Even in its limited production, the VOLT has already outsold all the production of all the electric car makers combined, Tesla, Fisker, Think, Aptera, et cetera, with the exception of Chrysler's GEM division of NEV vehicles.

Toyota has sold more gasoline re-charging hybrids as has Ford, but these are dependent on gasoline derived elctrical generation, and are inherently only 1/3 the efficiency of the Volt's grid based electrical supplies.

@ Stan Peterson

Think has over 10,000 vehicles on the roads.

Some of those "features" are serious negatives. The keyless ignition system can be jammed by radio interference, and the car cannot be started or even opened. OnStar is effectively a surveillance system.

"The lower base price is possible in part because of a wider range of options and configurations that come with the expansion of Volt production for sale nationally, GM said."
Cut the BS.

A wider option range increases unit cost; more sales reduce unit cost.

If you put a deposit down on a Leaf, why did it not have a guaranteed price?

If you did not put down a deposit AND get a fixed price, why do you think you get to determine the price?

I suspect the Volt, at $40k is selling cuz it's hard to get.
It's a great $20-$25k car; I am sure we will all really miss Rick Wagoner.

As someone who grew up being watched by the government all the time I always laugh at people being spooked at the thought of being watched.

I suppose they loaded up the volt so the battery price would be a lower percentage of the overall cost. If I could get a volt vs a Tesla model S, I'm not sure which I'd pick.

The Leaf, for $25,000, is just way too much money for a commuter car.

The prices of all of these (volt, model S, leaf) are just way too high to sell more than a handful a year (10K each is a drop in the bucket). I applaud the early adapters who will buy these and finance the company's efforts to gain experience building these, while battery prices come down, and in turn the overall car prices.

After owning a Prius for several years, I've come quite accustomed to keyless entry, and find it quite annoying when I drive my other car and have to pull out the archaic "key".

I think that the trickle of EVs from the auto industry is not a big driver in advancing the state of the art.

Such perceptions are, I think mostly wishful thinking.

Batteries seem to be improving at no more (in fact less) than was expected years ago.

Just like:
Tuning an ICE for operation at its sweet spot makes a big improvement in efficiency (no, just run slow, near WOT).
Or
Just go into mass production, the cost will drop way down.
Or
Detroit has switched to making the cars people want.

These are mostly what we WANT to believe.

I believe that the EV1 did little for the advancement EVs and simply showed that conspiracy theorists and ill informed but dedicated people can actually affect public perception and policy.

The Prius is an excellent and historic car, and a way more rational choice than a Ferrari, Corvette, MB, Hummer etc, but not necessarily the BEST way to reduce cost of ownership. The smart money says buy an equivalent small car (or a used car).

The Prius has class, a bit like a Corvette, MB, Hummer etc. just different kind of class - and way more economical.

But it was easy to make a 2 place EV with a 100 mi range 10 years ago.
Just keep adding batteries until the kWHrs/lb gets you 100 miles.

Will it be affordable to manufacture
Desirable?
Practical overall for the price?

Was the EV1 affordable and practical?

Every auto maker in the world (including GM) said no.
A comparative handfull of geeks said yes.

Who to believe?

Of course it's a good thing; it's a great and exciting thing.

The Volt is an exciting car.

But the rooster crowing and the drum banging is not what is bringing the dawn of the truly affordable EV. Science and engineering advances are.

The next few years will see EVs bloom (of course we have said this before, but they ARE much closer).

But there IS a difference between 2003 and today.

The difference is 8 years.

Science and engineering are not static.

Advances are made across many technologies and this synergism is what will bring us EVs of various types with much lower well (or solar, wind..) to wheels consumption.

What was not practical in 2003 may be today, even if only 8 or 9 major automakers think so.

Few people buy two seaters, expensive EVs no less; there was no market there.
If there was, why was there no product?

And now, after 10 years, 8 or 9 major automakers are making token volumes of 4 and 5 seat EVs.

No repectable manufacturer in the WORLD thought the EV1 concept was affordable or practical or profitable at the time.

What kind of logic says it was, when the whole world of automakers shunned it.

No logic, just wishful thinking.

And we saw virtually no 2 seat OR 4 seat electric autos on the highway before 2010, because they would not sell well.

No EV1 copies, because everyone with any significant auto making ability knew they would not sell well. Dreamers can say otherwise, about all sorts of foolishness, and they do, but it’s just talk.

The fact that they did not make them shows that the experts (the auto makers, old and new) believed they had inadequate performance for the money.

No visionaries or dreamers have produced anything like the EV1 and made it visible in the market place.

Tesla's roadster is so far not relevant, 10 years after the EV1. The handful of Honda CRZs and 2 place Audi, Mercedes, BMW, Mazda and so on, are conventional (affordable, non-electric) and are still not relevant. If they are “all over the place”, they are all over someplace else (but still ICE powered).

The EV1 had a range extender model, it did not go into production. The original Honda Insight was sold from 2000-2006 it was a two seater and it sold in the thousands. This was still being sold years after GM started crushing EV1s.

The point I am making is that there is a two seat car market, no one can dispute that. There is a hybrid market, no one can dispute that. If there is an EV market then it makes sense that there would be a two seat EV market. There WAS a two seat EV and it was called the EV1.

And there probably will be again...stay tuned.