Shostie
J.K. Rowling's next book is rumored to be "Harry Potter and the Coefficient of Drag."

Hmm...sounds interesting. I might read it.
Can't be any worse than "Harry Potter and the Porcelain Throne" or "the Chamber of Secretes".

I love cars that have almost no side or rear visibility.

Ford Fusion, I'm looking at you too.


/01' Infiniti g20. 30mpg... city.

mightybaldking:

Damn, I need to learn to type faster.

Whoops, my mistake. My Civic Hybrid's Cd is 0.27, not 0.67.

/gotta lay off the lite beer

ChubbyTiger: Subby, that's not even close to what he said. I hate GM, but you're an idiot.

MWYK

cfreak: I'm confused. The article calls it a "hybrid" but everything I've heard about this car (including the article itself!) is that its all electric.

If its all electric ... its not hybrid. Stupid journalism or am I confused?

you're confused. It's also a flexfuel vehicle. using e85

BunkyBrewman: BTW.. WHERE the fark can I buy E85 fuel? I live in Philly, and there is one station... ONE! (which is priced a scant 3% below 87 octane gasoline... while the national average is 18% less than regular gas)

You are correct:

Link (new window)

Link (new window)

I'm just hoping that one day this hard-edge styling trend will end. I have hated it from day one. It's OK in very light doses but most of the new stuff looks awful.

Englebert Slaptyback: Yes, because no one who commutes solo in congested areas would have any use for a two-seater hybrid. Those people should have to drive around with a back seat that is perpetually empty.

Point taken, however, this shouldn't be the only version. This should be an option.

GM had an electric car. They killed the program for political reasons.

From the comments....
Let me get this straight? You produced a concept so bad that it almost got better wind tunnel results going backwards....and then you'll have it out 10 YEARS later than Toyota's at TWICE the price?...

/sounds like these clowns at GM work for the federal gov't.

That is one Fugly car.

BobtheFascist: Is "fugly" a pre-requisite for making hybrids?

As if we really need yet another boring car that looks like a Camry or Taurus.

What usually happens is, the concept car gets the unique look, and then once marketing is done "sanitizing" it, we get what looks like every other vanilla four-door sedan on the road.

You can have your Volt.

I want a Tesla Roadster! (pops)

I would never drive that car, just look at those sharp hood angles.

I'm going to wait for the Honda CRZ

vodka:

I'm just hoping that one day this hard-edge styling trend will end. I have hated it from day one. It's OK in very light doses but most of the new stuff looks awful.


Agreed. I love the new Silveradoes. The ones from the past 3-4 years were way too angular.

/What am I saying, it's a truck. Who give a shiat what it looks like as long as it pulls.

Leopold Stotch: wowzer97pooh: I believe the current GM hybrids don't regenerate. I hope the Volt does that and allows an all electric option on the dash like the new Prius do.

The Volt is all-electric drive, all the time, and will use regenerative braking. The internal combustion engine/fuel cell/whatever is used only as an auxiliary generator and has no physical connection with the drivetrain at all.

Goal is for the car to cover a typical US commute using the plug-in electric mode for the first 40-50 miles. This would allow some people to run electric only for their short day-to-day trips. The engine would only kick in on longer trips where more electricity is needed. It also allows the engine and generator to be matched so that the engine operates consistently at the most efficient speed, rather than varying based on vehicle speed.

GM had that all electric car a while back, I think it was called the EV. I remember seeing that when it got cold, the range on the thing dropped into the single digits. Any idea if this has the same crapy cold weather performance?

SteelBeak: and presents very real danger to yourself and EMS crews if they try to extricate you after a car crash.

2.5 year old article for the fail!

There is functionality to prevent this, but don't let the facts get in the way of your bashing.

rcs73:Just because it's new technology, don't put a provacative face on it - that is going to turn off some percentage of your customer base!

They'll get over it.

/shall we get off your lawn?

jshine:
I wonder why they don't use diesel? It's more efficient at constant RPM. That is why it's the the same design that these have used for decades:

You know who else liked diesel electric engines?

d'art: GM had an electric car. They killed the program for political reasons.

Oh yeah? what else has happened in the automotive world in the last decade or so Mr. Romero?

/do tell
_{ga 'head}

did anybody actually read the interview? he stated that the prototype/concept car had a bad coefficient of friction; it was fixed on the "production"

ScornForSega:You know who else liked diesel electric engines?

