Open Thread: Chevrolet Volts to Receive Battery Fix
Besides abysmal sales, the Obama Administration's favorite car, the Chevrolet Volt, is now facing some seriously bad news: GM announced today that it is recalling 8,000 of the vehicles sold in the past two years (though it's refusing to call it a recall) due to safety concerns about the Volt's battery casing:
GM will ask Volt owners to return the cars to dealers for structural modifications, said the person, who did not want to be identified because GM executives plan to announce the repairs later Thursday.
The fixes are similar to a recall and involve about 8,000 Volts sold in the U.S. in the past two years. GM is making the repairs after three Volt batteries caught fire following crash tests done by federal safety regulators. The fires occurred seven days to three weeks after tests and have been blamed on a coolant leak that caused an electrical short.
GM's move is considered a step below a recall, which would be issued by a car company and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
NHTSA and GM have said the electric cars are safe and that no fires have occurred after crashes on real-world roadways.
The Volt has a T-shaped, 400-pound (181-kilogram) battery pack that can power the car for about 35 miles (56 kilometers). After that, a small gasoline generator kicks in to run the electric motor.
NHTSA has been investigating the batteries after a Volt caught fire in June at a crash test facility in Wisconsin. The fire broke out three weeks after a side-impact crash test.
Nice to see that the car the government's spent hundreds of millions creating has now been deemed unsafe to drive by another part of the government.
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Comments
General Electric
Submitted by bkeyser on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 1:17pm.
hardest hit. You know the vast majority of the less than 8000 Volts sold are sitting idle on GE plant lots, plugged in, used only to move around plant managers and visiting dignitaries. They basically replaced golf carts at GE manufacturing facilities.
"Calling back". How nice. Can't say "recall" because that might infer government culpability and incompetence so they try to fool the reader with "calling back". No better example of what our government, and the reporters who parrot them, think of the typical American. It'll be interesting to read the comment section on the Yahoo link.
BK this is not a photoshop
Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 2:49pm.
It want be long before we are all driving a TWIZY
Great Rick,
Submitted by bkeyser on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 2:55pm.
real grocery-getter. I think it's based on the Big-Wheel platform.
You know, California just released a study from their panel overseeing the "bullet train" project indicating it's fiscally untenable. I'm working on an alternative design for them. Might have it up on Flickr later. I'll post it if I do...
Paging Tom Blumer
Submitted by bkeyser on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 1:38pm.
When applications drop below 375,000 — consistently — they generally signal that hiring is strong enough to reduce the unemployment rate.
o'bama went on TV today to
Submitted by ThisnThat on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 1:38pm.
o'bama went on TV today to announce the dismantling of our military. "We have won. Now it's time to cut the fat and not spend more money on things we don't need. We're cutting because we've been so successful !" It was interesting to also hear him issue a warning to other nations -- "Don't try to take advantage of our diminished capabilities" he said.
So, what's next? What other Gov spending is he going to cut? Is he going to cut NPR by observing "There are over 500 channels you can select from; we've won; so we can cut back"? I don't think so. Or how about cutting into the $1./2 B funding to planned parenthood? I don't think that's going to happen either.
Or how about welfare? Food stamps? Gov employees? Nope, only the military. It's sad when the nation's food stamp budget goes up; and we cut our national defense to fund it.
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
Tnt
Submitted by Radical1979 on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 1:58pm.
And Obama does this at a time when Iran is rattling sabers. Could he send them a clearer message?
I don't think we can come back from this disaster of a president.
Radical,
Submitted by Agnostic on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 2:53pm.
Iran is the one sending the message and Obama is replying in the only way he knows how considering he has been taught since a very, very young age that everything the American military does hurts the people of the world.
Iran threatens US Navy while Obama backs down on Iranian sanctions
Plus we have upset Japan and they want us to move our Air Base their so I'm guessing the logical move for this Administration will be to simply shut it down.
