GM Canada / Ontario Power Generation ad campaign for Volt

[the_yellow_dart]

OPG plug-in car site featuring the Volt

Got a heads-up email about this today as a contractor for Ontario Power Generation. Seems like maybe somebody else was listening to me rant these past few years about early adoption of plug in cars fuelling increased electricity production. Alright, maybe not... but it's at least nice to see other people think these things as well.

Notice that the video shows Malibus as the stand-in for Volts, I guess they're hoping people won't catch that? ...or implying that the Malibu may be plug-in in the future?

[PurdueGuy]

I was gonna say, they mention "featuring the volt", but it's a buncha malibus...

[Drew Dowdell]

Volt will cost less per year to charge than a typical family refrigerator.

[ZL-1]

Volt will cost less per year to charge than a typical family refrigerator.

And if buy one in white you'll actually be driving the refrigerator!

[the_yellow_dart]

I was gonna say, they mention "featuring the volt", but it's a buncha malibus...

It's a shame that they couldn't at least mock up something that looks like the Volt for the commercial - I mean, this isn't just an Ontario Power Generation ad, it's actually GM Canada contributing as well.

Still, it must be nice for GM to see electricity providers willing to start an ad campaign which benefits their product.

[Dragon]

all the more generation isn't gonna do much if our outdated power grid can't hold up to the expected increase in demand (not just from plug-ins) over the next 10 years

[the_yellow_dart]

I've worked with OPG long enough to learn a few things about the power generation and distribution systems. From idea to completion, power plants in general and especially nuclear plants take a lot longer to build than extra transmission lines. The timeline (idea to completion) for the nuclear plant will be about 15-18 years, while the transmission lines take about 5.

[thegriffon]

Errr, the cool thing about the Volt is it normally charges in off-peak times, when there is excess capacity. Peak loads when the grid fails are typically during the day when offices and plants add to the demand for power, especially when A/C loads are highest during summer afternoons. Utilities view plugins like the Volt as another way to sell more power without needing to add capacity or straining the grid.

[GXT]

Volt will cost less per year to charge than a typical family refrigerator.

That is a common misquote of a GM stat that is purposely misleading. Well, I think it is a blatant lie, but you can be the judge.

To quote myself:

"The average fridge from 2004 uses 465 kW/year (411 if Energy Star) and the average freezer 344kW. The Volt would use 2920kW (8kW * 365 days). That is over 400% more electricity required for the Volt than a fridge and a freezer."

Full post:

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...5620&st=80#