GM - You are Goliath, Not David...Don't Start Squashing Yet

General Motors defends their stance as an Electric Vehicle Supporting Corporation as if they have nothing in their closet. They attack, to some degree the "little guys", Tesla Motors and others by comparing big versus little, as in David and Goliath. Frank Weber, GM's Global Electric Vehicle Development Executive, states "I sensed many of those minds [at the EVS-24...see link below] think electric vehicle development is better suited to small, entrepreneurial companies, some with little or no automotive experience.", and that "it’s hard for me to see how they are better equipped than us to deliver the volumes necessary for real change."

The thing that greatly makes these smaller companies "better" suited for the endeavor of growing EV's is the fact that they are grown from a commitment and passion to EV's that GM could never muster. The passion that GM has had for years has been to make a profit, largely at the cost of anyone that gets in the way. General Motor's involvement in the breakdown of the trolley system in the US, their systematic involvement in the "crushing" of their own popular and successful EV1 in the early 90's are only a couple of examples of the General Motors drive and passion. These along with striving, it seems, to build bigger, which congruently are less efficient vehicles, in the height of the recent and simultaneous economic and oil crisis, while cutting as many jobs as they may have created due to what I feel is a lack of insight, and a greed known well in the auto industry.

Mr. Weber states "Developing electric vehicles is no longer a nice little “green” story; it’s absolutely crucial if we are to alleviate our dependence on petroleum. Electric vehicles aren’t simply for niche markets; they are the future of a sustainable global automotive industry."

The way that General Motors can help the EV genre of automobile reach a commonplace status is by committing and making first a non-fuel 100% electric EV! The Volt is a nice design, but as I have stated before in an early article, the Volt was originally slotted and promoted as a full electric vehicle, without a single fuel (as in oil derivative fuel) port in the design, not as an extended range electric vehicle with a fuel tank aboard. If General Motors was truly committed, particularly as the nation and the world has already started to answer the charging station issue by a fast growing infrastructure, GM would make a break, a COMPLETE BREAK from oil by creating a 100% electric, fuel-less vehicle, an true EV!

Mr. Weber states "There are nearly 1 billion vehicles using petroleum on the road today. If we are going to make a difference in reducing our dependence on petroleum, GM and other automakers must offer large volume production solutions. Hand-built vehicles may capture the imagination of some, but we need millions of cars to truly address this global issue." The Volt introduces the idea of electric, but is not a break from petroleum due to its fuel tank aboard.

Mr. Weber states "There seems to be in the minds of many some sort of inherent conflict between being a large, traditional automaker and the ability to develop cars of the future"...and that he "couldn’t disagree more with that sentiment, and GM is on a mission to prove it."

I once again give GM credit for approaching the EV movement and for creating the beginnings of what is their Electric Vehicle Development Program. Keep developing GM. I hope to see General Motors actually reach their mission goal, and hope to see GM tow the line and present 100%, that is a 100% electric vehicle.