Agnostic
Submitted by Radical1979 on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 3:36pm.
The message Obama is sending back to Iran is: you win. We're reducing our military and will not be defending our interests anywhere in the world.
Not only is 'obama cutting
Submitted by ThisnThat on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 8:21pm.
Not only is 'obama cutting major weapon systems, he's also cutting ground troops. Boots on the ground. Individuals that, in a future conflict, will be seeing deployment after deployment after deployment. This will quickly exhaust our forces -- Iraq was a good example. An exhausted force will rapidly leave the military, thereby removing skill and experience.
And why is he doing this? Primarily because he's a non-thinking liberal who inherently hates the military, because he's a coward and doesn't understand what our military does. But more importantly, he thinks our military gets more benefits than they deserve, and all that money should properly be redistributed to people he can control. o'bama knows he can't control the military.
We are going to be in deep, deep trouble here.
__________
“Didn't win the Medal of Honor? Didn't even serve? Then lie about it. We'll support you." — 9th Circuit Court
TnT
Submitted by Radical1979 on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 8:21pm.
Yup, so we will be unable to fight foreign wars, thus losing our status as an empire (in the mind of Obama). Meanwhile he's destroying the Constitution and our Congress is letting him.
We are weakened
Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 2:23pm.
There's only one reason he's doing this: He's pushing for that private security force that he wants armed as strong as our military but that they will obey him without question. The military can only obey him up to a point, afterwhich they will either overthrow him as is their duty in the Constitution for violations of the same Constitution or they will do nothing.
Either way, he's making the country weak.
-Jon
He thinks that he won in
Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 2:46pm.
He thinks that he won in Libya because of the air war. The boots on the ground won that. He is not military minded. There is no way the air strikes, artillery barages, or tanks can take and hold ground. All that does is soften up the battlefield. Somewhere you have to send in the privates, the grunts. He is cutting the gurnts in the Army and Marines.
The WON 'won' in Libya???
Submitted by killa37 on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 3:20pm.
The WON 'won' in Libya??? What did he 'win'??? Did I miss something, somewhere along the line?? I haven't noticed that Libya, Egypt, or any of those other countries in that neck of the world are much different than they were before, other than getting more and more hard-line.
He thinks HE won using air
Submitted by ricklail on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 5:24pm.
He thinks HE won using air strikes. The rest of us know that nothing was won.
You da man, jon.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 3:52pm.
That is EXACTLY what the RBFSOB is doing.
He will weaken the US military, build up his private SS force, get rid of weapons in the hands of civilians, and it will be a cake walk for him to becoming the first Supreme Ruler of the USSA.
This is too obvious. He couldn't care less what other countries are doing. He is focused on the destruction and the "fundamental change" of the USA. He's so G*ddamned arrogant that he figures he can handle the rest of the world after he has an iron fist around this one.
As far as his "winning" in Libya, he did because his objective was to create chaos so that his bretheran, the Islamo-Fascists could eventually control the entire North African landscape.
The creation of the Obamaführer's SS is already underway
Submitted by Dave. on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 8:25pm.
Can anyone explain this?
About the only thing they haven't done yet is rename the DHS to the Ministry for State Security.
I'm getting a really sick feeling about all this.
I mean sicker than usual.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Expect the shutdown of sites like your link
Submitted by Radical1979 on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 8:25pm.
shortly. Can't have national security exposed like that.
Maybe now that Bachman is out of the race she'll get back into Washington and get on this $hit.
She did give a warning
Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 8:34pm.
She said this could be the last free election this country will see. That's assuming we even get there.
Has there been anything about people calling the Congressional switchboard or their reps about any of this crap?
I mean, many of the heavy hitters on the conservative side have been calling it what it is, a dictatorship, a lawlessness under way, and it is. Even Jer can't dispute that, but of course he'll try. He and other libs will try to compare it to Bush and etc, when in fact there's no comparison.
Carney today tried to say it wasn't really a recess appointment, but his own boss said they were recess appointments.