Yes, it's not exactly a new idea. Then again, I'm a chemical engineer -- I know little about the practical aspects of designing a car. Perhaps there are weight issues with similarly-powered diesel engines.

Did someone mention "reliable" and "Buick" at the same time?
Sure, I can count on them going 20 mph under the posted speed while driving in the left lane with their left turn signal on and then suddenly veering into the right lane as I try using it to pass them. Strangely, though, I always assume they're being driven by ghosts since I can't actually see a person behind the wheel when I'm stuck behind them. They are very consistent in my life.

rcs73
Why do they have to introduce new technology in niche designed cars? Like the EV-1, the Prius, this, etc.. Now, not only does someone need to decide if that's the car for them, they ALSO need to decide whether they like how the car looks!!

Just put the new technology in the OLD cars first - the: camry, altima, accord, taurus, minivans, etc

Just because it's new technology, don't put a provacative face on it - that is going to turn off some percentage of your customer base!

Interesting. And to some degree I agree with you.

However, one of my complaints about marketing is when they create a new product (let's say a diet soft drink), and tag it with an existing name (e.g., Diet Coke). It's a completely different beverage, why not just admit it? And if not, why not just call Orange Fanta "Orange Coke".

Okay, I'm about to "submit" this entry, and I look up Coca-Cola on Wikipedia to double-check that they own Fanta. And what do I see???

You've GOT to be kidding me. (new window)

Retarded Submitter:
"GM's self dubbed "Moon Shot" for the hybrid market almost gets better coefficient of drag numbers backwards than forwards"

Article:
GM's Lutz: "Styling-wise, we've got it sorted out. We've done all the wind-tunnel optimization that's resulted in the car looking a little different from the concept. The hood's gotten shorter and the windshield's got more slant. The drag coefficient's where we want it."
WN: "Where exactly is that?"
Lutz: "It's in the mid-twos. When we put the concept in the wind tunnel, it was a disaster. We could almost put it in the wind tunnel backward and get a better result."

So, Submittard, the original concept was a disaster in the wind tunnel - the car now is improved and hs a much better drag coefficient.

/can't people read any more?

BunkyBrewman: ...and this is just the start.

The new 08 Tahoe is rated for approx. 21 MPG in the CITY. Should be out by the Spring.

21's pretty bad, though maybe average for a new vehicle if you live in a city with really shiatty traffic.

Then, companies have been emphasizing safety lately, so possibly they're less fuel efficient than last time i checked.

TheYeti: According the article they have made changes to improve the drag coefficient. Hey, I'm no GM lover, but I'll give them a chance if they are willing to at least take some risks instead of cranking out another Buick Century.

They'll just wait for Honda or Toyota to invent whatever technology they say they're working on first.

jshine: I wonder why they don't use diesel? It's more efficient at constant RPM. That is why it's the the same design that these have used for decades:

The e-flex architecture that the Volt is based on is supposed to be modular in nature and allow for different powerplants for different markets, such as diesel in europe, 100% ethanol in brazil, etc. So it is possible that a diesel Volt will appear in US one day.

e-flex (new window)

Nightsweat: This is why US Car companies suck. Environmentally friendly cars aren't a fad. They should be a part of every design GM makes, not some special project.

That doesn't mean that hybrids and ethanols are good ways to make environmentally friendly cars. They're good ways to make people feel like they're driving environmentally friendly cars, but that's something else altogether.

hybrids make me stabby

Good when a company admits its errors. So lets cut this story a break. He was talking about initial tests with the concept.

Put a GIANT aluminum wing on it. that will make it go SUPER fast and cut through the air.
And how am I going to put my fart can muffler on this?

/not serious
//not even a little.

All these posts and not one reference to Ferris Bueller's Day Off and driving home backwards?

All previous posters FAIL.

BunkyBrewman: ...and this is just the start.

The new 08 Tahoe is rated for approx. 21 MPG in the CITY. Should be out by the Spring.

Wow, my Toyota Tacoma does that, carries 5, holds a pair of motorcycles in the bed and tows 6500 lbs. Big whoop.

Call me when there's a turbine driven diesel-electric VW on the road.

Sorry, but American Cars = FAIL.

/moonshot/

Detroit, we have a problem!

