[Jim Fallston Md.]

This November it will be 10 years since I bought my first Volt new 2012 factory ordered to get the new color. Next I bought a 2016 Volt and the Wife drove the 2012 till it was traded for the 2017 Bolt I bought then GM bought it back this year and put me in a 2021 Premier. I have been minimizing my fossil fuel use since day one and feel like I am doing something good for our environment and my wallet. Most people just don't understand but the way EV's are improving and giving everyone more choices maybe they will get the hint soon Please.

 

[Steverino]

That's kind of my story too. Bought my Volt and drove it home in May, 2011. My wife decided about 2 weeks into it that we should get another to replace our other car. I held off until the 2017 Bolt EV came out . Given the code red climate report that was just released, I too hope that many more ditch their gas/diesel in favor of an EV.

Since getting the Bolt, the only time we use gas is for the Volt's fuel and engine maintenance modes. When the Volt needs replacing sometime in the next 5 years, it will be with an EV.

It's too bad GM discontinued the Voltec drivetrain. It enables people with a range concern to experience a real EV car but without the worry of being stranded. It's like an EV gateway drug, gets them hooked.

Personally, I'm starting to see some small movement of gas car owner's I know moving mentally to EV's (a first step). One brother is softening his "never an EV" stance and is now thinking about getting one a year down the road for his wife. Maybe a Hyundai Ioniq 5 or a VW ID4. My daughter's having a 240V outdoor junction box (up to 50A circuit capable) installed during her electric service upgrade to accommodate a future EV purchase. A former co-worker asked me about the Bolt EUV. So some are getting the hint. More EV model options help. Plus, we are 10+ years now with EV's on the road. People are starting to get used to the idea. Having a Ford F150 RV truck out there helps, as will Rivian, etc.

Like you Bill, it's amazing to me I've been driving an EV for over 10 years now. I have not regretted it. Like you, we've ditched the gas habit and won't be going back.

 

[Jim Fallston Md.]

Hello Steve, Are you keeping your Bolt or are you seeking buyback? I loved my 2017 LT but when I found about the buybacks I couldn't resist as mine had several of the known maladies like, I bosch pump noise, sway bar squeak, and the rear suspension on the 21 is way easier to live with.

 

[Bill Step]

I am doing something good for our environment

with every good,comes the bad,,just to name a few

facts about lithium mining - Google Search

and then theres cobolt minning

 

[Steverino]

Hello Steve, Are you keeping your Bolt or are you seeking buyback? I loved my 2017 LT but when I found about the buybacks I couldn't resist as mine had several of the known maladies like, I bosch pump noise, sway bar squeak, and the rear suspension on the 21 is way easier to live with.

My 2017 Bolt (like my 2011 Volt) is in good shape. So other than telling GM I want a buyback "just because", I don't have a reason. Plus, my guess is I'd be shelling out more $ even if they said yes. Did GM just swap a 2021 Bolt in exchange for your 2017, no extra cash, Jim?

 

[Jim Fallston Md.]

Here are some posts from the Bolt EV Forum that I belong to that was instrumental in getting my ducks in a row so to speak for the buyback.

Just got my offer letter today, signed dated and approved. They said it would take a week or so for the paperwork to get to my dealer of choice.
First call to EV concierge 2/19/2021
She called 2 days later saying my buyback was approved.
Crickets for 5 weeks Crickets.
London broil posted his letter in another thread with the phone # for the repurchase coordinators office.
Called them on 4/1/2021 and was told my case was not assigned yet.
Called again on 4/5/2021 and they transferred me over to my case manager. Sent everything she asked for same hour.
Got email today 4/6/2021 with the formal written offer.
In July 2017 LT all options I purchased new no loan.
$38,000.00 on the road
-$8,000.00 for 2012 Volt with 70k miles.
-$7500 Federal credit
-$3,000.00 State credit
$19,500.00 on the road
Repurchase offer $32,242.22
Will probably get a 2021 Premier all the options.
Woo Woo Woo and one for good measure.
Thank you GM
I just got home from the dealer, Repurchase completed and 2021 Premier bought for $795.00 on the road. Will post pics later. Woo Woo Happy Retirement to me.

 

[Steverino]

$795 out of pocket? You got a good deal on that 2021, congrats!

 

[Bill Step]

saving the planet driving an ev only gets negated by the ones we don't see happening on the ring of fire and the rest of the world's under water activity.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/dramatic-footage-tsunami-hitting-pacific-115328856.html

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1482229220415721475

 

[Steverino]

The last eight years have been the eight hottest on record, NASA and NOAA data agree.

