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> I doubt most people even know you can get an electric Focus. And the people who do know, are (mostly) the folks who would never buy one. Who's going to buy

> I doubt most people even know you can get an electric Focus. And the people who do know, are (mostly) the folks who would never buy one. Who's going to buy the Focus Energi that gets 21 miles on battery, when you can get a faster, nicer Volt that gets 53+ miles on battery. Who's going to buy the Focus Electric that gets 100 miles range, when you can buy a Bolt EV that gets 238 miles of range.

maxerickson 9y ago
It gives them experience with controls and motors. They can take that and buy bigger batteries from LG. Earlier I found this article that breaks down the design of the Bolt: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1102176_bolt-ev-powertrain-how-did-gm-and-lg-collaborate-on-design-production http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1102176_bolt-ev-powertra... So GM did the motor and controls and such. But you don't need a big battery in a practical vehicle to work that stuff out, you can work on it in an emissions vehicle with a little battery. GM is certainly doing better than Ford in terms of what you can buy right now. I'm not sure that matters much with batteries still costing quite a lot.
- slededit 9y ago
  It's not an engineering problems it's a public perception problem. When you proudly determine you too are going to join the EV craze what brands will come to mind? Right now it's Tesla and GM that have the mind share. This needs to be fixed before volumes get too large or GM will have an enormous lead.
  - kalleboo 9y ago
    That's assuming you care to sell about people who are "going to join the EV craze" and not people who just want a new car with cheap fuel that doesn't look weird.
  - maxerickson 9y ago
    I agree mind share is important, but the vehicles just aren't generally desirable enough right now for it to be a big factor. The Bolt is something like 0.5% of GM's sales, with them losing money on each one. All a competitor has to do to overcome the mind share factor there is be modestly less expensive or have modestly better range (while being otherwise comparable).
    - slededit 9y ago
      People don't buy cars based on price. If they did everyone would be driving a base model sub compact for $12K new off the lot. Electric cars have a number of advantages that will cause them to dominate in the future once battery capacity improves. However which specific EV a person buys will be an emotional decision. Most people will want to take the risk on a new technology with whomever is perceived to be the leader in the field.

maxerickson 9y ago

It gives them experience with controls and motors. They can take that and buy bigger batteries from LG. Earlier I found this article that breaks down the design of the Bolt: http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1102176_bolt-ev-powertrain-how-did-gm-and-lg-collaborate-on-design-production http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1102176_bolt-ev-powertra... So GM did the motor and controls and such. But you don't need a big battery in a practical vehicle to work that stuff out, you can work on it in an emissions vehicle with a little battery. GM is certainly doing better than Ford in terms of what you can buy right now. I'm not sure that matters much with batteries still costing quite a lot.

slededit 9y ago
It's not an engineering problems it's a public perception problem. When you proudly determine you too are going to join the EV craze what brands will come to mind? Right now it's Tesla and GM that have the mind share. This needs to be fixed before volumes get too large or GM will have an enormous lead.
- kalleboo 9y ago
  That's assuming you care to sell about people who are "going to join the EV craze" and not people who just want a new car with cheap fuel that doesn't look weird.
- maxerickson 9y ago
  I agree mind share is important, but the vehicles just aren't generally desirable enough right now for it to be a big factor. The Bolt is something like 0.5% of GM's sales, with them losing money on each one. All a competitor has to do to overcome the mind share factor there is be modestly less expensive or have modestly better range (while being otherwise comparable).
  - slededit 9y ago
    People don't buy cars based on price. If they did everyone would be driving a base model sub compact for $12K new off the lot. Electric cars have a number of advantages that will cause them to dominate in the future once battery capacity improves. However which specific EV a person buys will be an emotional decision. Most people will want to take the risk on a new technology with whomever is perceived to be the leader in the field.