Perhaps it really is time to just let GM die. Today’s Washington Post story on the next generation Toyota Prius explains how Japanese automakers are putting their money into better hybrids, giving the Prius a bigger trunk, more power and even better mileage at 50 mpg. By contrast, GM is banking its future–and billions of taxpayer dollars–on the Chevy Volt. If the Volt is GM’s future, we’re in big trouble.
The new electric car, due out next year, will only be able to go 40 miles–40 miles!–without recharging, meaning a Volt wouldn’t get me from my house to Bagel City and back on a Saturday morning. To get around this problem, the Volt has a back-up gas tank that will stretch the car’s usefulness another 400 miles at 50 mpg. In an age of 100-plus mile commutes, lots of people would presumably drive primarily on the gas tank (after all, the only charging station they’re likely to find is one in their own garage). Meanwhile, the savings achieved are relatively small. The Volt needs 80 cents worth of electricity to go the same distance as a Prius with $1.50 worth of gas in the tank. But here’s the rub: At $40,000, the Volt costs almost twice as much as a Prius, a difference that all but obliterates any savings at the pump. Does the Obama administration really, truly believe that GM can transform itself with this car?
