We might also want to do very light all-electric right now. There are a number of under 20K two person cars right now with 100 mile ranges and that is with annual production ranges in the low 100's.

that the Volt would get "only" 40 miles on electricity they sort of harrumphed, as if that wasn't enough.  I think people who don't even go 40 miles per day still like the idea of not having to worry about it, or they don't understand that they only go 40 miles or under per day (and they certainly don't want to have to worry about going on the freeway).  So it would be necessary to educate the public to even pay attention to how much they actually drive per day -- which may be why GM overengineered the volt, they probably focus-grouped it and found a real pushback against, say, 20 mile range.  Particularly in suburbs.

Given the high cost of plug-in hybrids, the adoption rates will be so low that it will not be worth the effort and cost to install outlets in parking lots for the few people that will use them. Given the high initial cost, they will only prove to be economical to people with long commutes. This is probably why they chose to have a longer range on the initial vehicles.

As well, in an uncertain economy where credit is more expensive and harder to get, automobile companies will have a hard time finding the resources to bring plug-ins to the market and consumers will have a hard time buying them.

This is a perfect time for governments to invest in public transit and rail. As a society, we need to stop wasting resources in the vain attempt to continue the automobile age, which never has or never will be sustainable.

But under real world conditions I would expect it to be a fair bit less.

In my view we need all the electric range we can get so that as many journeys can be pure electric as possible. Naturally there will be a cost/range trade off but I think a variety of options should be provided.

In the UK, a 50 mile electric range would cover 98% of car trips.

Well, first off, it's obvious that nobody here keeps up with the Volt development. The fact that you would depdend upon an articel written by a britisher who's never set foot on this country's shores tells me you're more than a little confused. In yet another attempt to unconfuse - GM
has already tossed around several variant ideas, one to offer the Volt as a battery-only (for the benefit of the brainless Californians), and the other to offer th vehicle with a smaller battery pack. But this shows just how little Romm knows about electrically propelled cars. If you cut the battery pack in half,you DO reduce the capacity by half, to 20 miles of range. But you ALSO reduce the amount of power the pack can pump out, making the car unacceptably slow. THAT's why Toyota, while they were fiddling with their silly NiMH design, could only use battery-only power during low power demand situations. The Volt is not overly powerful as it is - in fact, GM is advising battery replacement should it ever be reduced by around 15 to 20%.  YOU ARE ASKING THEM TO REDUCE POWER 50%. Fat chance. Now the Saturn Vue greenline will have enough electrical power to go 10 miles, I believe, if you are looking for a lesser costly battery pack, it is a dual power design, unlike the Volt. Perhaps, however, your biggest blunder is in 1) assuming the car will cost over $40,000. It will NOT. Secondly, you are , for some strange, inexplicable reason, acting as thought that price will not be reduced over time. Fat chance. If you all were even paying half attention , you would remember the words of the A123 Systems exec who predicted a 50% drop in battery prices over the next several years. You would also know, had you been paying attention, that GM Lutz has already
stated that the car's high initial price will be OK because of the fact that early adopters  will be well-heeled. And the volume of production during the first year and a half can't even meet the demand already expressed - at the upper $30K price range.
You know, I'm getting tired of listening to ignorant Joes spouting opinions when they obviously don't know enough about the technology to even have an opinion, much less try to "inform" others.  

The Nocera process is 100% efficient at converting electricity to hydrogen.

100%

Not an electron lost.

It should weigh half of what it does, with carbon fiber parts, have one third the hp electric motor, and a mere 20kw backup generator.

Sell a base model with 15 mile battery range, then have optional battery packs that plugin to extend your range for your particular average daily use.

An average commute is under 15 miles one way.  So many people could plugin at work.

Whatever your driving range was, you could add more battery capacity.

GM should just buy the backup generator from another company.  Rather than starting a whole new division to do that.  Your engineers consult with generator manufacturers.  

that would make an affordable 15k base model Volt.  Add more range for a couple thousand more.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

The author's argument makes no sense. He states an opinion without backing it up at all. The author makes no mention as to what benefit anyone will receive from reducing the range from 40 miles to 20 miles.

Does he believe that reducing the mileage range will significantly reduce the cost of the car? If this is his thought process, any engineer involved with the Volt development will tell you that is simply wishful thinking.

If there is no siginificant cost advantage for reducing the mileage range, why reduce the range by 50% ?? Again, it makes no sense.

Would not make much difference to those who can pay 40k for a car, but that is not most americans.

The difference between a 15k price and 17 or 18 for extended range is signifigant for a car that is intended for mass adoption as an oil saving technology leap.

The extra thousands would pay back in gas savings.  Justifying the extra cost up front.  but if you have a 12 mile commute to work, where you can plugin to charge up for the drive home.  Then save money by going with the 15 mile battery range.

More powerful expensive cars like the Volt will have their market, but it won't be the choice of most car buyers.  An economy car to save our economy and climate is urgently needed.  GM is not being helpfull in this effort, with it's over the top Volt.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

I agree with the central argument, the range is bigger than needed. The idea that you have to power the entire commute on electricity is a bit silly. If you can power half the trip using electricity, then you have essentially doubled your mileage (not exactly, of course, because electricity isn't free). The big benefit from an electric only trip is on the wear and tear of the gasoline engine. If it is only powered for big trips, it will last a lifetime.

I agree, to a certain extent, with racc. Focusing on eliminating the gasoline consumed during commuting via very expensive new cars seems a bit of a waste. I wonder if you could get better results if you spent the same on electric bikes and public transportation. The most popular use of public transportation is for commuting and big events (ball games, etc.). Folks are willing to spend the time to figure out the system if it makes their commute more pleasant.

There are two other types of car usage. One is for "around town" errands and visits (grocery store, day care, soccer practice, etc.). A smaller electric only range (say, five miles) would handle most of those quite well. The other big use of a car is for big trips. That is where the gas engine is essential.

The Ford Escape Hybrid ends up being near $30,000 after all of the taxes and everything is signed.  Looking forward to plug-in conversion soon.

At least it still beats a Toyota Yaris in City MPG.

Oh, and I second the call for carbon fiber bodies.  Amroy Lovins has great demos of this.

-CJ

Just like the 55/61 mpg the Prius was supposed to get...Try 44 in the real world.  Has anyone considered heating and air conditioning?  There's no waste heat off an electric motor. Cold mornings and windshield defrosting will require heating coils that will eat up a lot of electricity.

Cheers, Gary Gifford