Gas 2.0 |
- Opel Ampera Priced at $58,718
- Compact Cars Not So Compact Anymore, Says Study
- GE Will Buy 25,000 Electric Vehicles by 2015
| Posted: 12 Nov 2010 12:52 PM PST
GM announced the official pricing of the Ampera today at €42,900. At today's exchange rate, that equates to about $58,718, or over $17,000 more than the cost of a Chevy Volt here in America. But why? Three little words friends; the Value Added Tax, or VAT. This is a tax that is added to a product at every stage of the manufacturing process, eventually driving the cost of things like the Ampera up quite a ways. Without the VAT, the Ampera is priced around $49,000 U.S., a bit closer to the price of the Chevy Volt. Don’t expect me to be cheering for a VAT anytime soon. I do think the Ampera is a better looking car than the Volt, especially the front end. But is it worth an extra $20,000? No thanks. Source: GM |
| Compact Cars Not So Compact Anymore, Says Study Posted: 12 Nov 2010 10:53 AM PST
How could the smallest cars get so much heavier in just a few years? To be frank, the blame really lies with us, the consumer. We’ve continued to demand more and more from our cars. Air condition and a radio just aren’t enough anymore, which is surprising considering the humble beginnings of most compact cars. Compacts didn't really gain traction in the U.S. until the 1970's, during the gas crunch. Take a look at a Ford Pinto; it wasn't much more than an engine and four wheels attached to an exploding gas tank. Compare that to the new Ford Fiesta, which has more technology crammed into it than the Apollo 11 mission to the moon. It isn't just technology though, but safety features and the desire for more room. In addition to being 549 pounds heavier, today's cars compared to those of 200 are over six inches longer. Yet they get just 2.5 mpg better, which is increasingly becoming a problem as automakers are straddled with more stringent fuel economy standards. American, Japanese, and European automakers need to look to India for inspiration, particularly the Tata Nano. Some people just need simple transportation, not a multimedia mobile device, and if you get rid of all the unnecessary bits, you have a much smaller, lighter, fuel efficient car. I love classic muscle cars, as do many people the world over, and those are some of the simplest cars on the planet. Yet they have endured for decades. Keep it simple, stupid, and you might just make a winner. Source: Edmunds Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout. |
| GE Will Buy 25,000 Electric Vehicles by 2015 Posted: 12 Nov 2010 08:19 AM PST
Many businesses rely on cars, trucks, and vans to ensure their companies operate. GE owns over 30,000 vehicles, and it isn't just gas they have to pay for. Every time a car needs an oil change, a replacement part, so on and so forth, that costs GE money. Electric cars remove much of those maintenance costs (though even EV's need new tires every now and then). It makes firm fiscal sense to ditch regular cars in favor of electric vehicles, and I am sure GE has been crunching the numbers quite hard. By just changing their fleet over, they can pocket money they had once been shelling out for gas consumption and routine maintenance. They expect $500 million in savings over just the next three years. That is some serious pocket change. Of course, GE isn't going 100% electric right away. Their largest single order of vehicles will be 12,000 GM vehicles, among them many Chevy Volts, starting in 2011. By 2015, GE wants to have 25,000 electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles (as the Volt is) in their fleet or for their fleet customers. This is a win-win for GE, as they are helping spread EV technology while getting a chance to proliferate their own charging technology. It could also be the beginning of a closer working partnership between the two Generals. GM had set some pretty lofty sales goals for the Volt, but this big purchase (which won't happen all at once for obvious reasons) will really help GM get this car on the road. Plus, people who work for GE, but perhaps can't afford the Volt's upfront costs, will get a chance to experience an entirely different kind of car without paying for it. This is huge news friends, and very good news for hybrid and electric vehicles. Source: GE News Chris DeMorro is a writer and gearhead who loves all things automotive, from hybrids to Hemis. You can follow his slow descent into madness at Sublime Burnout. |
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