The Volt Is a New Car for the Masses

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This is a big commercial gamble, right? The EV1 was a niche car and GM can lose some money on 3,000 leased cars. What they're talking about for the Volt though is selling them in the tens of thousands. They say again and again this is not a toy for rich people. This is going to be a car for one car family.

Jonathan Rauch, of the Brookings Institution and the Atlantic Monthly, talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about the evolution of the Chevy Volt, GM's planned electric car. Due to the transparency of GM's effort, Rauch was able to spend a great deal of time on site at GM writing a piece for the Atlantic Monthly on GM's plans and hopes. Rauch discusses the huge risks, GM's past failures, and GM's hopes that the Volt might change the company's culture. The conversation closes with a discussion of competitors and the implications for energy policy.