Science Forums 2

[CraigD]

Originally Posted by GAHD

Phoenix currently sells "fleet vehicles"

I’m not sure I agree with your read of that, GAHD. It could be read to mean they would be introducing fleet managers to their maintenance plans, or describing the vehicles to them. I suspect that if they had actually shipped more than a few, they’d announce it in a less ambiguous manner.

I’ll feeler my org’s fleet manager. We promote ourselves as a “queen of green”, and have trialed a few rather wretched EVs over the decades (surprisingly, in the one I had a chance to drive, speed and power were not so bad – I broke 50 MPH before the person responsible for letting me drive it convinced me to let up - but the transmission very clunky, and suspensions bad enough to be dangerous). So hopefully, I’ll be able to confirm or deny the claim that fleets have Phoenix SUTs within a day or a few.

Originally Posted by GAHD

And the Zenn is currently sold in a LOT of locations (check the retailor map) for inner city driving. let's face it, how many cities do you know where traffic moves faster than 25mph in rush hour. And that's the GOVERNED speed, you can take the limiter off with a little techno-wizardry; though that reduces your total travel per charge.

The ZENN is a NEV. Though you could likely trick it out to go faster, it’s not designed for that, so this might be an unwise idea. Although I don’t know much about the FEV laws (like FMVSS 500), I suspect you might get risk trouble with the law if your did this, too.

That said, if I had a NEV, I’d want an easily accessible “governor off (give me all you’ve got)” switch of some sort. Having witnessed tractor trailer trucks going over 60 on 35 MPH speed limit roads, I’d feel like a sitting duck sharing the road with them in a vehicle that couldn’t exceed a bicycle-like 25, but unlike a bike, can’t hop the curb to get out of the way in an emergency.

My main beef with ZENN is that they’re currently pedaling a bit of a bait-and-switch, promoting their contract for exclusive worldwide rights to use EEStor’s ultracapacitors in “all-electric 4-wheeled personal transportation uses for vehicles with a curb weight up to 1,400 kilograms (3,100 lb), net of the battery weight”, while actually selling a NEV with very old-tech lead-acid batteries (actually, slightly worse than old tech, being gel-pack unless you pay extra for valve vented wet cells).

If EEStor’s claims prove true, they and ZENN will likely be big winners in the EV and other electrics and electronics markets. From what I’ve read, though, there’s still a real likelihood that EEStor will prove a multi-million dollar boondoggle

Originally Posted by GAHD

If GM crashes the Phoenix SUV/SUT could easilly take over GM's manufaturing plants, gut out the gas engine works departments, and crank out cheaper, more economical and eco friendly vehicles.

I think GAHD misunderstands how Phoenix makes their cars.

Although I’m unable to find clear information about their factory, Phoenix appears to be a car conversion company, not a car manufacturer. The Phoenix SUT appears to be a SsangYong Actyon with its gas motor replaced with an electric motor, and batteries and control systems added.

Also, although I’m unable to find a populated field for it at any online company profining site, Phoenix Motorcars appears to have on the order of 20 employees. It’s simply too small to take over even the senior management of a large manufacturing company, let alone its actual operations.

Originally Posted by GAHD

In My Honest opinion, General Motors Needs to Die, and Die NOW.

If by die, you mean replace its senior executives and key policy makers with better ones, I agree. If by die, you mean fire all 120,000+ of its US employees and/or about an equal number in other countries, I disagree. The “death” (or "recareering") of so many skilled workers is too appalling for me to wish for.