Gavin Schmidt, the climate scientist who heads NASA’s temperature team, said “the long-term trend is very, very clear. And it’s because of us. And it’s not going to go away until we stop increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.”

This is not the result of tsunami's or volcano's or sun spots. It started with the industrial revolution and greenhouse gases created in transportation is a major contributor. Some like to point out that electricty comes from a variety of sources including burning coal. This is true. It's also true that as the energy grid gets clener, so do EV's. That can't be said for gas burners, if anything they get dirtier over time which is why many areas require gas burning cars to pass a pollution test as they age.

 

[Bill Step]

or maybe its all just a coincidence,earths been cooling and heating up for millennia.humans always want to feel relevant.

 

[Steverino]

Yes, but the past cooling down and heating up occur over millennia, not in a relative blink of an eye we are experiencing.

Today's global warming is happening at a much faster rate today than it did in the warm periods between ice ages over the last million years. The transition from the last ice age to the current interglacial period spanned about 5,000 years. In contrast. we are witnessing the same magnitude of global temperature change within a span of about 110 years. It's the rate of change as well as the amount.

Think of a car traveling at 65 MPH that gradually slows down to a stop versus one that hits a solid wall at that speed. You can claim that the car hitting the wall is no big deal because cars have been slowing down and speeding up since they were invented. But a very rapid change can kill you.

Insects plants and animals don't have thousands of years to slowly adapt to the increasingly hotter world like they did in the past. They are dying.

Besides, the models have been predicting this. They are not perfect, if anything they seem to have been too conservative.

 

[Bill Step]

models,,now thats a freakin joke,programs to give the results they need for more grant money.

 

[Steverino]

models,,now thats a freakin joke,programs to give the results they need for more grant money.

Many industries use forecasting models, see what the results are, compare it to observable data, make changes as needed, rinse and repeat.

Forecasting models are a very effective tool for predicting the behavior of complex systems, which is why so many industries use them. Take weather forecasting for example. Weather is a very complicated system. The models have gotten better and better over time. Yes, they can still be off some. That's why weather forecasters sometimes use three or four of models to arrive at a consensus. Finance, life insurance, weapons design, high energy physics, aircraft manufacturing, rocket design, nuclear plant design, automotive design, and astronomy are just some of the many industries that use model-based forecasting. They use it because it's the best tool we have for predicting complex systems.

The alternative of anyone with a 6 beer opinion on a youtube channel is just not valid.

 

[volt spain]

Very interesting, I wonder if the car with an ICE produces the global heating from the high temps of the engine itself >210 F more than the CO2 emmited by the exhaust, considering there is over 2 billion cars in the planet! On the other hand we cannot forget the close to 8 billion human bodies at 98.5F breathing out CO2 in each breath...

 

[Bill Step]

Very interesting, I wonder if the car with an ICE produces the global heating from the high temps of the engine itself >210 F more than the CO2 emmited by the exhaust, considering there is over 2 billion cars in the planet! On the other hand we cannot forget the close to 8 billion human bodies at 98.5F breathing out CO2 in each breath...

don't forget all the rich climate hypocrites flying in their jets and warming the ocean water w/ their mega yacht's exhaust.

 

[FI Spyder]

Some things get lost in the details. The earth is continually bleeding off heat into space. Any heat caused by burning fossil fuels is miniscule compared to the heat created by the sun shining on earth 24 hours per day. The energy of the sun shining on the earth in 24 hours equals all of earth's energy requirements for the next 24+ years. The problem with burning fossil fuels is not the heat that they create but the CO2 they produce. CO2 acts as a blanket, reflecting heat back to earth rather than letting heat escape into space. The increase in CO2 has increased 50% compared to preindustrial area where it remained relatively constant for thousands of years. Transportation creates 39% of this CO2 so it isn't the sole answer to ever increasing CO2 levels. Often mentioned airline industry creates 1.9% of CO2 created so it is miniscule compared to other sources. Planting a tree does no good as millions of trees are burned every year as wild fires and land clearing for agriculture. The largest carbon capture facility went on line last year and its one year operations will remove 3 seconds of the world's CO2 produced that year with out removing any of the CO2 produced previously. If no remediation is done, most of the world will be uninhabitable by 2500. It's a big problem and you have to start somewhere.