volts left in it - that could be fatal!" Another challenge involves what to do with these 200-pound battery packs. Olson says many independent shops are not used to handling batteries this size. They also must deal with recycling them.

Castiaux advises technicians to purchase and use the proper safety gear when working with the high-voltage battery system. He suggests using high-voltage gloves rated at 1,000 volts or higher and have them lab-certified every six months. In addition, he advises service professionals to wear a full-face shield and rubber apron. Technicians also should use tools insulated for high voltage. Castiaux says vehicle manufacturers suggest using specific tools when doing maintenance.

"The technicians must now have an understanding of high-voltage power, control systems and how it drives the vehicle; along with that comes acting safely and having the proper safety gear and maintaining it," Castiaux adds. "One note of caution: with the high-efficiency electric motors installed in most hybrids, the wearing of pacemakers and other magnetic devices require extra caution while replacing an electric motor."

Castiaux, who has taught courses at the Mid-Del Electric Vehicle Center of Technology on electric drive vehicles since 1996, says technicians must be careful when jacking and lifting hybrids, which have smaller engines and transmissions. They could damage the high-voltage cabling under the vehicle.

[Bob Campbell]

If my mechanic is too stupid to turn off the ignition and remove the key while he's changing the oil, he and I both deserve whatever we get.

[AmpedNow]

We have turned into a bunch of lazy, whiny people and Barrack Obama is failing us by not calling for a new Manhattan Project to develop alternative fuels to free our nation of its reliance on foreign energy.

Shaking people down through a cap and trade scheme over several years is far more profitable than actually solving our energy and environmental problems.

[Bob Campbell]

As opposed to shaking them down with overinflated prices on a monopoly controlled commodity? The difference is that cap and trade plans further ahead than the next quarterly profit report and , while painful initially, begins the process of fixing the problem that the current system only perpetuates.

We heard the same story when we went from gas lamps to electricity. Wanna go back?