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Pristine GM EV1 Preserved by University Caretaker

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Re: Pristine GM EV1 Preserved by University Caretaker

#51

Post by nradov »

Tade0 wrote: post #33
Something1234 wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there an interview with owner or something that explains more than it exists and hasn't been updated?

I tried to find any additional information, but apparently the owner is not interested in any media attention. Worst part is I've been to Mosta - the city where the dealership is located, was aware of its existence then but when I saw it I didn't realise what I was looking at. I remember thinking "what a weird country to have such old cars on display". Anyway Malta is full of unusual vehicles - it's the only European…

The country is small, speed limits are low, and streets are very narrow. So kei cars make sense.

Re: Pristine GM EV1 Preserved by University Caretaker

#52

Post by tialaramex »

refurb wrote: post #40
danans wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But despite Mary Barra saying they're all-in on electric, it's still a gesture at ~20k sold/year. It's partly on the channels: I had to argue with several dealers to get a test drive because many are both threatened by the Bolt and ignorant of it. With good reason. EVs, thanks to their mechanical simplicity and resulting lower maintenance costs, present a major problem for traditional dealers who are reliant on mai…

I don’t buy dealership that dealerships don’t like EVs because they make less money on repairs. A lot of the work dealers do is warranty work (paid my mfr). Warranty work is due to manufacturer defect and defects can happen with ICE vehicles or EVs. Just look at the build quality issues Tesla was having. Maintenance and repair issues go far beyond the engine. Power train, electrical, doors, windows, brakes, lighting…

> Power train, electrical, doors, windows, brakes, lighting

The power train is much simpler in a sane EV design than what you need to get plausible performance/ efficiency out of ICE. Fewer, simpler parts means less to maintain or repair.

The braking of an EV can be (and usually is) regenerative which means instead of wearing out brakes you're just running the motors backwards. You will still see some brake wear, but unless you're a maniac it's far less than before.

Lighting, as in the home, is going LED and thus you can choose to have it last more or less as long as you wish for increased capital outlay - unlike with incandescent you aren't obliged to also give away efficiency if you want longer life, two 1W LEDs under-driven to 500mW can produce more light than a single 1W LED and enjoy increased lifespan, the downside is mainly the capital cost to buy the more expensive lamp. That's a factor choosing "light bulbs" in the grocery store (or in a smaller store, a choice the store owner made for you) but hardly top of mind for a $20k+ new car.

Re: Pristine GM EV1 Preserved by University Caretaker

#53

Post by refurb »

tialaramex wrote: post #52
refurb wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t buy dealership that dealerships don’t like EVs because they make less money on repairs. A lot of the work dealers do is warranty work (paid my mfr). Warranty work is due to manufacturer defect and defects can happen with ICE vehicles or EVs. Just look at the build quality issues Tesla was having. Maintenance and repair issues go far beyond the engine. Power train, electrical, doors, windows, brakes, lighting…

> Power train, electrical, doors, windows, brakes, lighting The power train is much simpler in a sane EV design than what you need to get plausible performance/ efficiency out of ICE. Fewer, simpler parts means less to maintain or repair. The braking of an EV can be (and usually is) regenerative which means instead of wearing out brakes you're just running the motors backwards. You will still see some brake wear, but…

Sure the power train is simpler, but how many ICE cars never have powertrain issues? It's not unusual at this point. And if the issue is manufacturer defect, then EV cars have that same risk.

Sure you might be replacing brake pads less, but is there anything to suggest the braking system is less prone to failure? Say from rusted parts or bad seals?

And LED lights aren't unique to EVs. You can put them on ICE cars too so it's a wash.

Re: Pristine GM EV1 Preserved by University Caretaker

#54

Post by ChrisIsTaken »

imglorp wrote: post #45
cmrdporcupine wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Companies that produce compliance vehicles do it only where they have to comply. Hence companies like Toyota that make EVs only when forced to by law. That does not describe GM. GM sells & markets the Bolt (and formerly the Volt) in all states and provinces of North America. Which is more than you can say for most manufacturers. It's really just a family of Tesla, GM, and Nissan, and of those two only GM and Tesla ha…

> GM's EV engineering is up there with Tesla. Can they use the supercharger network? Or are they restricted to shower charging on road trips?