God help us, I can't believe we're sitting quietly about this, this is Germany 1938 all over again.
-Jon
"...I can't believe we're sitting quietly about this..."
Submitted by Dave. on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 8:51pm.
But we are, as it has become very apparent to me that most of the sheeple really aren't getting what is going on, and even if they ever do, it's going to be too late.
As for Boehner, Cantor, and to a lesser extent McConnell, I hold them every bit as responsible for this as I do the Kenyan impostor in the Oval Office.
The have had ample opportunity to put the brakes on the progression of Obamunism, but have done nothing.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Well Dave, one thing 4sur, they won't be buggern Occulpuyfiers
Submitted by upcountrywater on Fri, 01/06/2012 - 3:37am.
Faster than O'bamacare, raids dependent on quantity of cash on hand in bank accounts.
Debt is Freedom.
I share the sickness, bro
Tax funded parking lot Iraq
You Didn't Build That.
'Don't try to take advantage
Submitted by killa37 on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 2:42pm.
'Don't try to take advantage of our dimished capabilities'???? I read this..............if it weren't so damn pathetic and dangerous, it would be laughable!! Only a moron like Boy Barry could say something like this with a straight face!!!
And since he still hasn't really put together his 'civilian corps' (pronounced correctly!!) the way he wanted, this could be in the works also..............a LOT of things are going on right now, as the election of 2012 becomes closer and closer, and I think Barry, his handlers, and the REGIME need to be ready to make whatever move they have to in order to insure that he's around for the next 4 years, or 8, or 12, or however they decide to structure the new government.
Hmmmm. Deja Vu (all over again)
Submitted by c5then on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 4:01pm.
Carter did this in the late 70's. Significantly reduced the Navy. I seem to remember that Iran took advantage of it back then too...
Reagan had to build the military back up (thus incurring deficits) which caused the USSR to bankrupt itself trying to keep up. Then Clinton reduced the military again since we had "won" the Cold War (remember the famous Base Closings). It seems that we had problems right after that bit of reduction too.
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
Well, it did work out so well after WWII.
Submitted by UpNorth on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 5:06pm.
Truman's Sec of Defense, Louis Johnson, bragged that he'd cut the military to the bone, then cut some of the bone.
In fact he was right, the Marine Corps, at the time of the North's invasion of South Korea, numbered about 75,000 men. The two divisions, the First and Second Marine Divisions, were skeletal, as were the Air Wings, numbering around 30,000 men.
The Army hadn't trained since shortly after the end of the war. The USAF was new, but still flying P-51's and B-29's. Anyone interested in what the liberals did to the Army, read anything about Task Force Smith.
The men fought, but they were untrained, under-equipped and on their own.
Now, the dems are living their fondest dream, the near term destabilization of the U.S. military. Talk is that the Army and Marines are looking at the loss of thousands of the troops of the combat arms, possibly 10,000 or more.
Maybe someone ought to point out to the Liar in Chief what the Order of Battle of the PLA is, and how many infantry, armor and artillery battalions they have, or the NORK's. Or, even the Iranians.
Closing Guantanomo Bay?
Submitted by Agnostic on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 1:51pm.
Since the moving of the prisoners was deemed politically impossible could the administration be working to remove the need for detention center?
Obama administration has turned to Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Muslim Brotherhood’s leading jurist, to mediate secret negotiations between the United States and the Taliban
Peace talks in Qatar - AKA, negotiating with terrorist
Possible deal to release major figures from Guantanamo Bay - if the major figures are released why should we keep the minor figures captive. In fact they could probably be released and know one would even know.
Can you say fox guarding the
Submitted by Dan The Man 2 on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 2:17pm.
Can you say fox guarding the hen house?
No balls
Submitted by jon_torlin on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 2:25pm.
No-balls-Bonehead won't do anything about it even though negotiating with terrorists is against the law. Certainly can't count on Dingy Harry as he's culpable in helping the dictator with the takeover, which is why he isn't saying squat.
