Lutz: "Don't tell me how to make an E-car"

[Ming]

GM's Maximum Bob: Don't tell me how to make an E-car
11:46 AM, June 28, 2008
Times staff writer Ken Bensinger


Bob Lutz Reveals Chevy Volt First Continental Battery Pack at New York Auto Show

In response to a Times article on the multiple woes of GM and other automakers, a particularly vociferous reader -- known to call electric cars more important than "the so-called immigration issue, falling home values, and man-bites-dog stuff" -- copied Lutz in on a letter to the editor. The gist: GM, after losing $39 billion last year and with its stock at a three-decade low, could save itself by bringing back a 10-year old, two-seat electric car.

"There is one option GM has not considered, which would turn things around, both in image and in reality. GM could resume production of the 1999 EV1, using Panasonic lead-acid batteries," the reader asserted.

Furthermore, he wrote, GM’s plans to produce a four-seat extended-range electric car called the Volt, set for release in 2010, "depends on Lithium batteries which don't yet exist."

Maximum Bob was not about to let that backtalk from a green transportation activist go by without comment:

He shot back in an email: "The EV will not meet any current safety laws. Putting a version into production that meets regulations would put us out to ’11 or ’12. They cost us well over $80,000 to produce, and, being a two-seater, we could only sell 800 in four years. We lost over one billion dollars on that experiment."

As for the Volt, Lutz had choice words as well:

"I don't know why you insist that lithium-ion doesn't exist. We are getting packs from our suppliers, they test well in both hot and cold, they store the energy as claimed, we are fast-cycling them to make sure they last, we are doing high-temp, high-load testing with the cooling system shut down and are experiencing no thermal problems. Trust me, the battery will not delay the car."

As any outraged activist would, the reader quickly fired back a reply, copying four Times addresses, an additional GM employee and a contact at California’s Air Resources Board, calling for distribution to all members of the body.

Too early to tell if Lutz will call these revealing comments his own personal opinions as well.

Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/mone...staff-wri.html

[Ambalanche]

That's the whole problem with the environmental activists out there, they think that just because they can dream something up, it should be reality, gospel even. They have no thought process about what it might take to make something happen and/or how long it would take or cost to put one of their schemes in place. That is the first time I've heard anyone say how much each individual EV1 cost though. Wow, 80 grand! No wonder they crushed them all!! The Volt will get here soon enough, I just hope it's sooner than that sombrero company that makes appliances because you know they are trying to beat GM to the punch!

[goblue]

Just bring back the EV-1, sure...and when one of these environmentalists gets whiplash in it, they;ll be the first in line at the lawyer.

[MonaroSS]

In retrospect GM should have stored all the EV1's. They could have sold them as collectors items in the future for a mint.

[DuSpinnst]

Environmentalists live in a fantasy world.

Maybe if people stopped humoring them they would wake up from it.

[kodos78]

This is going to be the best part of $5-$6/gallon of gas. People will realize that environmentalists loathe people more than they love the environment.

Originally Posted by DuSpinnst

Environmentalists live in a fantasy world.

Maybe if people stopped humoring them they would wake up from it.

[YupYupYup]

Ah, the left-wing activists at the Times. All talk, no action. These are people who are just bitter they did not have the intelligence and/ or work ethic to become doctors, business leaders, engineers and the like. They went to j-school...So they spend their time attacking the more successful ilk in this world. They think it will make them feel better about themselves...They don't have real-world solutions...That might take too much brain power and work. Instead they just yap...Monkeys.

[megeebee]

I find it interesting that this self-appointed "saviour-of-us-all" was not sending equally ill-informed and condescending messages to the heads of Toyota. Or Honda. Or Ford for that matter.

We live in such interesting times, don't we? Somebody, somewhere, can use his computer to lecture an industry professional on a subject of which he/she knows less than nothing and it ends up on national media.

If the public dislike or distrust GM so much, why is that GM takes the brunt of the "SAVE US!" crap?

[kodos78]

Same with the government though isn't it? People distrust the government so much that they want to entrust it with our healthcare, our privacy, our right to self defense, etc...

But at the same time, they are "Big Brother". The irony is thick.

Originally Posted by megeebee

If the public dislike or distrust GM so much, why is that GM takes the brunt of the "SAVE US!" crap?

[JeffInDFW]

Bob Lutz response to that guy REALLY made him look like an idiot. Excellent. When you let people run their mouths unchallenged, then other people take what they say as gospel.

[YupYupYup]

Originally Posted by kodos78

Same with the government though isn't it? People distrust the government so much that they want to entrust it with our healthcare, our privacy, our right to self defense, etc...

But at the same time, they are "Big Brother". The irony is thick.

Nope...I don't entrust my healthcare to the government. Just have to look at all the screwed up problems up here in Canada. Privacy, a joke. Right to self-defense is exactly that -- SELF, aka not government!, defense.

It doesn't take a brain to tax someone...Nor does it take one to criticize a company which is revamping everything in a highly competitive automotive world. Government's are monopolies...They, nor the people who bow to their big government masters, have no idea what competition is.

P.S. I love when people get mad because Lutz is getting all of the attention...Morons are giving it to him by writing about him, good or bad. And he knows that. No wonder he smiles so much.

[FenwickHockey65]

Stupid hippie environmentalists. Makes me feel even prouder every time I drive the Envoy or Sonoma. Yes you dumb hippies...can you smell all the greenhouse gases coming out of my exhaust pipe?? Well guess what? YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO STOP ME! MWAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAA!

Bob Lutz should be president of the world. That'd really get the hippies' knickers in a twist.

[A Bum In A Bus]

Much of the GM's problems stem from an ignorant uninformed media, that has zero desire to do one gram of research before writing their nasty worthless garbage.

[jcgable]

All I'm saying is that no other manufacturer has an executive that would go on the comments section of an article and badger them. There's a reason for this.

Prove them wrong with product, not with talk. Especially on such an unfiltered medium.

[ColoradoZQ8]

This is a load of crap.

The EV1 could very well be produced "as is." They would just have to limit the top speed to 35 mph (easily done electronically) -- the 12 year old design would meet all current and future safety standards for a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle classification.

Just more rubbish from Mr. "Stick Our Head in the Sand" Lutz.

He's much of the reason GM is in so much trouble -- his lack of insight.
Lots of municipalities are buying neighborhood electric vehicles in the thousands for fleets (colleges, police departments, maintenance companies).

He's long overdue to retire.