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Every electric car that GM has ever produced has been the result of playing national politics. The volt was announced right around the time that bailouts and ca

Every electric car that GM has ever produced has been the result of playing national politics. The volt was announced right around the time that bailouts and cash 4 clunkers were political talking points...it was a way to show congress that they really needed to intervene to keep GM alive. The EV1 was the result of CARB regulations that required the big 7 to have zero-emission vehicles compose at least 2% of their fleet. Unlike Mercedes or VW, which are responding to market demands, GM only showboated electric vehicles as a way of staying in bounds or gaining favors politically. GM has made virtually no effort at bringing competitive hybrid or full-electric drivetrains to their mainstream models, and they probably wont even consider it until it's bailout time again.

WorldMaker 9y ago
The Volt was in development quite prior to the bailout. The Volt was developed for selfish reasons by an executive to leave an electric legacy behind, not to curry favor with the American polity. Revenge of the Electric Car is a good documentary with first person glimpses into the Volt development/launch (as well as the launch of the Tesla Roadster and the development of the Nissan Leaf). GM branding seems to want to continue to imply that their electric vehicles are better than their "mainstream models"; showboating is marketing. GM has also said (per the link above) that they expect to have the first "mainstream" electric in the ways the car industry would define it (high volume, reasonable profits). GM isn't just now responding to "market demands" because they anticipated them years ago, and in some ways have been working to create those market demands that Mercedes and VW are just now feeling. VW, on the other hand, also is responding to the American polity. The US has graciously allowed VW to use the fines the EPA should have charged for "dieselgate" to instead go (and only go) to electric vehicle development.

WorldMaker 9y ago

The Volt was in development quite prior to the bailout. The Volt was developed for selfish reasons by an executive to leave an electric legacy behind, not to curry favor with the American polity. Revenge of the Electric Car is a good documentary with first person glimpses into the Volt development/launch (as well as the launch of the Tesla Roadster and the development of the Nissan Leaf). GM branding seems to want to continue to imply that their electric vehicles are better than their "mainstream models"; showboating is marketing. GM has also said (per the link above) that they expect to have the first "mainstream" electric in the ways the car industry would define it (high volume, reasonable profits). GM isn't just now responding to "market demands" because they anticipated them years ago, and in some ways have been working to create those market demands that Mercedes and VW are just now feeling. VW, on the other hand, also is responding to the American polity. The US has graciously allowed VW to use the fines the EPA should have charged for "dieselgate" to instead go (and only go) to electric vehicle development.