So why are people NOT doing anything about this? Why are we turning into Germany?
-Jon
Why?
Submitted by Agnostic on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 2:39pm.
At least for now - new election possibilities bring hope!
Bad news for Scott Walker?
Submitted by bkeyser on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 3:00pm.
Three charged in John Doe investigation of Walker aides
If his 'domestic partner' is
Submitted by killa37 on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 3:20pm.
If his 'domestic partner' is a guy, he might get off easier.
Yeah, killa
Submitted by bkeyser on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 4:05pm.
he's a guy. And he's charged with 5 felonies. This probably could have been avoided had they been allowed to legally marry - or something.
Well, he still might get
Submitted by killa37 on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 4:32pm.
Well, he still might get off................
Killa, he got off
Submitted by UpNorth on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 4:51pm.
on his vacations.
Yeah, apparantly over here in
Submitted by killa37 on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 5:09pm.
Yeah, apparantly over here in Hawaii......................hell, Barry was just here too!!
Do I detect a trend?
Submitted by UpNorth on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 9:00pm.
.
A No Cost Invitation....
Submitted by upcountrywater on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 4:17pm.
That is the volt recall,opps i meant call back.... According to top of the hour radio news it's not a requirement, it's A No Cost Invitation
A No Cost Invitation, to give away missile secrets to Russia.
A No Cost Invitation, to releasing of club gitmo occupiers.
A No Cost Invitation, to erase the Constitution.
Gov in business equals another dud
You Didn't Build That.
Excellent piece on Obama's re-election chances
Submitted by bkeyser on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 4:22pm.
from a historical perspective in The Daily.
Putin > Chavez > Obama
Submitted by vrwc13 on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 4:32pm.
But when Congress refuses to act, and as a result, hurts our economy and puts our people at risk, then I have an obligation as President to do what I can without them.
(What he was really saying)
But when Congress (all our collective elected representatives) refuses to act (don’t do as I say), and as a result, hurts our economy (not enough stimulus yet) and puts our people at risk (although I am working on that right now by reducing our military), then I have an obligation as President (dictator) to do what I can without them (regardless of what that old Constitution says).
v
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
Time for some Jeffersonian thinking me thinks...
Submitted by vrwc13 on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 4:42pm.
When is it okay to overthrow the government according to Jefferson?
Answer:
From the Declaration of Independence. Not only do you have the right to overthrow your government, it is a responsibility placed on us by a founding fathers. If our government betrays us, acts other then in accordance to our wishes or we feel changes need to be made it is our obligation to do so.
Selected quotes by Jefferson about 'rebellion':
•"What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them." --Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith, 1787. ME 6:373, Papers 12:356
•"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere." --Thomas Jefferson to Abigail Adams, 1787.
•"Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends [i.e., securing inherent and inalienable rights, with powers derived from the consent of the governed], it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness." --Thomas Jefferson: Declaration of Independence, 1776. ME 1:29, Papers 1:315
•"We think experience has proved it safer for the mass of individuals composing the society to reserve to themselves personally the exercise of all rightful powers to which they are competent and to delegate those to which they are not competent to deputies named and removable for unfaithful conduct by themselves immediately." --Thomas Jefferson to Pierre Samuel Dupont de Nemours, 1816. ME 14:487
The burden of life is from ourselves, its lightness from the grace of Christ and the love of God. - William Bernard Ullanthorne
I think Government Motors should just shoot the Volt...
Submitted by Dave. on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 5:06pm.
...and put it out of its misery.
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
Arab spring treat.
Submitted by upcountrywater on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 5:08pm.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/egypts-islamists-could-s...
As part of a continuum of official U.S. visits, Jeffrey D. Feltman, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs, arrived in Cairo on Wednesday for talks with military and political leaders.
