Photo: alttransit.com
Bob Lutz was really against the concept of a commercial electric car, especially one made by GM, yet his views changed, and he was instrumental in bringing about the idea for the creation of the Volt, an extended-range hybrid, which only uses the petrol engine to generate electricity, leaving the task of driving the wheels to the electric motor.
Now, though, as official spokesman for VIA Motors, a new company which specializes in EV and range-extender transformations for trucks, pick-ups and SUVs, Lutz has changed his views yet again. He argues that the electric tech should have debuted in larger vehicles first, and not small passenger cars, like the Chevy Volt, or the Nissan Leaf.
The issue? The high cost of the EV tech, which is still in its infancy. “Hindsight is a wonderful thing of course, and we shouldn’t forget that the Volt and sister car Opel Ampera are the world’s best-selling electric car, but the truth is that even then it’s not meeting sales expectations, and that’s because most customers don’t want to pay out a major expense for the technology to make minor savings,” said Lutz.
He added: “Frankly, unless that customer is philosophically, religiously or economically affiliated to buying an electric vehicle, then they can’t be convinced. The first two types of buyer will buy whatever’s built, but the latter is a harder case. The obvious answer is to electrify as big a vehicle as you can, because that’s where the fuel and running cost savings make the most sense.”
His point is valid, as the bigger SUVs really need all the efficiency gains they can get. Perhaps it`s not too late for GM to conceive the next Escalade as a range extender, or at least a plug-in hybrid, otherwise, people will begin to look elsewhere for their SUV fix - European SUVs, like the Mercedes-Benz ML250 CDI and the upcoming BMW X5 fitted with a four-pot diesel engine will make much more sense in that respect.
The issue? The high cost of the EV tech, which is still in its infancy. “Hindsight is a wonderful thing of course, and we shouldn’t forget that the Volt and sister car Opel Ampera are the world’s best-selling electric car, but the truth is that even then it’s not meeting sales expectations, and that’s because most customers don’t want to pay out a major expense for the technology to make minor savings,” said Lutz.
He added: “Frankly, unless that customer is philosophically, religiously or economically affiliated to buying an electric vehicle, then they can’t be convinced. The first two types of buyer will buy whatever’s built, but the latter is a harder case. The obvious answer is to electrify as big a vehicle as you can, because that’s where the fuel and running cost savings make the most sense.”
His point is valid, as the bigger SUVs really need all the efficiency gains they can get. Perhaps it`s not too late for GM to conceive the next Escalade as a range extender, or at least a plug-in hybrid, otherwise, people will begin to look elsewhere for their SUV fix - European SUVs, like the Mercedes-Benz ML250 CDI and the upcoming BMW X5 fitted with a four-pot diesel engine will make much more sense in that respect.
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