M-o-o-n. That spells "economically uncompetitive."

It's a nice idea that someone at GM is taking a risk and investing in new technology instead of the same-old-same-old. Wouldn't it be nice to say, "I just bought an American car!" without the subsequent gales of derisive laughter?

jshine: rcs73:Just because it's new technology, don't put a provacative face on it - that is going to turn off some percentage of your customer base!

They'll get over it.

/shall we get off your lawn?

No, no, no - *I* don't have a problem with the car (I do kind of like the look of it) - but what I'm saying, is they are associating the underlying change with a superficial change. And the superficial part always seems to be provocative. Instead, since this is an infrastructure change, just incorporate it into existing cars. When some makers went to LED tail-lights or came up with side-curtain airbags, they didn't come out with a new car-model for it!

I'm just saying, these things would be far less contreversial and much bigger sellers if this new technology existed on cars that people already like and already sell.

Anyhow. And yes, now that I think about - can everyone PLEASE get off my lawn!!

jshine: ScornForSega:You know who else liked diesel electric engines?

Yes, it's not exactly a new idea. Then again, I'm a chemical engineer -- I know little about the practical aspects of designing a car. Perhaps there are weight issues with similarly-powered diesel engines.

Many smaller general aviation aircraft have been making inroads into diesel engines in recent years (granted, non-hybrid) due to the rising cost of avgas. I may be talking out of my ass, but I would assume the reason for not using a diesel-electric hybrid in a small car would have more to do with cost (due to economies of scale) and the general dislike for diesel powered automobiles in the US than weight=horsepower,which will probably change soon due to new technologies.

buenohead: rcs73
Why do they have to introduce new technology in niche designed cars? Like the EV-1, the Prius, this, etc.. Now, not only does someone need to decide if that's the car for them, they ALSO need to decide whether they like how the car looks!!

Just put the new technology in the OLD cars first - the: camry, altima, accord, taurus, minivans, etc

Just because it's new technology, don't put a provacative face on it - that is going to turn off some percentage of your customer base!

Interesting. And to some degree I agree with you.

However, one of my complaints about marketing is when they create a new product (let's say a diet soft drink), and tag it with an existing name (e.g., Diet Coke). It's a completely different beverage, why not just admit it? And if not, why not just call Orange Fanta "Orange Coke".

Okay, I'm about to "submit" this entry, and I look up Coca-Cola on Wikipedia to double-check that they own Fanta. And what do I see???

You've GOT to be kidding me. (new window)

At this rate, you won't need fark in 6 months because you will be able to fully handle both sides of the argument. Well done!! :-)

Back in 79, our Corolla got 29 mpg without trying too hard. One Sunday, which was a tough day to buy gas because of the oil embargo, we drove without our AC on and got 37 mpg. We've gone backwards in terms of fuel efficiency in a big way.

maxwellhauser: All these posts and not one reference to Ferris Bueller's Day Off and driving home backwards?

All previous posters FAIL.

Why would anyone refernce a scene that doesn't exist? The car was up on blocks running in reverse. You fail.

hipcheckgrl: Did someone mention "reliable" and "Buick" at the same time?
Sure, I can count on them going 20 mph under the posted speed while driving in the left lane with their left turn signal on and then suddenly veering into the right lane as I try using it to pass them. Strangely, though, I always assume they're being driven by ghosts since I can't actually see a person behind the wheel when I'm stuck behind them. They are very consistent in my life.

A new keyboard. You owe me one.

:)

That Wired article had the most obnoxious nearly-full-page Flash ad on it that I've ever seen, and I've been on the internet since I was 12 years old.

Hint for aspiring web developers: if you ever put a gigantic 'gift box' on my screen, it should have something worth finding inside, like tits. An ad for an HP computer is not a present, unless opening it will cause my HP computer to turn into a giant plate of cheeseburgers served by Monica Bellucci.

/just kidding
//I'd never own an HP computer anyway, so I can not haz plate of cheeseburgers

Gothmolly:Sorry, but American Cars = FAIL.

I'd say that being overly prejudiced regarding country of origin is a more significant "fail"[ure]. If company X in country Y can develop a vehicle that is fuel efficient, has a low total cost of ownership, and is reliable, then it will get a look. I don't care if it comes from Detroit, Osaka, or anywhere else.