Academic

AUTO PROPHET: THE CHEVY VOLT MATH DOESN?T WORK OUT VERY WELL. Yeah, but there are two points here?.

By Glenn Reynolds

AUTO PROPHET: THE CHEVY VOLT MATH DOESN’T WORK OUT VERY WELL. Yeah, but there are two points here. One is that if you’re an early adopter, there are reasons other than gas-savings payoffs to consider. The other is that if you’re really pessimistic about the future, a car that’s less dependent on gasoline looks better . . . .

On the other hand, reader G.L. Carlson writes:

I’ve been making consumer products for 4 decades. My most expensive failures have been those with an environmental advantage and a price disadvantage.

Consumers as a group will not pay extra for environmental goodness. A small following will, out of conviction or guilt- but the bulk of the market won’t do it. The price of an environmentally attractive option must not significantly exceed that of the conventional choice.

The Volt will be an expensive, predictable failure.

Well, we’ll see. And thanks to the GM bailout, they’re gambling with your money whether you buy a Volt or not.

Full post as published by Instapundit.com on July 28, 2010 (boomark / email).