Cadillac Begins shipping the Cadillac ELR

[Rob]

Today, Cadillac began shipments of the all-new 2014 ELR electrified luxury couple. The ELR is assembled at the Detroit-Hamtramck facility located in Hamtramck, Mich.

General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly begins shipping 2014 Cadillac ELR electric luxury vehicles to dealerships Tuesday, December 17, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. The ELR’s driving range, which combines battery-only electric power with a range-extending gasoline-powered electric generator provides total driving range exceeding 300 miles (480 km). (Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors)

General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly begins shipping 2014 Cadillac ELR electric luxury vehicles to dealerships Tuesday, December 17, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. The ELR’s driving range, which combines battery-only electric power with a range-extending gasoline-powered electric generator provides total driving range exceeding 300 miles (480 km). (Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors)

General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly begins shipping 2014 Cadillac ELR electric luxury vehicles to dealerships Tuesday, December 17, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. The ELR’s driving range, which combines battery-only electric power with a range-extending gasoline-powered electric generator provides total driving range exceeding 300 miles (480 km). (Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors)

General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly begins shipping 2014 Cadillac ELR electric luxury vehicles to dealerships Tuesday, December 17, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan. The ELR’s driving range, which combines battery-only electric power with a range-extending gasoline-powered electric generator provides total driving range exceeding 300 miles (480 km). (Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors)

 

[XLRATING]

If you can't put a loud exhaust on it, I don't want it!

Next they'll figure out that worn out batteries are worse for the environment than using fossil fuels. Kind of like they got rid of CFC's because we were going to die from the hole in the ozone CFC's supposedly caused. Now I've read the hole in the ozone is all fixed - & they think the absence of the hole is contributing to global warming by holding in all the greenhouse gases.

 

[mtrocket]

If you can't put a loud exhaust on it, I don't want it!

Next they'll figure out that worn out batteries are worse for the environment than using fossil fuels. Kind of like they got rid of CFC's because we were going to die from the hole in the ozone CFC's supposedly caused. Now I've read the hole in the ozone is all fixed - & they think the absence of the hole is contributing to global warming by holding in all the greenhouse gases.

Figures...

 

[BoughtTheXLR]

If you can't put a loud exhaust on it, I don't want it!

Next they'll figure out that worn out batteries are worse for the environment than using fossil fuels. Kind of like they got rid of CFC's because we were going to die from the hole in the ozone CFC's supposedly caused. Now I've read the hole in the ozone is all fixed - & they think the absence of the hole is contributing to global warming by holding in all the greenhouse gases.

Care to cite where you've read that? Data from NASA http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/ indicates it's still bad, just not as bad as the peak in 2006. And I'm truly amused at the suggestion that the greenhouse gasses somehow could escape through the hole. Sounds all very foxnews-ish to me...

 

[XLRATING]

Care to cite where you've read that? Data from NASA http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov/ indicates it's still bad, just not as bad as the peak in 2006. And I'm truly amused at the suggestion that the greenhouse gasses somehow could escape through the hole. Sounds all very foxnews-ish to me...

I tried to find it before I posted, but couldn't - I read it in the paper over the last year.

The problem is I'm not sure it would make a difference if I put a link to the article, because environmental issues are kind of like what some people say about religion - one can always find some kind of cite to support one's position. You see that going on all the time in politics with the environment. Who is right? Who knows. That was my point more than anything else (admittedly not clear), is I don't think we really know what we are doing. Medicine can be similar - a couple of weeks ago there was a report that studies show taking extra vitamins is useless for pretty much anything, then more recently one found vitamin E can slow Alzheimer's.

I'm still thinking if we replaced all internal combustion engines with battery-powered ones that disposing of all the used batteries wouldn't be very good for the environment either. If electricity demand increases to recharge batteries, then you're dealing with the effects of perhaps increasing the volume from or number of coal-fired or nuclear power plants, which also have bad environmental impacts. There's usually some adverse effect from tweaking things like that, it's just a matter of making the best guess of that effect & how it compares to what you are trying to get rid of. I don't think all that's been sorted out very well yet, & unfortunately, even if we have the science to make a good guess (which I'm not sure we do) it seems it often gets redirected by politics and corporate influence.

Anyway, I still like vehicles that can make some noise!