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bob lutz - the smartest man in detroit

chevrolet_volt.jpg

"The Chevrolet Volt has a battery-powered electric motor that can run the car for up to 40 city miles on a single charge. Beyond that, a gasoline-powered, one-liter, three-cylinder engine can generate electricity to power the car and replenish the battery, with a range of up to 640 miles..."
from msnbc.com

My notes:

1) If you absolutely insist on driving to work, where 90% of the drive is spent "sitting" you might might as well look good while you do it.

2) This is what you get when the guy running the show actually likes cars. Bob Lutz is a man who "Gets It".

3) This car desperately needs a convertible option.

4) Might I suggest the use of ceramic Bose speakers imbedded in the sides of the car that play sound effects, such as the thunder of a Chevy V-8 at the flip of a switch? The problem with electric cars is you cant make an entrance.

5) Apparently the big technology problem to overcome is cooling the batteries. May I suggest, ahem, a radiator?

6) You know, this would be just as nice with a V-8. Maybe thats the key here, a correctly designed car could accept a variety of power plants, depending on the desire of the end user. If they did it right, the dealer could mate the frame with the powerplant at the time of purchase, rather than at the factory. It would also help with the process "Powerplant Upgrading" as the technology improves.


Ok, before I start getting complaints that I've turned into Autoblog, I'm actually working on something big that is going to deal with a problem I've been thinking about since the Hezbollah war last summer.

When I say big, it is larger than just about anything else I've ever done, and I think we all know how windy I can be. I'm thinking multiple posts, maybe even a podcast.

This is just a little Sunday afternoon diversion. So just relax, ok?

Posted @ January 07, 2007 11:27 AM | Current Affairs

Comments

There's gotta be a cool electric-ish sound it could emit....some whooshing whirring sort of thing. I'm sure there have been sounds like that applied to some hollywood sci-fi picture in the past.

Posted by: TBinSTL at January 7, 2007 07:02 PM

What about the sound the Jetson's car/spacship/whatever makes?

Posted by: Shane at January 8, 2007 12:43 PM