I'm Not Jim Cramer

Electric Car Manufacturers Inspire New Paradigms

A niche product for a niche market.

Electric Vehicles Gain Traction in the Bay Area

The Asian EV's do not have to deal with our safety rules for cars. Additionally, commercial and even workload pickup trucks and busses cannot run on batteries. How inefficient would it be to have to have two functioning systems, oil and electric?

With regard to temepratures, we are probably only talking about 15-30 days a year where temperature will seriously affect battery performance, but how do you sell a car like that. What will happen to a car that sits in 20 degree weather in a parking lot for 8 or 10 hours while the owner is at work? How will the charge be affected? Here's one study:

"Research by General Motors (Ellis, 1994) indicated that the range of their prototype EV, the Impact, was 19 kilometers in cold weather. In other words, the car loses over 80% of its nominal 21\mDC range when operated at -18\mDC."

William Holstein on Why GM Matters

Mike123: Stop reading from an Epcot Center press release, circa 1965. Really, you're killing me with this stuff!

William Holstein on Why GM Matters

FINALLY, somebody almost got it right. Why treat all three companies the same? Chrysler is done! Put a bullet in it's head and finish the job. Don't try to merge one failing auto company with another. Close it down tomorrow. Stop talking about the Priius as if it's something GM missed out on. Toyota LOSES money on every Prius that goes out the door. It's a backassward technology without any future. The time has not arrived for an electric vehicle. GM will lose it's shirt if it needs to sell the VOLT as it's primary vehicle. The electric car is a niche player, and always will be. What do you think a MInnesota or Wisconsin winter will do to the charge of an electric vehicle? How green is it to make all these electric vehicles that will require us to burn millions MORE tons of coal for electricity, and dispose of millions of batteries? Whatever the future of the mass market auto, the electric car is not it.

Electric Vehicles Gain Traction in the Bay Area

A niche vehicle for a niche market like San Francisco. What do you think that a MInnesota winter would do to the charge of an electric vehicle battery? Great idea bringing to market a car that will cost 15-20% more than a gas powered vehicle, just a people are losing their jobs and the banks won't lend. I'm sure also that the government will be happy to "lend" the big three car makers the money to retool to build these vehicles, because nothing says government like mandating bankrupt companies to build cars that people don't want to buy!

Even if overnight we could give everyone these "polultion free" vehicles, we would have to burns millions more tons of coal to create the electricity to power them and create millions more toxic batteries that need to be disposed of. Whatever the future of mass individual transportation is in this country, the electric car is almost certainly not it!

Satellite Radio Is Not Immune to Big Three Troubles

Went shopping in several stores today. Very little satrad product on the shelves, no endcaps, no large displays of any kind, selling at about 20% off, cars no moving either because of the financing problems. Expect a hugely bad 4th quarter. For all you "finally going to be cash flow positive guys" no way no how! Mel is sandbagging us on the numbers. They're going to be much worse than even the lowball figure.