AMERICAblog: Federal government places order with Detroit for fuel efficient cars
Jophus
· 7 months ago
"The announcement on Thursday includes the purchase of 2,500 hybrid sedans that will be ordered by April 15, the largest one-time purchase of hybrid vehicles for the government fleet in history, the White House said."
Only 2,500/17,600 are hybrids. I wish that statement read, 'Obama announced the government would purchase 2,500 units by 15 April, from the big three. He also announced an order of 15,100 units will be rewarded as the initial order to the US company that can produce plans for a unit that can equal or surpass the technology being offered by Honda and Toyota in fuel efficiency and carbon output.'
If it read as I wrote, it would sound like less like another bailout, and would provide incentive for all 3 companies to actually build a car that is competitive in the international market! 15,000 more non-hybrid vehicles on the road doesn't reduce carbon emissions at all. It ACTUALLY produces a large bailout check and a pretty sounding press release, when it should make an actual statement.
Or it would have been nice to here that the government would purchase 17.600 EV-1s if they were updated and brought back into production and they were sold as well as leased. If you don't know what the EV-1 was you should look it up. It was the 100% electric car that was wide-released on the west coast by GM in 1996, which all leasers LOVED, and was taken back after the company refused to renew leases, then every unit except 3 (I believe) was destroyed. It was an amazing car, and the subject of the documentary, Who Killed The Electric Car. Toyota developed the Prius to compete with EV-1, which meant that GM created the monster that killed it. Poetic isn't it?
Jophus - that's about right. Bold, courageous move, eh? It struck me as an insult.
Obama keeps throwing scraps of "do-good" items out there, none of which requires any courage to accomplish, and then in the background fights to maintain warrentless wiretapping, more wars, trillions to financiers, etc., etc. Hell he just asked for another 85 billion for the Iraq war yesterday. Change we can believe in. The military/pentagon budget was increased over 25% - but of course the whores on MSM are saying just the opposite - liars hitting us from every direction.
Propaganda, America's delight.
pat
· 7 months ago
Look I wasn't a Obama guy from the beginning, but, he is still significantly better then these DLC types or the GOP.
I wish richardson or Edwards had won, but, it is what it is.
Rui
· 7 months ago
Are these new purchases in addition to the ones mandated by the original stimulus bill? Maybe we can get these cars to go directly to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, who is adept at blowing taxpayers' money on cars anyway. I am not sure what this hopes to accomplish, other than signal the beginning of more purchases of the cars no one wants. By the way, what will they do with all of the old cars? sell them to..the Chinese, Saudis, Mexicans...etc? Can anyone say ponzi scheme? purchase the same vehicles that you are paying the companies to build to show a profit in the amount of? Instead of Bush and "Big Oil", it will be Obama and the "Big Three" or "Big Two"?
pat
· 7 months ago
if the US Post office would replace it's fleet with Natural Gas powered Hybrid SUV's that would be a big opportunity for Detroit.
USPS runs a nationwide fleet, it's big enough to justify a decent production run and if you bid Hybrid CNG SUV's they would have enough room for a lot of mail.
The US Produces a lot of Natural gas, the bybrids would really do well in dropping mail, and most of these are available in right hand drive versions anyway and if you made them dual fuel, you could manage through any gas price spikes.
there are about 45000 zip codes, so figure 20 vehicles per post office, and you are talking almost a million vehicles. that's a decent production run.
Make Ford and GM share subsystems, and bid them by region.
All Comments
Only 2,500/17,600 are hybrids. I wish that statement read, 'Obama announced the government would purchase 2,500 units by 15 April, from the big three. He also announced an order of 15,100 units will be rewarded as the initial order to the US company that can produce plans for a unit that can equal or surpass the technology being offered by Honda and Toyota in fuel efficiency and carbon output.'
If it read as I wrote, it would sound like less like another bailout, and would provide incentive for all 3 companies to actually build a car that is competitive in the international market! 15,000 more non-hybrid vehicles on the road doesn't reduce carbon emissions at all. It ACTUALLY produces a large bailout check and a pretty sounding press release, when it should make an actual statement.
Or it would have been nice to here that the government would purchase 17.600 EV-1s if they were updated and brought back into production and they were sold as well as leased. If you don't know what the EV-1 was you should look it up. It was the 100% electric car that was wide-released on the west coast by GM in 1996, which all leasers LOVED, and was taken back after the company refused to renew leases, then every unit except 3 (I believe) was destroyed. It was an amazing car, and the subject of the documentary, Who Killed The Electric Car. Toyota developed the Prius to compete with EV-1, which meant that GM created the monster that killed it. Poetic isn't it?
The EV-1s Wikipedia entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1
Jophus - that's about right. Bold, courageous move, eh? It struck me as an insult.
Obama keeps throwing scraps of "do-good" items out there, none of which requires any courage to accomplish, and then in the background fights to maintain warrentless wiretapping, more wars, trillions to financiers, etc., etc. Hell he just asked for another 85 billion for the Iraq war yesterday. Change we can believe in. The military/pentagon budget was increased over 25% - but of course the whores on MSM are saying just the opposite - liars hitting us from every direction.
Propaganda, America's delight.
he is still significantly better then these DLC types or
the GOP.
I wish richardson or Edwards had won, but, it is what it is.
Maybe we can get these cars to go directly to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, who is adept at blowing taxpayers' money on cars anyway. I am not sure what this hopes to accomplish, other than signal the beginning of more purchases of the cars no one wants. By the way, what will they do with all of the old cars? sell them to..the Chinese, Saudis, Mexicans...etc?
Can anyone say ponzi scheme? purchase the same vehicles that you are paying the companies to build to show a profit in the amount of? Instead of Bush and "Big Oil", it will be Obama and the "Big Three" or "Big Two"?
Natural Gas powered Hybrid SUV's that would be a
big opportunity for Detroit.
USPS runs a nationwide fleet, it's big enough to justify
a decent production run and if you bid Hybrid CNG
SUV's they would have enough room for a lot of mail.
The US Produces a lot of Natural gas, the bybrids would
really do well in dropping mail, and most of these are
available in right hand drive versions anyway
and if you made them dual fuel, you could manage through
any gas price spikes.
there are about 45000 zip codes, so figure 20 vehicles
per post office, and you are talking almost a million vehicles.
that's a decent production run.
Make Ford and GM share subsystems, and bid them
by region.