On March 20, General Motors (GM) Vice Chairman Bob Lutz spoke at a “Volt Nation” promotional event for the Chevrolet Volt concept—a “plug-in” hybrid that is designed to run up to 40 miles on battery power alone. While engineering and cost challenges remain, GM’s efforts to bring this vehicle to market are deserving of praise.
But while Lutz hailed the Volt, he also admitted that not making a vehicle like the Prius was “a mistake.” Yet GM continues to make that same mistake with its current hybrids by focusing on muscle instead of miles. Its new “two mode” hybrid SUVs, the Chevy Tahoe, and GMC Yukon Hybrids, actually feature larger gasoline engines than most conventional versions of these models. The electric motor provides an additional power boost but only a modest gain in overall fuel economy.
Tell GM that it’s time they used their technology to boost fuel economy, not power.
General Motors has initiated an online program called GMnext that, according to their website, is "a dialogue-based campaign that engages people via social media and interactive experiences." Their headline blog is from the very “Volt Nation” event where Mr. Lutz made his comments.
Click here and you’ll be taken directly to the GMnext blog, where you can tell GM that using today’s technologies, both conventional and hybrid, to give consumers cleaner, more efficient vehicle choices would truly be “An American Revolution.” (You can find more information about this issue and tips on how to personalize blog comments here.)
After you’ve commented on GM’s blog, please use the form below to send us a copy of the comments you made. By giving us copies of your comments, we can make sure that GM is allowing open online debate, and we can post any great comments that do not get posted on UCS’s own HybridBlog.org!
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