Shower charging.

The bolt fast charges at 50kW up to about 40%, then gradually drops to 35kW at 55% charge state. After that the charge rate drops off horrifically, to less than 10kW above 80%.

It's a compliance car designed for city driving only.

Re: Pristine GM EV1 Preserved by University Caretaker

#55

Post by aetherspawn »

labcomputer wrote: post #46
fortran77 wrote: post #31

> had 142 miles of range decades ago It's intesting that they managed to get 2x the range of the first-gen "LEAF" without Lion technology

The 1999 EPA range test was even more optimistic than the current test. On the current test, the EV-1 would earn closer to 100 miles. It’s also a tiny 2-seater compared to the 5-seat Leaf.

It's also significantly more expensive in 2000-dollars than a LEAF today. For cars in that weight class, it's a simple equation: $$ = range.

Re: Pristine GM EV1 Preserved by University Caretaker

#56

Post by [deleted] »

rootusrootus wrote: post #50
PaulWaldman wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you elaborate on the Bolt's advantages over a Model 3?

Sure! - Lighter, more nimble -- super tight turning radius, tossable, easy to put anywhere you want in a tight parking lot, etc. Visibility in the Model 3 is great, but it's still a heavier, bigger car. - The Bolt has CarPlay. I can't get my Model 3 to reliably read me text messages, stream music (even getting it to recognize my playlists in Spotify was a huge chore). CarPlay is just so much easier to use. Love the b…

[deleted]

Re: Pristine GM EV1 Preserved by University Caretaker

#58

Post by PaulWaldman »

rootusrootus wrote: post #50
PaulWaldman wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you elaborate on the Bolt's advantages over a Model 3?

Sure! - Lighter, more nimble -- super tight turning radius, tossable, easy to put anywhere you want in a tight parking lot, etc. Visibility in the Model 3 is great, but it's still a heavier, bigger car. - The Bolt has CarPlay. I can't get my Model 3 to reliably read me text messages, stream music (even getting it to recognize my playlists in Spotify was a huge chore). CarPlay is just so much easier to use. Love the b…

Thanks for the info.

As more carmakers offer completive battery electric vehicles, maybe Tesla's more subtle deficiencies will garner more criticism.

The wipers and lack of Carplay/Android Auto seems to be a universal complaint. I can't think of any mainstream cars that start over $30K and don't offer Carplay or Android Auto.

Re: Pristine GM EV1 Preserved by University Caretaker

#59

Post by rootusrootus »

PaulWaldman wrote: post #58
rootusrootus wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure! - Lighter, more nimble -- super tight turning radius, tossable, easy to put anywhere you want in a tight parking lot, etc. Visibility in the Model 3 is great, but it's still a heavier, bigger car. - The Bolt has CarPlay. I can't get my Model 3 to reliably read me text messages, stream music (even getting it to recognize my playlists in Spotify was a huge chore). CarPlay is just so much easier to use. Love the b…

Thanks for the info. As more carmakers offer completive battery electric vehicles, maybe Tesla's more subtle deficiencies will garner more criticism. The wipers and lack of Carplay/Android Auto seems to be a universal complaint. I can't think of any mainstream cars that start over $30K and don't offer Carplay or Android Auto.

I completely understand the decisions Tesla has made, and they have done an admirable job. They needed to make the car feel premium enough to justify the price, while still cutting costs at every opportunity. So they made their own seats, branded vinyl as vegan leather, spun a huge center infotainment screen as a feature instead of the cheapest way to get a dashboard in the car, etc. But competition is heating up, so they will have to stay on their toes.

I'm really pleased to see that Ford actually put forth a good faith effort with the Mach-E. And one-upped Tesla with the interior at the same time. The Mach-E isn't a compliance car, and we need to see more of this in the market. The Bolt, despite some protests to the contrary, is absolutely still a compliance car, though I think they executed pretty well all considered. I agree that at this point CarPlay/Android Auto is table stakes. It's more noteworthy not to have it, than to have it.

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