GE to buy 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015 12K Volts

12K Volts
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/GE-to-buy-25000-electric-apf-2972894948.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=7&asset=&ccode=

12K are not Volts.

General Electric Co. will initially purchase 12,000 GM vehicles, beginning with the Chevrolet Volt next year. It plans to add others as manufacturers expand their electric vehicle offerings. Chevrolet Volts will roll off production lines this month and other automakers are working on their own versions.

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evnow said:

12K are not Volts.

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According to CNN they are
http://money.cnn.com/2010/11/11/autos/gm_ge_volt/index.htm?hpt=T2

12k Volts (PHEV) over 4 years?
At 3k per year that would be almost 25% of GM's first year production (13,000 Volts)?

Then, the 13k "others" (25-12=13) what kind and when?
Any real (no-gas) EVs?

Something a little weird with this announcement.

I find it hard to believe that GE fleet cars only drive 40 miles or less in a day. As soon as they approach the 40 mile mark, the Volts will start to burn gasoline - and not in a very efficient way. Certainly the Volt won't reduce the capital acquisition costs, the ongoing usage costs, nor the environmental impact of the fleet.

A much more efficient vehicle would be a Prius, or better yet a PHEV Prius. Of course if GE fleet cars really do drive 40 miles a day or less - a Leaf would be a better alternative.

Wonder if this is some type of payback for GE's taking of stimulus funds. (I believe it was actually GE Capital - the [auto] financing arm of GE). It smells a bit to me....

LakeLeaf said:

I find it hard to believe that GE fleet cars only drive 40 miles or less in a day. As soon as they approach the 40 mile mark, the Volts will start to burn gasoline - and not in a very efficient way. Certainly the Volt won't reduce the capital acquisition costs, the ongoing usage costs, nor the environmental impact of the fleet.

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They would probably lease.

Prius with 50 mpg and Volt with 35 mpg (and 40 miles range) will break even at 133 miles. Below that Volt consumes less gas and above that Prius consumes less. For a Prius PHEV the breakeven is 103 miles.

This assumes no opportunity charging.

GE is part owner of A123, which just entered into an agreement with China's largest auto maker to supply batteries for their EV, which comes to market 2012. So count the SAIC EV as part of the "other" 13,000.

evnow said:

Prius with 50 mpg and Volt with 35 mpg (and 40 miles range) will break even at 133 miles. Below that Volt consumes less gas and above that Prius consumes less. For a Prius PHEV the breakeven is 103 miles.

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But you can purchase 3 Prius for the price of 2 Volts.

palmermd said:

But you can purchase 3 Prius for the price of 2 Volts.

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So ?

There are fleets here in SoCal (notably Southern California Edison, just a couple miles from me and around the corner from my sons' school) who use the Rav4 Electric. The way they shoot around town I imagine those aged EVs have less than 50 miles of range left. I asked one of the SCE guys that came to read my meter in one. He said they never go more than twenty miles before returning to HQ. Since charging is cheap for them... they just top off.

So Volts would work for that fleet. I bet GE tracks their vehicle use pretty closely and there are a lot of places a Volt would work. And a Leaf.