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Originally Posted by Jason1
I saw this on the news recently and I'll agree that obviously this cant replace your normal vehicle. And I dont assume they are positioning it in that way. Thats what the Chevy Volt is for...
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If it is not intended to replace existing modes of travel, it is not necessary, and now they ask people to spend a lot of money on something completely unecessary. This was the same problem with the original segway in the first place. I love the idea of green and convenient travel, but the entire segway experiment is a failure becuse they couldn't match their vision with a realistic market.
The Volt has promise, but it still needs big improvements in range and cost effectiveness in both price and maintenance. Until hybrid/green vehicles can become economical as well as environemental, I think they'll remain a popular fad, but won't have staying power in the marketplace. Most hybrids sold today are $5,000 - $7,000 more than their traditional versions, and that translates to 7-11 years of use before the buyer sees any economic benefit from their purchase. The economics is the missing link in all this.
I agree that there is a market for green products, but they need to make sense. To me, the PUMA makes no sense because it has no market. Hopefully the Volt, with improvements, will have a market.