“We are going to judge these parties not by the names on their doors, the T-shirts they wear, but on their commitment to upholding universal democratic standards” and human rights, including for women and minorities, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. “Some of these parties have had quite moderate rhetoric,” she said, “but that rhetoric now has to be matched in the way they proceed.”
Bail-out...
You Didn't Build That.
⇒ Chevy Volts
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 8:45pm.
Not possible! Motor Trend's Car Of The Year? An award the Chevy Volt won without ANY serious lobbying from GM *cough*?
And now GM is exporting its Electric Car development to China. GM swears Volt Technology will not be shared with the Chicoms. Really?
Because GM would certainly hold onto its R&D secrets rather than sweeten the chances of succeeding in China? Really?
"GM has denied it will involve handing over intellectual property underlying the Volt"
The Chinese need a car for their; on the Moon travels.
Submitted by upcountrywater on Fri, 01/06/2012 - 4:19am.
Might as well stick in a few W-88' in the trunk: Much better than a lousy thumb drive, a real hands on.
As Rush sez: The HITS just keep coming
As you said Unsafe at any voltage
You Didn't Build That.
Can you say "Propaganda movie"
Submitted by Boudin on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 8:53pm.
Now were talking,
⇒ Kennedy Craves Barney's Seat
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 8:53pm.
Joseph Kennedy desires to fill Barney Frank's seat which will soon be vacated.
Poetic Justus at last
Submitted by Boudin on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 9:02pm.
Couldn't happen to a bigger a$$ to bad we will be subsidizing the repairs? BTW, they are still only 8000 of these cars sold. Guess who bought em?
Let me help you Boudin
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 9:10pm.
In Nov 2010, General Electric announced it would to buy 12,000 Chevy Volts.
Looks like they're about 4,000 shy of their target.
A new press release for the Chevy Volt
Submitted by bkeyser on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 9:26pm.
offers a cool new graphics package to anyone who voluntarily brings their car in for the battery case reinforcements and battery coolant tamper-proof filler and sensor installation. Gotta hand it to their marketing department.
Home Town Kids Not All Drones (yet)
Submitted by stratman on Thu, 01/05/2012 - 11:45pm.
Obama visited the high school down the block from me yesterday. Not every moment of his scripted visit went the way he and his handlers intended:
Doubt we'll see this on the nightly news or the NYTimes.
I saw that, strat, and the
Submitted by killa37 on Fri, 01/06/2012 - 1:30am.
I saw that, strat, and the responses to his hyped-up statements were flaccid and tepid...........and then when he told these kids that they 'inspire him'.........they just laughed in his face!!! And he tried to slough it off with his own stupid laugh............but the kids seem to know that this guy is a poser who thinks he's 'too cool for school', and they're NOT buying into his act.
Unfortunatly, about 47% of the stupid, ignorant, and misinformed/uninformed people in this country haven't figured out yet what the kids allready know............
Some Things Never Change
Submitted by stratman on Fri, 01/06/2012 - 2:56am.
My guess is he was mocked as a teen in high school in Hawaii.
Due to many formative years spent in Malaysia as an outsider there and then coming to the US as yet another outsider here, Barry was probably more Arnold Horshack than Freddie 'Boom Boom' Washington.
Eugene Robinson Colmes
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Fri, 01/06/2012 - 2:56am.
"He’s not a little weird, he’s really weird,” Robinson said of Santorum. “And some of his positions that he has taken are just so weird that I think that some Republicans are off-put. Not everybody is not going to be down, for example, with the story of how he and his wife handled the stillborn child. It was a body that they took home to kind of sleep with it, introduce it to the rest of the family. It’s a very weird story." - Eugene Robinson on Rachel Maddow's show.
Ignorant pig!
⇒ Pig, Eugene Robinson
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Fri, 01/06/2012 - 9:26am.
Pig, Eugene Robinson, is stuttering out a big ol' crawfishing statement on Morning Joe this morning.
Claims he's better educated on the subject this morning.
Still a pig!