Audi USA Boss De Nysschen Vindicated: Electricity IS for Idiots!
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Audi USA president Johan De Nysschen gained infamy late last year for remarking that the plug-in electric hybrid 2011 Chevrolet Volt is a "car for idiots." Vindication of his hatred of electricity--Audi's own all-electric e-tron sports car concept notwithstanding--came last week in the form of an electrical fire above the Audi stand in Cobo Hall at the Detroit Auto Show.
The fire, which caused no harm to people or property, forced evacuation of the show hall for several hours on Thursday due to volumes of smoke filling the air.
De Nysschen's earlier criticism of the Volt centered around the impracticality and lack of value in electric-powered personal transport. De Nysschen eviscerated the Volt for its high costs, low savings in running costs and poor performance. It's fair criticism--just last week Green Car Reports' John Voelcker got the inside scoop on the Volt's true costs. Though the car has been popularly reported as coming in the low-$30,000 range, that figure is only valid after a $7,500 government tax rebate, putting the car's retail price around the $40,000 mark--a lot to ask for a compact sedan with limited EV-only range.
Audi USA's forthright chief went on a few months later to describe the U.S. government as being "in love" with EVs--and to criticize the EV-favoring policy as an impediment to cost-effective near-term solutions to energy efficiency.
With last week's fire now as further ammunition, we're just waiting for De Nysschen's next pronouncement against electricity. Surely the scathing indictment won't fail to include the inefficiencies of the union labor used to install the faulty display lighting, or the fact that using fossil fuels could have eliminated the middle man and delivered a much more efficient, cost-effective fire without all the overhead of an electricity-based system.
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Zonda Posted: 1/24/2010 6:01pm PST
Axial Posted: 1/24/2010 8:53pm PST
Razer Posted: 1/24/2010 9:57pm PST
Electric-Guru8 Posted: 1/25/2010 7:03am PST
Combustion engines have had a leap start for nearly 130 years....give electric a chance. We may have to plug them in now, yet the technology will improve, you already have charging stations in test trials at universities across the globe that can recharge advanced lithium ion batteries in under a minuted.
The average fueling of a petrol car that requires 17 gallons, takes roughly 3 minutes. Live and learn morons.
Michael Posted: 1/25/2010 9:10am PST
The real problem is that you pollute the atmosphere more when you create electricity rather when using petrol in your car. First find a way to create electricity in a clean way and then start to build electric engines
Electric-Guru8 Posted: 1/25/2010 9:28am PST
Houston Posted: 1/25/2010 11:15pm PST
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