Revenge of the Electric Car Page #3

THOSE KIND OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS IN MY LIFE."

- IT'S JUST A GIANT KICK IN THE BALLS

TO THE PEOPLE THAT SAID WE COULDN'T DO I AND THAT COMMERCIAL SPACE DOESN'T WORK.

- ELON MUSK IS ABOUT AS CLOSE AS YOU'RE GONNA GE IN REAL LIFE TO TONY STARK,

AND IT SHOWS YOU HOW ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

WITH A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF SMARTS

AND INSPIRATION TO CHANGE THE WAY PEOPLE THINK.

- SUDDENLY, THERE WAS THE TESLA ANNOUNCEMENT.

200-MILE RANGE,

0 TO 60 IN 4-POINT-SOMETHING SECONDS,

140-MILE-AN-HOUR TOP SPEED, 6,831 LAPTOP BATTERIES.

AND I BASICALLY SAID, "WELL, NOW, WAIT A MINUTE.

"I'VE ACCEPTED EVERYBODY'S ARGUMENTS

"OF WHY WE CAN'T DO THIS,

"BUT HERE'S THIS SMALL STARTUP COMPANY IN CALIFORNIA,

AND THEY THINK THAT THEY CAN GET ALL OF THESE FIGURES."

ELON'S COUP WAS JUST WHAT BOB NEEDED

TO DRAG GM BACK INTO THE RACE.

THEY WEREN'T GOING TO BE SHOWN UP

BY A BUNCH OF SILICON VALLEY UPSTARTS.

- IT WAS A POWERFUL ARGUMENT,

SO WHETHER TESLA IS EVER HUGELY SUCCESSFUL OR NOT,

I'LL ALWAYS OWE THEM A DEBT OF GRATITUDE

FOR HAVING KIND OF BROKEN THE ICE.

- BOB LUTZ BEING A CHAMPION OF ELECTRIC CARS

IS QUITE A SWITCH FROM THE BOB LUTZ WE USED TO KNOW.

HE SOLD THE BOARD ON THE FACT THAT THIS TECHNOLOGY

WOULD LEAPFROG TOYOTA, WHICH HAD BEEN GM'S NEMESIS.

- THE ELECTRIC CAR WAS PUSHED ALL THE WAY UP THE LADDER

BY LUTZ HIMSELF IN A WAY THAT IS VERY, VERY PERSONAL,

A WAY THAT SUGGESTS HE REGARDS I AS HIS LEGACY AT THE COMPANY.

BUT THE VOLT WASN'T GOING TO BE A PURE ELECTRIC CAR.

THAT WAS A STEP TOO FAR FOR GM,

SO THE COMPANY BE ON AN ELECTRIC CAR WITH A BACKUP GAS ENGINE.

THIS WOULD GIVE IT MORE RANGE

WHEN THE BATTERIES RAN OUT OF POWER.

AND THEN BOB PERSUADED THE COMPANY

TO PUT THE VOLT FRONT AND CENTER

AT GM'S 100TH BIRTHDAY PARTY.

- WE'RE IN THE EXECUTIVE GARAGE

IN THE BASEMENT OF THE RENAISSANCE CENTER,

AND THIS IS THE MOST SECURE LOCATION

THAT WE COULD FIND IN THE BUILDING.

YOU'LL NOTICE WE HAVE PLENTY OF SECURITY DOWN HERE.

AND HERE IS OUR BABY.

- IT'S NOW MY GREAT PLEASURE TO PRESENT TO YOU

THE PRODUCTION VERSION OF THE CHEVROLET VOLT.

- HOW'D IT FEEL DRIVING IN AN ELECTRIC CAR?

- IT FELT GREAT, CHRIS.

I WAS--

I'M SURPRISED YOU WOULD ASK.

- IS THE ELECTRIC CAR BACK FROM THE DEAD?

- WELL, YOU COULD ARGUE, WAS IT EVER DEAD?

BECAUSE I THINK PEOPLE WERE, EVEN AFTER WE RECALLED THE EV1s,

THERE WERE STILL ELECTRIC VEHICLES OUT THERE.

BUT I THINK IT'S BACK WITH A VENGEANCE,

AND I WOULD SAY THE ELECTRIFICATION

OF THE AUTOMOBILE IS A FOREGONE CONCLUSION.

- AS AN ANALYST AND A LONG-TIME JOURNALIST,

I WAS STILL CYNICAL,

BECAUSE WE'D SEEN A LOT OF CONCEPT CARS

THAT HAD GOTTEN ALL THE HOOPLA AT THE AUTO SHOWS

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