[capn]

Hey all,

I have been lurking on these forums for quite some time now and have seen a few trends. There seems to be a lot of want for GM to invest/implement "new", "Breakthrough", or "revolutionary" technology into the Volt or next gen cars.

Not to put a damper on all this but when there are such claims of "breakthrough" technology there are a few things you have to realize.

Firstly "breakthrough" has generally meant that, "its a great idea/theory that still requires a lot of testing". Or a "new technology" usually refers to the fact that a small scale model has been proven, but has not been evaluated for scalability and cost. Also "revolutionary" is another fancy term that is thrown around sometimes when someone implements existing technology in a different way. Sometimes this is indeed amazing, but in being revolutionary it is also impractical.

So when you suggest something that GM should look into ask yourself these questions:

1. How practical is this for everyday people?

2. Has it been proven by reliable sources?

3. Is it reliable beyond its initial claims?

4. Can any in-congruences be found?

I don't want to discourage adoption of new tech, I just want everyone to know that before you fall head over heals for some "miracle tech" be sure you have a healthy dose of salt before proceeding.

 

[Texas]

The only breakthrough technology on the Volt is the lithium-ion battery. Basically it's a new technology that is less likely to explode and or catch on fire. GM and others have been testing it extensively and will continue to do so for the next few years. Will it be perfect? No. Is it too much of a stretch to try to put it into a new vehicle? Maybe but somebody has to do it. Why not GM? After all, what have they got to lose at this point? They are going "all in". I believe successful people and companies take risks. Some fail miserably while other make it big. Usually we only hear about the success stories.

However, given the global energy situation it might just be more risky not to do anything. If another company moves first and gets a foothold it might be hard to catch up. Just look at how hard Microsoft is trying to catch up to Google. All the money in the world is not helping that much. Risk and reward. Isn't that really what life is about?

So while you preach about being careful I will preach about taking a risk once in a while to move things forward and beat your competitors to market. How about we call it calculated risk. No guts no glory.

 

[Jason M. Hendler]

I don't think anyone is asking GM to bypass any due diligence on a technology. I've linked several of my own threads, but fully expect GM to fully vet these possibilities:

Rotary Air Engine

Tweels

GM should build hydrogen stations

Moller Compound Rotary Engine

GINA skin concept

BTW, GM has partnered with Shell and opened a hydrogen fuel station at LAX:

Link