[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by MKSixer

Well.
The V Gen 2 is a semi-closed loop system that simply consist of an ICE to maintain the charge of the battery system via a generator with regen through the drive motor, as well. BFD. Anyone can design this.

The price point is not driven by the drive train but by the overall engineering of the entire vehicle. I own and E63 M6 and have friends with the entire gamut of auto's from the McLaren P1 down. One of the P1 owners, an engineer, states that the i8 is amazing in that it delivers an advanced power train for $135K. Please use this reference to keep it in perspective: The next vehicle price point for this drivetrain and basic construction is the Porsche 918. I built one out for sh**s and giggles and came out with a delivered cost of $945K.

I used this analogy before in another post but this use of CF in an advanced drivetrain for a price point of $150K in a vehicle that can be driven daily AND has a warranty is nothing short of earth shattering. It is similar to the democratization of horsepower in the eighties. After the fuel crisis of the 70s everything was anemic in power and the only cars with serious power were out of reach to the normal buyer. The Japanese came along and turned this on it's ear with a few great cars joined by the '84 Corvette. Horsepower to the masses.

I have a close friend who acquired a Ferrari about 18 months ago. He sold it because he underestimated the $25K per year that it takes to keep it on the road. When I purchased my i8 I performed a similar calculation and determined that over a 4 year period the i8 will actually cost me about $60K less in operating expenses than almost any similarly priced offering on the secondary market. Again, a no brainer. Dig deeper and you will see that the i8 is a paradigm shattering car.

Cheers-mk

P.S. BMW has won the award 62 times since it's inception in 1999, 7 times overall. VW+Porsche+Audi is in second place with 34 awards. GM has been awarded the prize 3 times. And only once for any of the VOLT engines and exactly never in the overall category. This is not technical leadership.

The Model T was a paradigm shattering car. It allowed people in mass to shift from horse-based transportation to automobile transportation in under a decade. It completely changed the economic earning power and eventually labor rights of the American factory worker (although Ford was the last to unionize). It completely changed the way most products thereinafter were designed and developed for moving assembly line manufacturing. It completely transformed the worlds landscape with the development of paved roads. It made Henry Ford the wealthiest man in the world. At one point the Ford Motor Company had 85% of the world's automotive market.

And actually the Volt Gen 2 uses a double planetary gearset to allow the wheels to be powered by one or both of the electric motors and the engine as well. It's great you have a bunch of rich friends that can afford expensive automobiles, not sure what that has to do with the discussion.