bob lutz Archives – The Green Optimistic

Bob Lutz on Tesla Motors – “It’s Too Expensive to Run the Company”

Benji Jerew — Fri, 06 Nov 2015 14:04:39 +0000

Given that Bob Lutz has been head honcho for a number of automakers and departments of automakers, I would definitely take some stock in what he says about automakers in general, but I wonder if he’s right about Tesla Motors. In Bob Lutz’ recent article on Road & Track, he asserts that Tesla Motors needs […]

The post Bob Lutz on Tesla Motors – “It’s Too Expensive to Run the Company” appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

VL Destino: The Fisker-Karma-Inspired Car Backed by Bob Lutz

Benji Jerew — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 18:40:24 +0000

Except for its toothy grin, the Fisker Karma is one of the sexier vehicles out there. Its extended-range electric vehicle [EREV] drivetrain makes it even better. With all the problems that Fisker Automotive has been suffering of late, it came as good news that Chinese billionaire Richard Li bought out the Department of Energy [DOE] […]

The post VL Destino: The Fisker-Karma-Inspired Car Backed by Bob Lutz appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Fisker Automotive Loan to be Auctioned – DOE Mostly Likely Will Lose

Benji Jerew — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 20:18:21 +0000

I’m sure it seemed like a good idea at the time, but the chips just didn’t fall right for Fisker Automotive. Fisker’s defaulted loan is now up for auction. In the beginning, Fisker Automotive had been awarded $529 million in guaranteed loans, from DOE’s [Department of Energy] Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program, about four years […]

The post Fisker Automotive Loan to be Auctioned – DOE Mostly Likely Will Lose appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Bob Lutz Tells CNBC He Believes Electric Vehicles Will Prevail

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 13:15:57 +0000

Bob Lutz may have never thought liking electric cars ten years ago – yet a recent interview and his involvement in VIA Motors, an electric truck manufacturing company, show he also digs Tesla Motors and Fisker (which he wants to help). The interview, given to CNBC on Friday, outlined Lutz’s appreciation for what Tesla is […]

The post Bob Lutz Tells CNBC He Believes Electric Vehicles Will Prevail appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

The Fisker Automotive, Wanxiang, and VL Automotive Love Triangle Overseen by Bob Lutz

Benji Jerew — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:15:37 +0000

By now it’s no longer old news when we talk about yet another electric vehicle company going down, such as A123 Systems, CODA Motors, Better Place, and now Fisker Automotive. Bob Lutz, previously of General Motors and the driving force behind the Chevy Volt, has turned his attention to other projects. VIA Motors has designs […]

The post The Fisker Automotive, Wanxiang, and VL Automotive Love Triangle Overseen by Bob Lutz appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Bob Lutz asks, “Should the US Bail Out Fisker Automotive?”

Benji Jerew — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:39:49 +0000

There are plenty of moves by the US government that have controversial, bailing out General Motors and Chrysler [and other companies] is one of them. Should Fisker Automotive have this same consideration? Large automobile manufacturers like General Motors and Chrysler were hanging on by a thread. In order to stabilize them, maintain production, and save […]

The post Bob Lutz asks, “Should the US Bail Out Fisker Automotive?” appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

SAE 2013: Bob Lutz on Fuel Economy Regulations, “I Don’t Get It.”

Benji Jerew — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:47:40 +0000

With all the talk about fuel economy regulations and building more fuel efficient vehicles, Bob Lutz explains that we’re attacking the problem from the wrong angle. Everyone in the automobile industry by now is familiar with Bob Lutz, former chairman of General Motors, staunch defender of Chevy Volt, and moving force behind VIA Motors. In […]

The post SAE 2013: Bob Lutz on Fuel Economy Regulations, “I Don’t Get It.” appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

VIA Motors’ Big Hybrid Truck Lineup Revealed at 2013 NAIAS

Benji Jerew — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 21:24:00 +0000

Bob Lutz, General Motors [GM] ex-vice chairman, is now heading up efforts to produce a series of extended-range electric vehicles [eREV] that are nothing like the Chevy Volt he championed whilst in the GM circle. Recently, he mentioned he should have started bigger, and bigger is what he’s done at VIA Motors. No one disputes […]

The post VIA Motors’ Big Hybrid Truck Lineup Revealed at 2013 NAIAS appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Bob Lutz on E-REV Technology – “I Should Have Started Bigger”

Benji Jerew — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 18:14:15 +0000

I’m not sure how to take this, really, but Bob Lutz isn’t too impressed with the vehicles he pushed into production a couple years ago, namely the Chevy Volt with extended-range electric vehicle [E-REV] technology. “If I had my time again at GM then I would have started with the Cadillac Escalade for the range-extender […]

The post Bob Lutz on E-REV Technology – “I Should Have Started Bigger” appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Bob Lutz – VIA Motors’ Full Size X-Truck Gets 100 MPGe, “Makes Prius Look Like a Gas-Guzzler”

Benji Jerew — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 06:44:29 +0000

Would we ever have expected to hear the words “monster truck” and “100 MPGe” used in the same article, much less describing one vehicle? Apparently this kind of comparison is perfectly fine for Bob Lutz, former General Motors Vice Chairman, and he used it in a video sneaking a peak at the new VIA Motors […]

The post Bob Lutz – VIA Motors’ Full Size X-Truck Gets 100 MPGe, “Makes Prius Look Like a Gas-Guzzler” appeared first on The Green Optimistic.