I've been a fan of the Chevy Volt since it was just a gleam in a PR writer's eye. I drive a Civic Hybrid, not because I'm a quiche-eating treehugger, but because good engineering is efficient engineering.

Oh, and because I have the eco-friendly license plate that lets me use the carpool lane anytime I want.

That too.

From an engineering standpoint, the Volt makes a lot of sense. You take what fuel-burning engines are good at (long-term energy storage, low power use at high speeds) and team them up with what electric motors are good at (low emissions, loads of torque off the line).

But let's face it, the Volt's too expensive and it just can't do enough right now. But twenty years from now? Watch out.

The original Macintosh was a business failure, but there's no denying that it changed things. With the launch of the Mac, the Graphical User Interface was delivered to the mass market for the very first time. No more would consumers be forced to gaze at the black screen of a machine. Instead, the personal computer and all its technological iterations to follow would become doorways to an expansive and vibrant world.
In many ways, the Chevy Volt is on the same trajectory of the original Macintosh. As a business venture, the signs aren't looking too favorable at the moment, but as a catalyst for market change and innovation, the signs are much brighter.
As enthusiastically stated by University of Virginia engineer, Jim Durand, "People are working furiously on energy storage technologies. They're making rapid advances. Costs are coming down. Performance is going up."

I wonder if eventually it'll come with a gas pedal shaped like a hockey puck ...

This entry was posted by Kevin Creighton, on 4.30.2012. You can leave your response.