The issue is not whether it drove or who drove it. That argument is a red herring.

In fact, bring in one of the Beat twins and electrify one of those with EV1 technology. Then we’d have some good looks with a great EV package. Might loose a little range to the wind resistance.

Heck put out an Opel Speedster with the EV1 driveline in it and “beat” Tesla to the market at a lower price.

I still feel like GM does not WANT to sell an EV to anyone. Maybe I’m wrong, hope I am – and maybe they think they know their customers better than me – prob do. Maybe their stereotypical customer is like my Dad – always trying to stay close to the technological levels of his S-10 pickup, always on alert for “gimmicks” (technology too advanced for him like iPods or the internet), and resistant to change. Love the guy but he’s showing his age (generation).

What bothers me is the continuing FUD that GM issues anytime they are put on the spot with EV1 questions. Didn’t work (but it did), nobody bought ‘em (never sold, only leased), battery tech wasn’t ready (but they owned the patents for the batteries in the Toyota RAV-4-EVs which are still running around California), and then they go and threaten a lawsuit when a university tries to resurrect an EV1 for demo-use (all of the handful of EV1s were “disabled” before donation to universities and museums).

At the same time I hope Toyota and Honda gets their collective heads out of their nether regions and gets an effective EV (like the Rav4-EV) back to market soon. I’ve got 160K miles on my CR-V, 152K miles on the VW Cabrio and I want to replace one of them with an EV in two years. Realistically I’ll prob just build one out of the Cabrio once my budget catches it’s breath.

Alex is right, to many a bloggers lament.
Mule or not, it drove. Would it be more credible if some TTAC staffer was asked to drive it?

Hydrogen? Still alive and well, and ready for production. However, as the current fave manufacturer, (Honda), has discovered, the customer is “not yet ready for prime time.”

When anyone can get a hydrogen Gas station complete with Slim Jims and bottled water of any variety, then maybe EXXON will make it available.

He drove a different car with the possible drive train that will power the Volt. Big difference there. Look at the problems Tesla has had and they don’t have the myriad layers of red tape to poke through that GM does.

Hopefully they’re not counting on the Volt to keep GM alive until 2020 or so.

What an ego. Just because The Suit Comes Down From On High and goes for an 8 mile test loop in an incomplete car that isn’t the equal of a 2001 Toyora Rav4-EV, they’re “making history TODAY.” Jay Leno has a 100-year-old Baker Electric that will go further than that.

To the best of my knowledge, the car doesn’t do the Range-Extension bit yet, it’s just a GM junker from a few years ago converted, at great expense, to battery power.

Well… I’ll look on the bright side… Maybe GM’s committed to recycling.

First, a good environmental stress lab can and should put the batteries through worse conditions than ever would be experienced in the outside world. I used to do semiconductor accelerated life stress testing and I know what can and should be done. But Lutz has never done a minute of actual engineering in his life, so maybe he is clueless about what goes on in an environmental stress testing laboratory.

Meanwhile, the “idiots” at Toyota have over a million battery packs in the field in Prii. Surely they are smaller battery packs than the Volt envisions and use the prior generation NiMH chemistry, but real world high volume production experience is important and GM ain’t getting it.

I’m still frosted that Wagoner used Toyota’s San Antonio truck factory as an excuse for his team’s complete bungling ineptitude!

I still remember when the New Technology Vega was going to show those Japanese dolts how it was done. At least the Vega made it into volume production, something I’m skeptical the Volt will do.

No, what about the Hy-Wire hydrogen car GM was all lathered up about six years ago at it’s big 2002 Press Push?